Mac users would be delighted to know that Google has just updated their services to accomodate Mac users out there, and all this after hiring a Mac Engineering team. In fact there is even a customized version of the Google website that caters to Mac-lovers (check out the footer in the screenie we got). The Mac-fied Google site for Mac users now sports several downloadable features which we think are pretty cool. One of these is the Google Notifier which provides easier access to your mail which is also customizable according to user's preferences. The Google Notifier also provides a Google Calendar that lets one keep track of important dates.

Another downloadable item is the Picasa Web Albums. This handy application lets you upload your photos in several ways which includes directly using iPhoto, or using a drag-and-drop system from a standalone application. To be able to enjoy this feature, just sign up for a Picasa Web Albums account. Other downloadable software tailor-made for Mac users are Google Toolbar, Google Earth, Google SketchUp and Google Widgets.

Apple's foray into the world of portable media player gave birth to one of the most recognizable electronic products in the world - the iPod.  The iPod has evolved from being a digital music device to a video viewer, podcast player and pocket-sized photo album. And if that wasn't enough, Apple has thrown in the gauntlet and announced their newest plan for this nifty little gadget: iPod games.

To be able to enjoy these games, iPod owners with any fifth-gen (video) player must first download and install the latest iTunes 7 software for Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh computers. After installing, you can now download a total of nine games from the iTunes store for US$ 4.99 per game.

One of the games offered is Namco's classic arcade game from the 80s called Pac-Man. the little yellow guy was able to chomp his way to the iPod. A total of 256 levels can be enjoyed in the iPod version of Pac-Man, with "coffee break" animations that serve as intermissions between  levels. The gameplay is exactly the same as in other version: to guide Pac-Man onto the dots and fruits while evading the colored ghosts. The only difference is that you get to control him by using the click wheel of the iPod: gently tap (not press) one of the four directions of the click wheel to direct Pac-Man to the goal.

Another game being offered is Electronic Arts' Mini Golf. The game features three courses: 18-hole Tommy Totem's Tiki Putt Putt; the Ancient Egypt course; and the Freaky Circus Sideshow course. The last two courses will be unlocked if you are able to shot under par. The game also offers Pass n' Play multiplayer mode where two players can take turns putting off at a hole, and the Practice mode for newbie players. The iPod's click wheel serves as the game controller.

Another downloadable game is PopCap Games' Zuma. Take control of a stone frog in the middle of the screen and eliminate the long string of multicolored balls by firing a colored ball from the stone frog idol's mouth towards a group of two or more of the same colored balls. The control is simple, rotate the frog and use the center Select button t fire the ball. To select the color of the ball in the stone frog' mouth, click fast-forward or rewind button. Other additions of the game include shooting gold coins for extra points, creating combos by chaining successful moves together and power-ups. These are only three of the games offered by iPod. Other titles includes Tetris, Texas Hold'em, Mahjong, Cubis 2, Bejeweled and Vortex.

Sillysoft, the independent developer of downloadable strategy games Lux Delux and American History Lux, available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux have announced the third annual "Luxtoberfest". Throughout the month of October, 17 different events including a number of "Tournament of Champions" will be held online in support of the RISK-style computer game.

Lux Delux is based on the board game RISK but with unique features including over 200 different maps, a variety of game settings and an active internet community.

Other events are team competitions, map nights and a "Halloween Ball". It's also have the Lux annual awards where players will get the chance to vote in different categories including Best Host, Best Map, Best AI, Rookie of the Year, and Most Sportsmanlike Player.

  

This is a video of a Macbook Pro making odd hissing/whirring noises. The video was submitted by boloncats, commenting "My Macbook Pro has been making a sound I've never heard before in my life. I recommend you watch the last 20 seconds. It's not the hard drive. I sent it once to Apple, they said they fixed it. But the noise came back."

Aside from boloncats, other Macbook Pro users have complained similar problems that include hissing sounds from the LCD, the hard drive squealing , the processor whining when the PC is idle, and the fan engaging in random vacuum-like bursts. In addition to these weird noises, others reported having an incredibly noticeable white strip along the bottom of the LCD, making the bottom significantly brighter than the rest of the display.

Apple have already issued a recall for their defective lithium-ion batteries manufactured by Sony. Would they acknowledge these issues too and fix the manufacturing problems?

