I’ve known far too many people with MacBooks that have had their drives take a dump on them. According to a post over on Gizmodo, Apple is now stepping up to replace said drives, albeit with a bit of hoop jumping:

MacBooks bought between 2006 and 2007 could be eligible for a free hard drive replacement, with Apple dodging a guilty admission, stating that “a very small percentage…may fail under certain conditions.” If you own a white or black MacBook bought between 2006 and 2007, with either a 1.83GHz, 3Ghz, or 2.16GHz processor and 60GB, 80GB, 100GB, 120GB or 160GB, you may be in luck. Or out of luck—as you have to prove the hard drive actually has failed.

Read the complete article here, or contact your local Apple store to see if your drive is covered.

When Michael, from the 10centsworth.com blog found that his hard drive had taken a dump on his Macbook, he also found out that his machine was out of warranty. On his blog he posts about the experience of having an Apple store employee taking pity on his poor soul and ‘faking that it was still under warranty‘ to get his hard drive replaced.

My heart sank. I didn’t have the money to replace a hard-drive. He asked what I’d like to do, and I told him I really didn’t have any other option than to just wait until I could afford it. I’m not really sure if he could see something in my countenance, but he held up his finger and told me to wait for a moment. He walked into the back for a few minutes, then came out and told me that he’d just go ahead and “pretend” I had the warranty on my computer, and replace it for free, and even told me he would replace the crack in the keyboard that I got months previous from setting it down a little bit too hard.

If you own Mac gear, you’ll likely need a Genius Bar visit at some point. As to whether or not you agree with the dude helping out on an out of warranty machine…well, I won’t try to sway you, but I do believe in customer service, so I say two thumbs up. Hopefully Apple doesn’t track this guy down and can him.

In the past couple months, I’ve needed to hit up the Genius bar myself with the following results.

1. Volume switch fell off my iPhone – just barely out of warranty, and they replaced the phone for free.

2. Developed a single pixel line down the right side of my screen on my 17″ Macbook Pro — out of warranty, no luck. Estimated $500 repair to replace…still living with the line.

3. 2nd Gen Macbook Air hinge was getting wonky – well within warranty, they replaced the entire display assembly. HOWEVER, when I got it back, the case was tweaked and wouldn’t sit flat AND my sound was no longer working. Took it back, the replaced the bottom case, and sound card. I’m pretty sure that one turned out to be a complete replacement.

4. While in picking up the MBA, I asked about a missing plastic foot for my 17″ MBP, and they said they couldn’t just give me one, but to bring it back in and they’d replace it for free. Hopefully that means even if it’s out of warranty, since I lost a second one this week….

Gotta say, for my money, the Genius Bar has done a great job and taken care of my gear.

Via the Consumerist

Steve Jobs holds the new Apple iPad - image via Engadget.

This is the device everyone has been waiting for. Is it the one we’ve been waiting for here at TweakOSX? Well, that’s up in the air as of yet…but the keynote isn’t quite over yet…so here’s what we know so far:

• half-inch thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds,
• 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen IPS LCD display
• custom 1GHz Apple “A4″ chip
• 10-hour battery life and a month of standby
• 16, 32, and 64GB sizes
• 30-pin Dock connector
• speaker and microphone
• Bluetooth, and 802.11n WiFi
• accelerometer
• compass.

The iPad runs iPhone apps out of the box — either pixel-for-pixel in a window, or pixel-doubled fullscreen. Developers can also target the new screen size using the updated iPhone OS SDK (available today) and take advantage of the sexy full screen.

UPDATE:

iPad also comes in a 3G version with data plans of

$14.99 for 250 mb of transer
$29.99 for unlimited data transfer

$499 for 16GB

32GB is $599

64GB is $799.

3G models cost an extra $130.

$629, 729, and 829 with 3G.

Follow live blogs today at:

http://live.gdgt.com/2010/01/27/live-apple-come-see-our-latest-creation-tablet-event-coverage/

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/live-from-the-apple-tablet-latest-creation-event/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/live-from-the-apple-tablet-latest-creation-event/

The great thing about technology is that it is always changing, always evolving, always turning into the next and newest most exciting thing. The laptop was a revolutionary concept in the computer and technology world. A computer you could carry with you wherever you went. Since then companies like Apple have created all new kinds of laptops, different sizes, shapes and even colors.

The MacBook Air has been one of the newest and most exciting innovations in the laptop culture. But now, could this new Sony design outpace the likes of the MacBook Air and MacBook Touch? Check out this video and let us know what you think…

As technology grows and more and more people are looking at various types of screens, whether they are computer screens, phone screens, tv screens or gaming screens, one has to start to wonder what that staring at screens will do to our eyesight. Enter Gunnar Optiks, a company that is promoting and advertising ‘technology glasses’ that reduce glare and relax and create healthier eyes for technology users.

