In a move that more than likely should’ve caused a black hole or a rift in time, finally got the (yesterday) released Microsoft Windows 8 Developer’s Build to work on Apple OS X 10.7 via VMWare Fusion. The kicker was that VMWare Fusion 3.1.3 wouldn’t work; luckily enough, VMWare Fusion saw fit to releasing their $49.99 update to VMWare Fusion 4.0.1 today, one day after Windows 8 was made available for download and guess what?

It works!

Even though Microsoft stated that Windows 8 will work on an Intel Atom with only 1gb of RAM, I truly suggest giving it way more RAM than that. And the final install of everything is a shade under 7.5gb in total, with the Windows folder being around 4.93gb of space used. Off the bat, Internet Explorer 10 is included in the install. The new Start Menu is what looks like the Windows Phone 7 interface of oddly shaped squares that are somewhat interlocked together. But the regular, “looks like Windows 7″ desktop is still in there.

I’ll definitely have to give this a more in-depth look in a bit. But so far, this is only adding to my anticipation for Microsoft Windows 8.

[ Links: MSDN Windows 8 Developer Edition Downloads, VMWare Fusion 4.0 ]

Verizon today unveiled more detail about their LTE wireless broadband launch, announcing that they’ll be offering the 5-12 Mbps service in 38 markets and 60 airports starting December 5. Most importantly, Verizon finally unveiled their pricing for the new service, which after a year filled with endless hints by executives about wanting to try something new winds up being somewhat underwhelming, traditional, and expensive.

The base pricing for LTE laptop connectivity via USB modem (there will be no smartphones at launch) is significantly more expensive than the 3G pricing they unveiled in October, though the caps are obviously higher. Verizon’s current EVDO USB modem plans come in two flavors: $40 for 250MB of usage and $60 for 5GB of usage. Verizon’s LTE pricing will now be $50 for 5GB of usage, or $80 for 10 GB of usage, with $10 per each additional GB. Sayeth big red:

Verizon Wireless customers can choose from two 4G LTE Mobile Broadband data plans: $50 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance or $80 monthly access for 10 GB monthly allowance, both with $10/GB overage. For laptop connectivity, two 4G LTE USB modems will be initially available: the LG VL600 is available at launch and the Pantech UML290 will be available soon, each $99.99 after $50 rebate with a new two-year agreement. Both USB modems provide backward-compatibility with Verizon Wireless’ 3G network. If laptop users travel outside of a 4G LTE coverage area, they will automatically stay connected on the company’s 3G network.

It’s interesting to note there’s not even really an entry level LTE plan (say $25 for a gig of use) after literally dozens of Verizon executive comments claiming usage-based pricing was going to be the future. We’ll assume this pricing may evolve as the company begins offering LTE smartphones, which Verizon today announced will arrive sometime in “mid-2011″. Verizon also again today confirmed these devices will initially use 3G/CDMA for voice until LTE voice standards are hashed out. As an added aside: the service will only support MS Windows based PC’s at launch.

Link to the original article…

Google finally is showing off what exactly that Gizmo Project purchase can do for you. Earlier this year, Google Voice was made available for all US citizens, finally leaving the closed beta since it’s Grand Central days – yet another Google purchase. Anyway, it works as easy as follows:

Calls to the U.S. and Canada will be free for at least the rest of the year and calls to other countries will be billed at our very low rates. We worked hard to make these rates really cheap (see comparison table) with calls to the U.K., France, Germany, China, Japan and many more countries – for as little as $0.02 per minute.

Dialing a phone number works just like a normal phone. Just click “Call phone” at the top of your chat list and dial a number or enter a contact’s name.

Also, last week, Linux users got the ability to finally use video chat via the browser too. Gmail is getting even better and better.

[ Links: Official Gmail Blog ]

I’ve been a tablet user since Adobe Photoshop 3.0.4, Painter 2.0 and the days of Wacom and CalComp used to connect to your computer via the serial connector (read: way back before USB, mid-1990′s or so) and I’m always looking for what’s new in regards to the tablet scene. Adesso, a brand I’ve talked about here quite a few times also makes graphic tablets too.

I got my hands on their CyberTablet Z7, a 5.5 inch by 4 inch graphics tablet. Time to see if their offerings are as well put together as their keyboards.

