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Today's Show: Uncovering the Details Behind OS X Snow Leopard. Apple's upcoming Snow Leopard revision of OS X will bring an extra dose of speed and reliability to the already venerable operating system. Though the company has remained tight-lipped so far, Macworld editor Rob Griffiths shares a few hints of what's to come that have leaked out so far, as well as his own personal wish list for fixes.

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At this year's CES show, storage and PMP vendor SanDisk has taken the wraps off a new Ultra Backup USB portable flash drive that offers an integrated backup solution, enabling users to back up critical files by just pressing a button. The company is also revving its Cruzer USB drives with a new look…presumably so folks deeply concerned with flash drive fashion won't feel neglected. The Ultra Backup USB portable flash drive will be available in capacities up to 645 GB, and comes with integrated backup software that copies a...

Taking the stage at Apple's final Macworld Expo, Apple's senior VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller stepped into Steve Jobs's shoes and got set to deliver "three new things" to the Macintosh faithful: iLife '09, iWork '09, and a new 17-inch MacBook Pro. Acknowledging the controversy surrounding Apple's decision to abandon Macworld Expo, Schiller showed images of Apple's successful retail store operation, noting the stores bring in 3.4 million visitors every week…and that's the equivalent of 100 Macworld Expos every week. The implication in Schiller's presentation is that Apple doesn't...

Leading computer maker Hewlett Packard has landed with a splash at CES, introducing a plethora of new and revamped computing products targeting essentially all market segments—including the low-cost ultra-portable market. First up for the gamers in the crowd, HP has announced its new HP Firebird desktop gaming rig, featuring Voodoo DNA. The system is the successor to last year's BlackBird 002, and features an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU, dual Nvidia GeForce 9800S SLI graphics cards, two hot-swappable 320 GB hard drives, and a liquid cooling system to keep...

Electronics retailer Best Buy (which, until Wal-Mart lurched into the game just after the holidays, used to be the only third party retailer offering iPhones) has announced that it is now offering refurbished iPhone 3G units on sale in its store nationwide. A refurbished 8 GB model goes for $149, while a refurbished 16 GB model goes for $249. Both prices represent a $50 discount of the iPhone's normal retail pricing. "The refreshed iPhone is a great example of the depth of our offering, and clear evidence

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A new, broad plan from the Council of the European Union on fighting cybercrime has suggested letting police remotely access personal computers, according to the BBC. More than that, it turns out that Britain, which has signed up to the plan, already has legislation allowing this under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, and conducted 194 of these searches last year. However, cybercrime expert Professor Peter Sommer from the LSE told the BBC: "The products are out there, they've been available for quite a long time and they are pretty sophisticat

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China wants its citizens to have access to a nice Internet, free of offensive, vulgar and suggestive material. To that end, it’s named 19 sites that have ignored its requests to remove unapproved material, including Google and Baidu, which ranks ahead of Google in China as a search engine. Failure to comply could see them shut down. Seven ministries in China are working together to clean up the Internet. On Chinese Central Television, one official, Cai Mingzhao, said: "We will continue to expose, punish or close down websites that have a lot of...

Lenovo introduced its Ideapad notebooks at CES last year, and this year they’re bringing some new laptops to the party. The IdeaPad Y650 will have a 16-inch display. At $1,199 it offers up to 4GB of DDR3 (double data rate 3) main memory and can go up to 500GB of hard disk drive data storage, using an Intel Centrino 2 platform with Intel Core 2 dual processors. The IdeaPads Y550 and Y450 both retail for $829. The Y550 has the same memory and data configuration as the Y650 with a 15.6-inch screen,...

Research company Hitwise found that Christmas Day was indeed merry for Facebook, as one in every 22 online visits was to the social networking site, the busiest day it has ever experienced, the BBC reports. That made for a stunning 69% rise over 2007, and gave Facebook a 4.65% market share, second only to the giant called Google, and ahead of YouTube. Robin Goad from Hitwise speculated that people were using Facebook to contact friends and relatives over the holidays instead of more traditional methods: "Chri

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EMC's Retrospect backup software has long been a major player for all levels of users, from everyday folks just looking to safeguard their personal data to small businesses and enterprises looking to back up small (and large!) herds of machines. The application backs up intelligently—only one copy of a file gets stored, no matter how many copies of it might live on a network—, supports incremental backups (so you can restore systems to any given snapshot, or retrieve long-deleted documents), offers great reporting, supports a wide variety...

Storage Appliance Corporation has been marketing ClickFree backup drives for a while: the basic idea is that users plug in the drives just like any USB device and like magic—no software, applications, configuration, or menu-surfing involved—the device automatically backs up your files. ClickFree has been offering backup drives with capacities ranging from 120 to 500 GB along with DVD-based backup, but now at CES the company is unveiling its new "Transformer Cable," a USB device that enables users to convert any USB hard drive into a ClickFree backup device. "Regardless...

Canon has announced its 2009 camcorder lineup, including five new high-definition units in its Vixia line and six new standard-definition camcorders. The new camcorders use a variety of storage media—including flash memory—and add features designed to improve image quality and add consumer-friendly sharing options. "Canon's latest camcorder lineup features an exciting new array of advanced technologies that deliver superb image quality and easy operation," said Canon Imaging Group senior VP and general manager Yuichi Ishizuka, in a statement. "These new camcorders are available in a variety of recording formats, providing...