But how are these glasses any different that regular eye glasses? Is there anything to these strange, overpriced glasses?

Arstechnica interviewed optometrist Krista Anderson. Her take? “Really, it looks like a great marketing strategy for stuff I tell patients everyday.

“The tints are pretty standard in the optical community. The advantages stated are all true… they haven’t reinvented the wheel, so to speak,” she explains. The amber tint is going to increase contrast when looking at computer or television screens, and the anti-reflective coating will also help. Anderson says that should help you “get back 8-10 percent of the 12 percent of usable light that we lose to glare, when worn in front of a light-emitting source such as a computer or oncoming headlights.”

She goes on to explain that the other features are also solid. “The AR coating and hard coat are nothing that I don’t recommend to everyone ordering glasses in my practice,” Anderson tells Ars. “The ‘hydrophobic and oleophobic’ components are no different from the premium coatings I use in my practice.”

In other words, the glasses do in fact have benefits for your eyes, but it’s more a case of a handful of well-known optical techniques all aimed at helping your eyes when you look at a computer or television screen for hours at a time.”

So how should gamers and IT workers alike take care of their eyes?

1. Make sure you get annual eye examinations and have proper glasses or contacts for your eyesight.

2. If you’re interested in the Gunnar Optiks, find out how much they might cost with the size and style you’re interested in, then ask your local optometrist if they can beat the price.

3. If you can, take five minute breaks away from comptuer screens. While these breaks seem small, they relax your eyes and renew their ability to focus. Also, eye drops can help keep eyes moist and less strained.

One of the greatest concerns in the age of technology is the affect that these amazing inventions will have on the health of human beings and the world that we live in. So how does a company like Apple, which is so vast and broadsweeping, do when it comes to taking care of the environment and people?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged to regulate chemicals and protect human health by safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land.  It monitors companies and other agencies to ensure that businesses in the U.S. are seeking to keep people and the natural environment safe.  According to MacObserver, “The EPA rates Apple Computer highest amongst producers of notebook computers, and fairly well compared to producers of desktop computers and LCD displays.”

Other organizations however, such as GreenPeace, have scored Apple low on their environmental care scale. They claim that, “Despite being a leader in innovation and design,” the non-profit organization said, “Apple has made absolutely no improvements to its policies or practices since the ranking was first released three months ago.”

So which is it? Is Apple a leader in environmental care or a deceitful international company that destroys the earth and humans while making money from them? Is GreenPeace target large corporations simply to bring them down and is the EPA turning a blind eye to the issues with Apple?

I would say that most likely the answer is, ‘Yes’. Somewhere in the middle, Apple is both having a negative effect on our environment and seeking to better it. This is where we, the consumers, play an integral role. It is the spending and living choices that we make that determine how companies like Apple reac to environmental issues. It is the suggestions that we make and the way in which we ’speak with our wallet’ that shape the policies of these major companies.

At the risk of sounding optimistic and democratic, the consumer system is based on serving the needs of individuals and their spending habits. Therefore, if you and I are seeking to buy products and support companies that are environmentally minded, and are informed as to what that means, then perhaps we have a chance at keeping companies like Apple and others accountable.

Its something to think about.

What do you think?

In 9 years we have seen possibly one of the greatest transitions in music media history. In 2001, Apple debuted their new product, iTunes, a place to store and organize your music on your computer. 8 years later, Apple has rolled out iTunes 09, a program that has advanced and improved music and media to a whole new level. iTunes has moved to a product that handles music, movies, TV shows, music videos, podcasts, audiobooks, iPhone applications, iPod games, ringtones, and Internet radio. It supports purchasing, renting, and importing. It manages iPods, iPhones, and the Apple TV. It coordinates the syncing of contacts, calendars, bookmarks, notes, mail accounts, and even photos. And it manages wireless streaming to remote AirPort and Apple TV units. This is a long list of features and the updates are growing as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Event of last week introduced new features that have been on wish lists for some time now. Here’s a look at a few updates:

-Trying To Get The Interface Right-One of the most difficult parts of any program is getting it to interact properly with its users. iTunes is trying again with new ways to explain how to get music if you don’t have any, as well as easier ways to categorize and browse the music and movies that you do have.

-Working with the iPhone-is one of the newest features that iTunes promotes. When you select the Applications item in the iTunes sidebar, you can now view your purchased iPhone apps in list, grid or Cover Flow mode. But the most exciting part of the iTunes/iPhone relationship is the chance to control the new tools for managing what gets synced to your iPhone or iPod touch and how those apps are organized on the device.

