Macs #4 in US, Windows 7 'Nearly Equal' to OS X, Don't Use Windows for Online Banking, and More

MacBook, PowerBook, iBook, and other portable computing is covered in The 'Book Review. iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV news is covered in The iNews Review.

All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.

News & Opinion

• Apple #4 in US Market
• Oz Cop Says Use Macs, Not Windows, for Online Banking
• Roddenberry's Mac Sells for $8,260
• Mossberg Says Windows 7 Nearly Equal to Mac OS X
• Windows 7 Preview Party Makes a Big Splash in a Mac House
• Man & Machine Receives Trademark Registration for 'Mighty Mouse' for Computer Mice
• Hitchhiker's Guide Author Eoin Colfer Is Mac to the Core

Reviews

• 24" Cinema Display and Atlona AT-DP200 Converter
• Apple's Aluminum Keyboard Dissected and Analyzed

Products & Services

• Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual
• Man & Machine Hygienic, Washable Keyboards & Mice
• WD Caviar Black Desktop Hard Drives
• Trans International DX4 Internal Storage Solution for Mac Pro

Software

• Google Quick Search Box
• MacSpeech Dictate Gains Bluetooth Support
• Plantronics Calisto Headset Certified for Use with MacSpeech Dictate

Desktop Mac Deals

News & Opinion

Apple #4 in US Market

BusinessWeek's Arik Hesseldahl reports that research firm Gartner has just released its latest market share estimates for the PC market, with Apple in fourth place holding an 8.8% market share, up from 8.6% last year, just beating out Toshiba.

IDC's rankings, also also out this week, likewise place Apple fourth in the US market, although with an even more substantial 9.4% share, up from 8.6% last year.

Link: Gartner and IDC: Apple Places Fourth In US PC Market for Q3

Oz Cop Says Use Macs, Not Windows, for Online Banking

Munir Kotadia of Australia's IT News for Business reports that according to Detective Inspector Bruce van der Graaf of the New South Wales Police, who was giving evidence on behalf of the NSW Government at a public hearing into Cybercrime this week in Sydney, consumers wanting to safely connect to their Internet banking service should use Mac OS X or Linux - or an Apple iPhone.

van der Graaf, who is with the Computer Crime Investigation Unit, told the hearing that he uses two rules to protect himself from cybercriminals when banking online: 1) never click on hyperlinks to the banking site and 2) avoid Microsoft Windows.

Van der Graaf also mentioned the iPhone, which he called "quite safe" for Internet banking because it is "only capable of running one process at a time so there is really no danger from infection."

Link: Oz Cops Say Use Mac, Not Windows, for Online Banking

Roddenberry's Mac Sells for $8,260

Airlock Alpha's Michael Hinman reports that the early production Macintosh* given to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, which was put up for auction last month, fetched $8,260 during the Profile In History auction in California - well above the projected sales price of between $800 and $1,200. The computer came with a letter of provenance from Roddenberry's son, Eugene W. Roddenberry.

Editor's note: Roddenberry's Mac apparently began life as a Macintosh 128K, the first Macintosh model, and was later upgraded to a Mac Plus. dk

Link: Roddenberry Mac Sells for $8,260 on Auction Block

Mossberg Says Windows 7 Nearly Equal to Mac OS X

The Wall Street Journal's Walter S. Mossberg says:

"In just two weeks, on Oct. 22, Microsoft's long operating-system nightmare will be over. The company will release Windows 7, a faster and much better operating system than the little-loved Windows Vista, which did a lot to harm both the company's reputation, and the productivity and blood pressure of its users."

Mossberg reports that with Windows 7, PC users will finally have a strong, modern successor to Windows XP, which at a greybeard eight years old is still the most popular version of Windows, working well (so to speak) for many users, but weak in areas like security and networking

Mossberg has been testing prerelease versions of Windows 7 for nine months using 11 different computers ranging from netbooks to desktop workstations - and even on a MacBook - and declares it the best version of Windows yet, and one that he can heartily recommend to mainstream consumers, packed with features and tweaks that make using your computer an easier and more satisfying experience.

Looming large, Mossberg says, is that Windows 7 mostly banishes Vista's main flaws - sluggishness, incompatibility with third-party software and hardware, heavy hardware requirements, and constant, annoying security warnings.

Mossberg acknowledges that in recent years he's argued that Mac OS X is much better than Windows, but he says that is no longer true, although he still gives the Mac OS a slight edge because of its much easier and cheaper upgrade path, more bundled software, and far less vulnerability to viruses and other malicious software. However, it's now a whole new ball game and more of a toss-up between the rivals, with Windows 7 beating the Mac OS in some areas, observing that Apple will have its work cut out for it now that "the gift that just kept on giving" of a flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant version of Windows.

Link: A Windows to Help You Forget

Windows 7 Preview Party Makes a Big Splash in a Mac House

ZD Net's Sam Diaz says:

"Did you hear the one about the Mac family that opened its doors - and its mind - to Microsoft Windows?