Consumer electronics giant Samsung has announced that it plans a new line-up of HDTV televisions that will be able to access Internet content via the Yahoo Widget Engine. Dubbed "Internet@TV," the technology will enable lightweight Javascript and XML applications to reside on users televisions and tap into Internet-based content, information, and social services right from a television remote control. The company is showing the televisions at CES 2009, and says the units should be available internationally by spring 2009. As examples of widget-powered content, Samsung cites staying on top...

Software developer Adobe and chipmaker Intel have announced they're working to bring Adobe's Flash Player and Flash Light to Intels' Media Processor CE3100—in other words, the companies plan to put Flash into televisions and TV peripherals. The combined technologies would not only enable televisions to access Web-based Flash content, but also permit more sophisticated onscreen interfaces. "The Intel Media Processor CE 3100 is a highly integrated solution that provides a powerful, yet flexible technology foundation that will bring to life the

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Last year, LG and video rental service Netflix teamed up on a set-top box, then big mid-year announced a Netflix-enbabled Blu-ray player that could stream video content from Netflix via a user's home broadband connection. Now, the companies are taking the partnership right into televisions, announcing LG Broadband HDTVs that can stream Netflix content via a user's home broadband network with no exte

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Following Apple's announcement that this week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco would be its last —and that this year's the keynote address would be given by Phil Schiller rather than Steve Jobs—the industry press has been awash in a flurry of rumors and speculation of about the state of Apple CEO Steve Jobs' health. Investors worry that no clear path of succession to the Apple CEO seat has been articulated, while Job's very apparent weight loss following surgical treatment for pancreatic cancer has been on display at public events…even...

Two screens are better than one. From keeping an e-mail client at the ready for incoming messages, to creating a space to pile IM windows, a second monitor can be a godsend when it comes to accomplishing two things at once on a computer. Unfortunately, if you count yourself among the road warriors who rely on notebook computers to get things done, one screen (and usually a small one) is the best you can do. But Lenovo has changed that. The Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds is the very first notebook computer to actually sport two displays: a 17-inch main display, plus a...

Pink cameras, proceeds from the sale of gadgets going to the Breast Cancer Research Fund, technology products specifically designed for women… These days, the high-tech industry is increasingly marketing its wares to the fairer sex. What’s more, there’s perfectly sound reason for doing so, besides base political correctness: The Consumer Electronics Association reports that 45% of all retail consumer electronics purchases were made by women in 2007. Pile on the female acceptance factor required for the majority of male CE buys (read: women control most household purchases… and the men who make them), and that’s a lot of girl power. Speaking...

There is no shortage of marketing gimmicks in the world of kitchen appliances and gadgets—like the robot whose sole purpose in life is to make croutons from your leftover French bread. But practical, convenient, stylish, and space-saving designs always reign supreme. Think about, for example, how much counter space your stovetop takes up. Wouldn’t it be groovy to be able to use this space as a work surface when the stove isn’t in use? Eco-friendliness is also at the top of most homeowner’s lists of priorities. According to Allison Gatta of GE Consumer and Industrial, the cross section of connected technology...

With so much digital media available at our fingertips, the computer has become a trusty companion when it comes to content management. It may be busting at the seams, but it’s a nice alternative for those that don’t have thousands of dollars to plunk down on a dedicated media server. Now the only problem is how to enjoy that entertainment. You could curl up on the couch or office chair and experience everything right on your desktop. However, unless you’re the type to hook a 60-inch screen up to...

With the sun now set on the great year for tech that was 2008, New Year’s confetti swept, apologies made and vomit mopped up, it’s time to look forward to 2009 and the bevy of products that the next consumer electronics show will usher onto store shelves. Though many analysts predict a gloomy year for tech as consumers hunker down with their wallets and prepare for the months of recession ahead, CE companies will still be doing their best to bait buyers with the latest and greatest of everything – and with the newfound industry emphasis on affordability, you might...

It’s been an exciting year in tech. From the implosion of HD-DVD at the year’s very beginning, right up to the final race to produce a viable iPhone competitor in time for Christmas, companies have relentlessly pushed the bar ever upward despite the bottom falling out of the economy as months worse on. Smaller, easier and cheaper seemed to be the industry’s driving design focus this year, and the products borne of these qualities are some of the most amazing – and most affordable – we’ve ever seen. On this brink of New Year’s Eve, we’ve taken a moment to...

We are coming up to the end of the year, and it is traditional to look ahead – and hope the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train. Next year will bring a number of major changes for three of the biggest players in consumer electronics right now. For Apple, we are currently speculating, again, that Steve Jobs may leave shortly because of health reasons. This would mean a change for that company in line with his return in 1996, and Apple yanking its presence from MacWorld, while expected, was not a good initial sign. Snow Leopard, the...

Winter is a wonderful time of the year—especially for those who want to sled downhill. If you can’t find hills or snow nearby, just look at a diagram showing prices of LCD HDTVs—it’s a sweet downward angle that’ll make any prospective buyer a happy camper. Sony’s new 52-inch XBR6 model is a great example. It launched last fall at $3,499, dropped quickly to $2,999 and, as we speak, sells on Amazon for less than $2,400. That’s 1,000 clams in anyone’s language. And since it’s part of Sony’s higher-end XBR series, it’s loaded...

Like the Blackberry Storm, the Samsung Omnia is part of the first wave of post-iPhone smartphones aimed directly for the Apple market. From its lack of a keyboard to its multimedia capabilities, Samsung is going for convenience, portability and multi-functionality. It is a valiant attempt, but lots of unusual design choices make the Omnia more awkward than progressive.

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