Made out of shiny, silver but quality plastic, the design of the Z7 reminded me a lot of my older Wacom Graphire 2, a 4 inch by 5 inch tablet that I’ve kept for travel since it’s rather small and doesn’t get in the way. As does the Z7… it’s a smaller tablet that I could easily see throwing into my laptop bag and carrying around with me. The base of the plastic Z7 does have metal with some rubber feet, so it’ll stay put on the table without moving around. I’d say that the build quality easily compares to what I’ve come to expect from Adesso.

The best part about the Adesso CyberTablet Z7 is that it was immediately recognized in Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard. The drivers that come with it do install a few other applications to assist you in other applications, namely Microsoft Office for Windows XP users and the ability to add real signatures into e-mails and other documents. The only problem though is that I found the software to be a bit more crude than I’d rather allow to stay on my machine. So almost out of the box, you could actually use the tablet with your existing programs and not include more than just the necessary drivers.

The CyberTablet Z7 does include 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, something I got a chance to fully test out in the newly released Adobe Illustrator CS5. While playing around, I couldn’t tell a difference between my Wacom Graphire and the Adesso CyberTablet Z7 to be honest. The $69 Z7 actually compared well against my way more expensive Wacom Intuos 3 and did even better than my Wacom Bamboo Touch – which, I’m honestly still coming to grips with while using graphic apps.

The Z7 does come with a bigger – almost grip pen size in regards to the Wacom line – pen than the Graphire and Intuos 3 (out of the box) and fits into my larger sized hands rather well. It fits just like an oversized Cross pen that I carry around with me in my briefcase. However, I won’t say that it is a good size for everybody, if you have bigger hands or like the pen to have a bit of heft to it… go for the Z7. Unlike the Wacom pen offerings, there’s one AAA battery that goes into the pen, giving it that aforesaid heft. To the average geek, or the mobile geek, that will sooner than later become just another battery to possibly replace at the worst times. This part, I disagree with how Adesso designed their pen. I love the heft, the replaceable pen tips, the activity light(s) and the even the almost too-flush but not as easily breakable eraser. About the eraser though, I didn’t find it as easy to use as the Wacom offerings – it was too flush to get any idea of how hard I was pressing down and in some cases where I was trying to erase in Corel Painter IX just a small section, I pressed down too hard and removed a much bigger section than intended.

I do have dual screens, but tend to only draw on one at a time. I also have wide screen LCD’s and the almost 4:3 aspect ratio of the Adesso Z7 does mean that on some up to bottom type of strokes, I might have to be careful not stroke too long because there is (in ratio) more room on the tablet than on the screen. It’s slight, but most of my tests in Adobe Illustrator CS5 and in Corel Painter IX went swimmingly.

Pros:

• Cheaper priced
• Works just as well in professional design apps as more expensive tablets
• Manufactured out of quality plastic with a solid metal base
• See-through flap to place smaller drawings under and trace
• Really responsive, up to Wacom Bamboo level

Cons:

• Some flex when pressed down on hard
• Single AAA battery in pen adds more heft than other offerings and would have to be replaced
• Pen base is non-replaceable, unlike the Wacom offerings
• Software (beyond drivers) does not support Windows Vista or Windows 7

All in all, I give the Adesso CyberTablet Z7 3.5 out of 5 (Pretty Darn Good) where it was a great performer inside of professional level apps like the entire Adobe Creative Suite 5 as well as my natural media favorite Corel Painter but the inclusion of the battery, the lack of software that integrated well with systems above Windows XP being the biggest cons. If you’re in the market and cannot afford the Wacom offerings, you might want to keep the Adesso offerings in mind.

[ Links: Adesso, Adesso CyberTablet Z7 ]

I come from the era of Polaroids, 35mm Canon cameras and those real cheap, plastic cameras that were given to kids that had plastic lenses that captured pretty much the world from a child’s perspective of the world (read: a lot of knee-caps and unintentional crotch shots) but were always more warm albeit less precise than our digital, megapixel endowed cameras. I miss those crotch shots days.

