The Mac OS X 10.5.3 build is a really critical update, especially when schools of students are depending on its release so that they can get their hands on a new batch of Apple computers. As it turns out, the New York City Department of Education recently ordered a lot of Apple computers for their schools, but the units are now currently being held because of a bug that requires the Mac OS X 10.5.3 to be fixed. More in the full article.

Timex has launched a new watch that can interact with the Apple iPod. While a lot of gadgets already have this ability, the new Timex Ironman iControl does have something unique up its sleeve: it can interact with iPods wirelessly.

The watch apparently comes with a receiver that lets users command iPods to play or pause, raise or lower volume and skip between tracks. The iControl can also reportedly interact with iPhones, but this feature requires switching the iPhone into Airplane Mode.

On the non-music side, the iControl can store up to 50 laps in its built-in memory and can store a training log with the current date, best lap and average time. It's water-resistant up to a depth of 328 feet and is available in pink, blue, green, orange and gray/black. It should be in stores today with a suggested price tag of US$ 125.

 

MacNN reports that QuickerTek's Quicky USB Transceiver can now be used with USB-enabled Macs. The Quicky is essentially a network boosting device that, according to QuickerTek, can deliver "up to 10 times more RF wireless power than a stock PowerMac desktop." The extended wireless operating distances can make more networks available to the desktop system, so you can connect to it even while you're in your neighbor's bathroom.

To use it, just clip the Quicky to the top of your Apple LCD screen. It also combines a networking transceiver with an external antenna. Setup requires no special computer skills, and no extra steps are required to utilize the Quicky transceiver.

The Quicky USB Transceiver works with Apple's latest PowerMacs as well as all 802.11 b, g, and n Wi-Fi equipment. This includes Apple's new AirPort and AirPort Extreme wireless devices. Double wireless range at full speed comes with a price though: the Quicky carries a pretty steep US$ 225 price tag.

Yikes! We knew that the Airport Extreme had fits with the Xbox 360, but this issue takes home the "OMG! Surprise!" award. Let's get right into the details. IPv6 is a network addressing scheme that allows for more networks to be defined, unlike the IPv4 protocol. IPv6 stands for "Internet Protocol version 6", but of course you Appleheads already knew that. Snaps for you!

You see, the new Airport Extreme Base Station from Apple - yes, the wireless access point and router - that seems to be a favorite (look at that appearance, no wonder!) of wireless users and networks has some slight security issues.

The supposedly "secure" Wi-Fi, weight-scale-lookin' thingamajig has IPv6 enabled by default. Why is this a bad thing? Well, because there is no way you can turn it off. Yep, you heard us right the first time.

IPv6 is a nice little feature to have, in fact some of the newer networks on the Web actually use IPv6. The really bad thing is that the router itself gives your network at home IPv6 addresses that can be accessed by other IPv6 enabled networks worldwide.

All they need is for you to enable FTP or SSH on one of your Macs and voila! They'll be riding your box like a Trojan horse...err...wait, bad image there...

But you get the point, right? Don't fear, you may not be able to kill the IPv6 feature, but at least you can block any connection accessing your network on the IPv6 level. Head right over to the "IPv6" tab at the "Advanced" settings and click on "Block incoming IPv6 connections" and you can close the door. Still, having it enabled and not being able to use it to certain effect could be such a drag.

Good news!!! Previously a rumor, AppleInsider confirms that the Wi-Fi card in your Apple Intel-based Core 2 Duo iMac IS 802.11n ready! This means your stylish, spankin' Apple desktop can enjoy all the benefits of next-generation Wi-Fi connection! The catch? You owe Apple five bucks (or US$ 4.99, to be exact). Either that or get the new AirPort Extreme Base Station, itself 802.11n-enabled. Do that however, and you'll owe Steve Jobs ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY NINE BUCKS for the AirPort and the 802.11n. Take your pick.

Yes, Virginia. Apple has been quietly shipping your iMacs to you with such advanced capabilities, without telling you about it. To enable it, though, will require a patch that will begin shipping next month when the new AirPort comes out. But why the nominal five dollar fee? (But the cheapskate in this writer replies: Nominal my butt!)

AppleInsider offers an explanation from iLounge editor Jeremy Horwitz, based on talks with Apple reps. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act prohibits companies from selling products without advertising their features, and there are financial/accounting penalties for doing so. 802.11n was unadvertised, but as AppleInsider confirmed, it's there, in the box, and all ready but for one measly patch.