Both Dell and Apple had issued a recall for their defective batteries as a response to the never-ending saga of the exploding batteries these past month.

For Dell, a recall of notebook batteries for models which includes Latitude D410, D600, D610 and D620. Under rare conditions, these batteries could possibly overheat, and are being replaced by Dell. As for Apple, they confirmed that a number of lithium-ion batteries containing cells manufactured by Sony Corporation of Japan pose a safety risk that may result in overheating under rare circumstances. The affected batteries were sold worldwide from October 2003 through August 2006 for use with the following notebook computers: 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4, and 15-inch PowerBook G4.

However, the next issue would be how long before these battery replacements arrive? One customer with a Dell D810 and an Apple Mac Book Pro commented that Apple was able to deliver the battery replacement less than 3 days after the request was filed (considering the request day was a Sunday). Not too bad. But he can't say the same thing with Dell. The guy is still waiting for the replacement. It's been 16 days or so since he filed for a request.

We wonder how long it took before other affected laptop owners receive their replacement batteries - or are they still playing the waiting game?

Wacky Stephen Colbert announced yet a new challenge for digital video enthusiasts: integrate Stephen and his lightsaber skills into a digital environment. No relation to Lucasfilm's Star Wars though. Since Colbert issued his green screen challenge, there has been a explosion of videos in different media sharing websites like Youtube.

Here's one of them from brassrocket, an interesting 24-second video of a man with an iPod for a lightsaber. Oh yeah, we dig the cool music background and nice editing of the sequences.

This ad is rumored to be spotted in Apple centers in Czech Republic and some people are making fuss over the image of a bikini-clad young woman with an iPod tucked in the back of her bikini bottom. We sure agree that the girl is sexy, but so is Apple's iPod! Don't you think the two goes well together?

The text means Â?iPod - The best companion for the summerÂ?. Some people who saw the ad misread the text as "iPod, Better than Sex this yearÂ?, as the word Společn?- which can mean "friend" or partner" - was derived from the word společnost, meaning "company". This may be the reason why other people might have misread "company" for...something else. Well, yeah, the ad is sexy but we don't think it's meant to be offensive. What do you think?

Despite the size of EyeTV (about as big as a lighter), this little baby does big things. EyeTV, from Elgato Systems, is highly-acclaimed and is considered the world leader in digital TV recording and High Definition TV for the Mac.

EyeTV DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) fits well in the USB slot of iMac to receive digital TV, which then can be recorded to the hard drive. It has a an electronic program guide that provides real time information - including title, rating, genre, starting time and duration, which enables use without a fuss. It enables Mac users to watch and record unencrypted, high-quality DTT wherever free-to-air DTT channels are offered.

EyeTV's size is extremely compact and does not require an external power supply. A perfect for home use and travel so you can experience exceptional video and audio quality on non-encrypted DTT wherever (even remotely), whenever.

Water and MP3 players? Doesn't make sense. Before, listening to your MP3 player near a body of water, say in the pool for example, is a big no-no. You just can't afford to have your player and the speaker get wet or else...But now you can, with iFloat.

iFloat is a waterproof case and speaker designed for MP3 players. Now you can enjoy music under any weather condition. You can even take your player with you as you lounge in the pool during hot summer days for iFloat can literally float! It has a reliable hard-shell case with secure, rubber gasket seal that is completely waterproof. See the case in action by plugging it in your MP3 player of choice, as long as the player's compatible with a 3.5mm headphone jack. All it needs is a 9-volt battery and it's ready to serve your listening pleasure.

If you have $35 to spare, you might want to check out this Brookstone product. We must mention though, that there's a note in the product that says it's "not intended for prolonged swimming or underwater use." So just how long can iFloat really be "waterproof", we don't know.

You can never have too much black in your life. Or can you? Well, we just can't get enough of Apple's sleek black Macbook so here are additions of images of the black beauty.

In an article posted a month ago, the black Macbook was dubbed "Macbook Ultimate". Who wouldn't agree? Black Macbook has a 13.3-inch glossy widescreen display thatÂ?s 79% brighter, with 30% more viewing area than the iBook before it. Photos are crisper and videos play vividly. A perfect eye candy! So relish these images as Macbook gives a whole new meaning to the word "black".