Just about anybody can open up Adobe Photoshop and change the color balance, apply a few plug-ins but sometimes you just want to quickly add some “warmth” but it’s not really the same. Well, Pentacom, a Japanese company, has created ToyCamera AnalogColor. An application that does just that via many presets and sliders that allow you to see what your image looks like in real time. It even adds a color border that emulates the Polaroid look if you so wish.

Not bad for a $10 app. There’s also an $1.99 Apple iPhone app too.

[ Links: Pentacom, ToyCamera AnalogColor ]

There’s something about me and printers. Same thing with fax machines. I need them, I use them… they just don’t like me. They run out of ink at the wrong time, they don’t work like I think they should, sometimes I think they steal the change from my pocket. Don’t quote me on that last part, but let’s just say that a printer has to be very special for me to use it, let alone like it.

The last printer that won me over was the Epson WorkForce 600, which now has been replaced by the Epson WorkForce 610. And in that review, I took my time, installed the drivers, saw how much ink I’d use over a couple of months… and found myself actually depending on the WorkForce 600 to the point that I considered it a part of the family and not furniture. But despite the impressive quality of the WorkForce 600, I found myself needing the ability to sometimes print bigger than 8.5 inches by 11 inches.

Enter the Epson WorkForce 1100.

Thanks to the kind folks at Epson, they sent along a WorkForce 1100 and granted me a long amount of time to test their printer.

For the WorkForce 1100 review, I upped the ante and even updated my machines from Windows Vista Business to Windows 7 as well as tested on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard to 10.6 Snow Leopard and went through over 300 pages of prints, tested different types of papers and really put the printer through its paces. And guess what? Epson has produced another printer that I actually like. From the drivers that actually tell you exact percentages of how much ink is left in the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inkjet cartridges – which oddly enough, requires two black ink cartridges at all times, but the rest are single cartridges and tend to last very long. How long? I’m 3 months deep into this long-term review process and I’ve yet to replace my cartridges – they’re cruising at 62% full. Yep… I can tell you the exact percentage via the Epson drivers.

Note: Mac owners using 10.6.x, it’s best to download the newest drivers from Epson.com instead of using the CD-ROM that’s packaged alongside the Epson WorkForce 1100.

Since the WorkForce 1100 does not utilize ethernet or wi-fi connections, but via Windows Vista and Windows 7, it’s about three clicks worth of time to set up printer sharing within a workgroup or domain and using the attached computer as the print server. I attached the Epson WorkForce 1100 to a Windows Vista Business edition machine that’s connected to my network workgroup via wi-fi only, and proceeded to add the printer to a Windows 7 Ultimate edition machine in another room without incident. I then went to my Mac OS X 10.6.2 machine and found the printer via the machine that acted like a print server IP address. Again, about three mouseclicks worth of time. A total cinch to set up.

Now, with setup aside, what about the print quality? Epson boasts some impressive numbers on the widescreen format Epson WorkForce 1100:

Laser quality up to 2x faster
Large prints up to 13″ x 19″
Maximum 30 ppm black/17 ppm color
Laser quality 13 ppm/5.5 ppm

Yep, you read that right… 13 inches by 19 inches of bad boy printing ability up to 5760 by 1440 dpi. Let’s just say that my son will have some awesome new posters on his wall that I actually either have designed or approve at a moments notice – the larger prints also print quite fast too. Enough to satisfy an impatient 8 year old waiting on a print to come out. That’s fast enough for me.

Warm up time on the WorkForce 1100 is a bit long, but once it’s ready, you’ll be printing 8.5 inch by 11 inch print up to 30 pages per minute, or a page per two seconds. I was able to maintain that speed on paragraph and normal designed pages, but heavy art and/or layouts in Adobe InDesign that use clipping paths around photo objects and I was printing about 20 pages or so per minute. Not bad, but not spitting them out like a normal Microsoft Word document.

Now, the best part of Epson WorkForce 1100 has to be how fast it slips into “sleep mode”. Once you finish printing, it’s back to its slumber, saving you precious money from your energy bill per month. It’s already 70% less energy hungry than a laser printer, but it goes to standby which uses considerably less energy than while in use.

Sounding like I found another printer I like yet?

