Wednesday Recap: Windows Phone 8, 4 Monitors on 1 MacBook, Apple Camp 2012
Wednesday Recap: Windows Phone 8, 4 Monitors on 1 MacBook, Apple Camp 2012
While the jury is still out on how Microsoft did introducing its Surface tablets on Monday, the folks in Redmond appeared to fare much better with today's introduction of Windows Phone 8, the latest and greatest version of their smartphone operating system which will be released this fall. However, there's a bit of bad news for owners of existing Windows Phone 7.5 handset owners -- so read on and find out all about it as well as everything else making news for this Wednesday, June 20, 2012.
Microsoft Introduces Windows Phone 8
Not content to only unveil its new Surface tablet this week, Microsoft kicked off a Windows Phone developer event today by introducing the next generation of its smartphone software. Windows Phone 8 is based around some of the same core software as the upcoming Windows 8, adding multi-core processor support, higher resolution phone displays, more flexible storage options, NFC with a new digital Wallet, Internet Explorer 10 and a refreshed Start screen, which allows even more of a user's content to be front and center on the screen. Unfortunately, the news wasn't as good for current Windows Phone 7.5 users, including those on the newest Nokia Lumia 900 flagship device. Older devices won't be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 8, but will instead receive a more limited Windows Phone 7.8 update around the same time, bringing a few of the new features to legacy handsets. It will be interesting to see how the company's current users respond to such a controversial decision...
OWC Shows Off Retina MacBook Pro Driving 4 Displays at Once
If you still need further evidence that Apple's latest MacBook Pro with Retina Display is a technological marvel, look no further than Other World Computing's website. There you'll find an amazing photo showing the notebook powering three external displays -- two iMacs being used as Thunderbolt/DisplayPort monitors at 2560x1440 each plus an LG monitor connected via HDMI at 1920x1200. The MacBook Pro even powers it own Retina Display at the same time, which is definitely a first for Apple's notebook line -- in fact, it would take a Mac Pro with additional graphics cards to accomplish the same feat of strength! So how does it all work in real-world use? "Moving images and media didn’t create any lag and we were able to play video on all four displays simultaneously," OWC's Mike H. writes. Wow. Just… wow.
Bitcasa Beta Now Open to One and All
The folks at Bitcasa have been offering "infinite storage" to a select few who could get into the beta program over the last several months, but that all changes today. The company has swung its beta doors wide open to all takers on the Mac, Windows and Linux, offering limitless cloud storage for all of your folders or drives, including syncing them across multiple devices. That doesn't yet include mobile devices like the iPhone or iPad, but judging from the company's revamped website, it appears it may soon enough.
Apple Camp Offers Free Summer Filmmaking Workshops for Kids 8-12
Looking for something to keep the kids out of your hair this summer? Apple is hosting "a fun, free workshop" for this year's Apple Camp, where young campers will learn the perils of filmmaking for two grueling days, then sit back and enjoy a festival of their efforts on the third day, with parents, relatives and friends invited along. "At Apple Camp, kids ages 8-12 learn how to shoot their own footage, create an original song in GarageBand on an iPad, and put it all together in iMovie on a Mac," the website explains. "This free workshop, held at Apple Retail Stores, spans three days and ends with campers debuting their masterpieces at the Apple Camp Film Festival. Space is limited and workshops fill up quickly, so sign up now for a super-creative adventure." Jeez, where was all this cool stuff when we were kids? Back then we had to make do with clumsily animating Star Wars action figures using our mother's Super-8mm film camera. But this sounds much cooler...
iFixit's At It Again, This Time with the 15-Inch Unibody MacBook Pro
You'd think by now the technicians at iFixit would have sore fingers after tearing down a new MacBook Air as well as the MacBook Pro with Retina Display all in the last few days, but they're at it again, this time tearing open one of the latest 15-inch MacBook Pro unibody models introduced at WWDC 2012 last week. "While its sibling with the Retina display may have stolen all the press, this MacBook Pro is nothing to scoff at," iFixit notes. "It's way more repairable and upgradeable than its sleeker-looking sibling. Follow along as we show you inside." There weren't a whole lot of surprises in store for the techs, but curious types will want to click ahead and check out the wonderfully high-resolution images of the notebook being disemboweled, just the same.
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