-Syncing new music-iTunes 9 also improves the options for choosing which media are synced to your iPhones and iPods. For example, the Music tab now lets you choose to sync any combination of playlists (Genius mixes and playlists included), artists, and genres. So, for example, you can easily copy just your favorite three playlists, along with everything by your favorite band, and all tracks classified as Alternative; there’s even a search field for the Artists list to make it easier to find particular artists.

Check out macworld for more on the iTunes9 updates.

Apple is planning a special, invitation only, rock ‘n’ roll event today to roll out new products and innovations. The event will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco, Calif., located in the same complex as the Moscone Center, site of Macworld Expo and Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). It will occur at 10:00 AM Pacific Time on Wednesday, Sep. 9, 2009.

In the past, these special events have been used by Apple to renovate its music products, iPods and iTunes to name a few. Look for similar trends to continue today as the ‘big holidays’ are just around the corner. Here’s three things that we hope to see.

1. iTunes Upgrade: The increasingly complex and cutting edge way to store and play your music is in need of a new edge. While the ‘genius’ feature and other gadgets on the iTunes are cool, we’re looking for the next neat feature.

2. iPod Touch Facelift: This product has become on of Apple’s most important for revenue stream. It’d be nice to see similar upgrades to the Touch as occur on iTunes.

3. The Touted Tablet Device: The Device has been long-rumored and is becoming long-awaited. A new type of device that will be cutting edge, as Apple usually is, allowing iPhone like movement on a computer apparatus. This thing would be sure to be a must have by Apple lovers this fall.

The party’s about to start! Get ready to rock’n'roll! Check out macworld for live updates.

A recent study was released stating that texting while driving is 23 more times dangerous that not driving while texting. I love these studies that come out with things that we kind of already new were true, but didn’t want to admit. I myself am a culprit of texting while driving. With Oregon’s new ‘no cell phones while driving’ rule passed and being implemented soon, I am frustrated that all I’ll be able to do when I drive is sit and look at the road.

We’ve developed a society that is so rushed and bent on multi-tasking that we ought to be skilled enough to drive and text at the same time. Perhaps driver’s education classes ought to begin teaching students how to drive while texting or talking on the phone? Maybe if we gave students enough practice of texting while driving than they would be less likely to get in a fender bender with the car in front of them while sending an ‘lol’ to their friends?

Furthermore, Facebook could take see a serious drop in status updates if texting is disallowed while driving. I know there have been countless times that I have had the chance to tell people what I’m doing every second by updating my facebook and twitter while driving. My wife LOVES it when I text while driving. It gives her a chance to watch the road and get an adrenaline rush. Its my gift to her while we’re on the road.

I am appalled that our government would try and regulate our cell phone use while driving. The cell phone is a symbol of American independence, proof that were are not burdened or addicted to technology, but using it in powerful and transforming ways. The amount of meaningful text conversations throughout the country would make George and the other founding fathers proud of what we’ve become!

So in conclusion, texting may be dangerous while driving, but only because we need to train our drivers more thoroughly, giving them the proper tools to function in this ‘high-octane’ society. Learning how to multi-task by driving, texting, listening to music, talking to friends and combing their hair, all at the same time.

Here’s to making the roads safer!

Books are fun to read, but they’re even more fun to smell. I love heading into libraries or old book stores and smelling the richness of history and adventure. The smells of tales told over the centuries, of poetry and prose, mystery and drama, psychology and world thought. What will happen to the smell of books as the world continues to move faster and faster into the world of technology. Companies like Barnes and Nobles are attempting to break into this world of technology and make a profit by promoting ebooks.

“Monday, we got the first insights to Barnes’ digital strategy with the company’s two-prong announcement of the Barnes & Noble eBookstore and its e-book reader plans—including the company’s partnership with Plastic Logic to produce an e-book device. The eBookstore, launched Monday, offers 700,000 titles according to Barnes & Noble’s press release, but in a conference call after the release went out, Barnes & Noble clarified that it includes Google’s 500,000 free public domain books as part of that number.”

Barnes and Nobles competes against Amazon and its new ebook reader the Kindle. Barnes and Nobles alliance with Plastic gives it the opportunity to challenge Amazon.

So what will happen to those dusty old libraries that breathe history and adventure? Will they instead be contained in our computers and cell phones? Will the adventures be the same, the drama have its power? Is it the words on the page or the media that presents it? It will be fun to watch this new breed of technology blossom in our quickly growing world. I hope that the love of reading and culture of books will never best lost.