The five dollars (or five dollars from the US$ 179 of Uncle Sam's notes) might be part of that accounting penalty - to balance the books, so to speak. If it didn't collect the additional fee for the unadvertised next-gen Wi-Fi feature, Apple could be held liable for improper accounting, Horwitz says.

Hey, no one wants an Enron - even over five dollars a patch.

Even though the iPhone made quite a bang at the recent MacWorld, it's still quite interesting how some other items have almost slipped quietly past everyone's attention. So, while you're all ogling at some iPhone images, let us divert your attention to the AirPort Extreme.

Shipping this February for US$ 179, the AirPort Extreme Base Station is a wireless router that provides a secure network for you and 50 other peers. It's five times faster and covers twice the range/distance of the previous 802.11g standard. The device is clocked at 802.11n wireless technology, but all the same, it's still compatible with other devices using the previous Wi-Fi standards.

Built with the same Mac philosophy as Apple's other products, the AirPort Extreme is easy enough to set up and find a place to tuck it into. In fact, this would go well with that new Apple TV that you might be planning to get.

For more info, tech specs, and/or to place your orders, click the "Read" link below.

There's an old engineers' saying that goes "If it ain't broke...it doesn't have enough upgrades." And if we're reading this news  right, Apple's got the same idea. We've heard that they've been granted another patent for a "hybrid low power computer mouse," which looks like an upgrade to their wireless Mighty Mouse.

According to the patent (publication number 7,154,477) granted to Apple by the US Patent & Trademark Office, this new mouse design is slated to fix one recurring problem - short battery life. In an effort to stretch the Mighty Mouse's two-month battery change intervals, and to forego making a rechargeable system, Apple's new mouse patent called for a two-part tracking system. The ever-present optical tracking system, and a new low-consumption tracking system running on an accelerometer - the same device that runs a Wiimote.

The design's under development by Steve Hotelling, Joshua Strickon, Brian Huppi and Christoph Krah, and we're not too sure how these two tracking systems will interact to make for a low-consumption device. But for now, we invite you to read up on the full details on the patent, available on the read link.

Digital Multimedia Broadcast (DMB) is big in Korea, but that doesn't mean other countries should be left out in the cold when it comes to direct-to-home multimedia transmissions. Thanks to Elgato Systems' EyeTV Diversity DVB-T Stick, Mac users can join in the fun and with Dual Tuner to boot!

Sure, there's really nothing new with watching digital terrestrial television (DTT) on a Mac, but with EyeTV Diversity you get uninterrupted coverage even when you're stuck in areas with weak reception. And that's not the only thing that gets going for this product. It allows you to actually watch two channels simultaneously. Or if you're just not up for a TV marathon, you can watch one and record another directly to your Mac's hard drive. You can also have your own "director's cut" version of the show with the edit features. Sweet!

It's just quite unfortunate that this amazing USB 2.0 stick is only available in select countries where DTT or DVB-T is broadcast. No U.S. the last time we checked.

New technology makes its way into our hands so fast that sometimes even the company selling it doesn't have time to update its final published specs. At least that's the way it appears with the new Core 2 Duo iMac. A few users have reported some unexpected details when running Vista on their Core 2 Duo.

What looks wrong here? Namely a network card that supports 802.11n in addition to the advertised b/g standards. A reader identified the card to be a Broadcom card which "works across all 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and draft-802.11n solutions. Intensi-fi is Broadcom's implementation of the 802.11n draft specification and the industry's first draft-802.11n solutions. Intensi-fi technology delivers superior performance and robust wireless connectivity throughout a home or office, enabling next-generation Wi-Fi devices to support voice, video and data applications. Intensi-fi chipsets are also designed to be compatible with existing 802.11a/b/g products."

So why the advertised limitation in Mac OS X? One suggestion was that 802.11n is not supported yet, possibly requiring Vista's latest drivers to unlock 802.11n mode in the Broadcom network card. While this is merely speculation, it's a fact that companies update and replace internal stock hardware with "equal or better" components at time due to availability and cost. So we guess that the moral of this story is to not be surprised if your Core 2 Duo (or other devices) magically start accepting new formats.

While promoting their new Bluetooth-based DEH car sound system, Pioneer spokesman Michael Broadhurst touched upon the subject of using iPods with their new sound system. After pointing out that people will need an adapter to run an iPod on the Pioneer DEH system, Broadhurst said that Apple will bring out a Bluetooth adapter that will allow iPod to make a wireless connection, then play directly through the DEH's audio system.

Rumors about Apple and Bluetooth and iPods have been running rampant throughout the internet for years, but if such a thing is true, then this may turn out to be Apple's  first step in combatting the Wi-Fi-enabled Zune.