As a person that made the transition from a full-blown office worker to a small office/home office (SOHO) worker in the last year or so for the most part – I still have to travel for some clients – I found myself able to print large format prints, labels, impressive looking color images that would look just as good as a print as it does in Adobe Photoshop. I can print quickly, from any machine – I’ve walked in, powered up my laptop, joined my network and started printing in under 5 minutes – and in 3 months I’ve not had one paper jam. I do like how the WorkForce 600/610 do have ethernet and wi-fi capabilities, the large format printing capability and overall size of the WorkForce 1100 means that you will invariably find a place for it that’s not in the way and it’s going to stay there. So with that, I can overlook the lack of ethernet/wi-fi connectivity because it’s mated with a computer that I’ll be using and nearby usually for designs and prints. And if not, I can do as I’ve stated above and set up printer sharing in just a few moments.

Ok, ok… I really like the Epson WorkForce 1100. There, I said it.

The bad? Printers follow the modern day razor and razor blades analogy. For under $200 you can get the Epson WorkForce 1100, but within a year, you will have to purchase the black cartridges – which requires two of them – and the cyan, magenta and yellow cartridges. But Epson has made that part quite friendly since their printer drivers are real efficient. And to be honest, I truly recommend buying only Epson Durabrite brand cartridges if you want to keep up with accurate amounts of prints per cycle, how much ink is left in each cartridge, et al. That’s a nitpick that’s a necessary evil though. The printer cartridges do last quite a while though.

I’d recommend the Epson WorkForce 1100 to those folks that have found themselves needing large print formats. I’ve also print 4 x 5 photos, I’ve print many legal (8.5 inch by 14 inch) documents and switched up to the larger 13 inch by 19 inch and the WorkForce 1100 didn’t have a problem keeping up. By the way, the print in the picture is from Michel Keck’s awesome artwork [ view here ] – go buy some of his art. She’s awesome.

I know, I know. Two printers in two years that I’ve somehow began to like. Who knows… maybe my dislike for printers might be going away thanks to Epson – they’re helping forget my prior HP printer that was pure demonic. Due to the impressive print speed, quality and honestly, the drivers, the WorkForce 1100 is another quality Epson product, easily a 5 out of 5 (Highly Recommended for SOHO)

Update: Office Depot has a coupon that reduces the Epson WorkForce 1100 down from $200 to $130 via this coupon or $149 via the Epson website. Thought I’d pass along the savings!

[ Links: Epson, Epson 1100 Product Page, Epson 600 RTL Recommendation, Epson 310 AIO Announcement ]

Adesso, one of my favorite keyboard makers has released their newest multimedia keyboard the AKB-520. The AKB-520 incorporates an USB hub, a memory card reader alongside some multimedia keys to ensure easy control of your Windows Media Player or Apple iTunes and stuffs all of that into a stylish case.

Equipped with 104 keys, the AKB-520 is a sleek, cost-effective and ergonomic keyboard that provides essential functions for various types of users. In addition to the built-in data card reader and two USB ports, this innovative keyboard compliments users of digital cameras, multimedia players and other portable devices.

The AKB-520 features the following:

• Built-in data card reader/writer for SD/MMC/MS Pro, so users can easily upload files and pictures to PCs
• Two additional USB ports, which conveniently add bus powered devices, such as a USB flash drive, Web cam and mouse
• Embedded multimedia and internet hotkeys, allowing users to control home entertainment functions directly on the keyboard
• Newly designed slim and stylish keyboard, offering improved tactile feel and accurate key response
• 12 hotkeys to boost productivity with direct access to the internet, home, favorites and multimedia controls

Despite not saying that the keyboard is Apple OS X compatible, I’ve personally found that they are indeed fully compatible and the Windows Key becomes the Apple/Option Key in OS X.

The Adesso AKB-520 can be purchased at your normal eRetailers like Amazon, Tigerdirect or PC Mall for instance, and retails normally for $34.99.

[ Links: Adesso, Adesso AKB-520 ] [ Related: Adesso WKB-4000BB, Adesso WKB-3100 Review ]

LaCie has introduced another one of those monolithic looking external hard drive with the “in style” Blue LED and what not. But the LaCie Lacinema Classic HD has HDMI outputs, 1080p playback and a remote control.

The LaCinema Classic HD offers a timeless and sleek design making it a great addition to any TV setup. Providing the widest media format compatibility, LaCinema Classic HD will play all your files without concern – from the most popular DivX format to high-quality MKV H.264 video format via its HDMI 1.3 connection. Uncompromising support for Dolby Digital audio quality enhances the LaCinema Classic HD, as well as your entertainment viewing experience.

The LaCinema Classic HD keeps it easy – use it as an external hard drive to load media from your Mac or PC. Then, simply connect the LaCinema Classic HD to your HDTV for instant playback.

Acting as a DLNA media player, LaCinema Classic HD can conveniently play movies, music, and photos from your computer or network storage. LaCinema Classic HD even offers network access to easily transfer files from your Mac and PC, while keeping it connected to the TV.

Drool. Do want. Comes with a 1TB drive and will cost $249.99 when it comes out shortly at your typical LaCie resellers.

[ LaCie ] [ LaCinema Classic HD ]

SEOUL, Korea (AVING) — Toshiba Korea launched its premium ultra-thin notebook pc ‘PORTEGE T130′ in Korea market, which is designed to meet the demands of everyday mobility.

Measuring less than one inch thin at its slimmest point and weighing 1.7kg with 6-cell battery pack, it adopts a 13.3-inch Clear SuperView 16:9 widescreen. Powered by Windows 7 OS and power-efficient Intel ultra-low voltage processors, the PORTEGE T130 is equipped with ultra-fast DDR3 memory and lots of expansion ports, including HDMI-out.

Toshiba Korea launched its premium ultra-thin notebook pc ‘PORTEGE T130′ in Korea market, which is designed to meet the demands of everyday mobility.

Link to the original article…

If the launch of Windows 7 is news to you, you either had to be under a rock, still on the International Space Station or enjoying your Apple 10.6 (Snow Leopard) too much to really care.

Or… you’re still clinging onto your Microsoft Windows XP SP3 install like it’s the best thing ever – ok, WinXP is better than Vista, even I’ll admit that. Windows 7 takes a lot of the stuff that made Vista wrong such as being slow as heck, inconsistent UI in some places, unstable for the oddest small problems among other things that tend to bother even the most patient computer user and fixes almost all of that. Almost.

It’s not perfect, but it’s the first OS that got my attention since the mature Windows XP or Windows 2000, which remains my favorite OS from Microsoft ever. With the three flavors of Windows 7, down from the 2 billion iterations for Vista, with prices ranging from $119 USD to $219 USD, or cheaper if you’re upgrading (I truly suggest a clean install), do your research by finding out which one is for you via the Microsoft Comparison for Windows 7 [ site here ]

[ Microsoft ]

Multiple touch has finally made its way to the desktop in a way that I’ve been waiting for. Imagine using Corel Painter 11 [ Product Here ] and really doing some serious finger painting without the mess. Or just going through multiple touch enabled operating systems – Mac OS X and Windows Vista and Windows 7 quickly come to mind – using gestures that make using a computer as simple as flicking a wrist to pan around, pinching to shrink or zoom or dragging a finger to scroll a webpage.

Enter the Wacom Bamboo Touch for $69 [ Product Here ] or Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch at $99 [ Product Here ]

Add this to my list of things I want. Can’t wait to test these out compared to my Wacom Intuos3 that’s in serious need of replacement.

[ Wacom ]

Humor. Death. Usually those two words don’t even fit into the same sentence; but from the makers of Secret of Monkey Island come DeathSpank… a game that’s bound to be equal amount of death-dealing and entertaining.

Charming. Intelligent. Enigmatic. These are just a few words that nobody ever uses when describing DeathSpank. He doesn’t shoot first and ask questions later. He doesn’t even realize there are questions.

Described by top scientists as Monkey Island meets Diablo, DeathSpank’s gameplay is divided between uncovering the epic story via conversations, solving complex puzzles, equipping your character to maximize his dispensing of justice, not to mention his charming good looks, plus battling just about anything that moves. As DeathSpank vanquishes evil and heroes the downtrodden, he will collect loot, level up, collect loot, acquire new abilities and of course, collect loot.

Definitely my type of game. Coming out for Windows, Sony PS3 and XBOX 360

[ DeathSpank ]