"For one night, Windows 7 took center stage in my living room as a half-dozen or so friends stopped by for one of the official Windows 7 preview parties hosted by Microsoft employees last night. My cousin Raquel, who works in college recruiting in Redmond and has long been a good sport to my Mac smack-talking, was working in Silicon Valley this week and needed a place to host her party. How could I resist?....

"I'd sort of mocked those YouTube videos of the Windows 7 parties because they were so cornball. But this party turned out to be a smart idea."

Link: Windows 7 Preview Party Makes a Big Splash in a Mac House

Man & Machine Receives Trademark Registration for 'Mighty Mouse' for Computer Mice

PR: Man & Machine, Inc. announces it was awarded a registration for the trademark Mighty Mouse from the United States Patent and Trademark Office on October 6, 2009. The registration conveys upon Man & Machine, Inc. the exclusive right to use the trademark Mighty Mouse in connection with computer mice in the United States.

Others* have used the name Mighty Mouse for their computer mice and have sought registration of that trademark, but now the United States government has spoken.

Man & Machine, Inc. looks forward to the continuation and expansion of the Mighty Mouse line of waterproof mice.

For more than 5 years, the Mighty Mouse line of rugged, hygienic, waterproof mice have set the standard for the industry. They feature a "silk touch" silicone rubber skin and 5 button ergonomic design that mimics the scroll wheel of a standard mouse.

The Mighty Mouse, along with its compact sister, the Petite Mouse!, may be combined with Man & Machine, Inc.'s line of waterproof keyboards to create an effective defense against infectious diseases, such as H1-N1 Flu (swine flu) and hospital-acquired infections like MRSA. Cleaning can be easily performed using chemical disinfectants, alcohol or soap & water. All Man & Machine premium keyboards and mice are dishwasher safe and support a natural antimicrobial disinfecting process.

"Others have used the name Mighty Mouse for their computer mice and have sought registration of that trademark, but now the United States government has spoken," said Clifton Broumand, CEO and Big Cheese, Man & Machine, Inc. "We look forward to the continuation and expansion of the Mighty Mouse line of waterproof mice."

The Mighty Mouse computer mouse can be found worldwide in hospitals, laboratories, medical/dental facilities, schools, public safety, libraries, offices and in industrial applications. It is available in hygienic white and black.

Man & Machine, Inc. is an international provider of leading edge computer accessories focusing on medical, governmental, industrial and general office environments. Products include waterproof keyboards and mice, mobile keyboards for the RIM Blackberry, LCD privacy monitors for HIPAA compliance and financial security, and customized products to meet client's unique applications. The company was founded in 1982 outside of Washington, DC with satellite offices in New York, Tennessee, Missouri, The Netherlands and China. Man & Machine, Inc. adheres to a strict environmental code for the sustainability and protection of our environment.

More on Man & Machine keyboards and mice below.

* Editor's note: Apple. dk

Link: Man & Machine

Hitchhiker's Guide Author Eoin Colfer Is Mac to the Core

The Guardian's Stuart O'Connor reports that Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy author Eoin Colfer hates PCs with a passion, and says his favourite piece of technology is his MacBook Air, which has made his life "a million times easier," although he wishes it was waterproof after an unhappy incident with a latté, and pessimistically predicts it will be obsolete in six months' time, anticipating that the next big thing in portables will be touchscreens.

Coifer says he once had a PC, but "bloody hated it," and declared that "all PCs should be burned and stamped on," adding somewhat redundantly, "I really don't like PCs," whereas "Macs are beautiful things; they rarely break down, they're totally idiot proof, and yet it seems to be only the idiots who don't use them."

Link: Hitchhiker's Guide Author Eoin Colfer Is Mac to the Core

Reviews

24" Cinema Display and Atlona AT-DP200 Converter

Bare Feats' rob-ART Morgan says the 24" Apple LED Cinema Display makes a perfect companion for an Apple laptop, and he decided to get one for a "home base" display for his 17" MacBook Pro Unibody as a great way to extend the desktop when working on projects while not on the road.

Rob suggests that the 24" Cinema LED Display is now the obvious choice for most buyers of new Mac Pros as well, but two of the fastest Mac Pro GPUs (GeForce GTX 285 and Quadro FX 4800) don't have Mini DisplayPorts, and with Apple not offering a converter box, you need a third party DVI to Mini DisplayPort solution.

Enter the Atlona Model AT-DP200 converter box, which Rob tested connecting the 24" LED Cinema Display to Bare Feats' Mac Pro Nehalem, and reports that it works like a charm. He notes that At $170, the Atlona AT-DP200 is a pricey option but considering one's investment in Mac Pro, optional graphics card, and 24" LED display, it's worth it.

Link: Apple's 24" Cinema and the Atlona AT-DP200 Converter for Mac Pro

Apple's Aluminum Keyboard Dissected and Analyzed

TechReport's Cyril Kowaliski notes that the Mac keyboard is thin, flat, and quiet. Noting that he finds typing on his MacBook so comfortable, surely a desktop version of its keyboard would be right at home connected to his desktop computer.

"This thing almost makes you embarrassed to have an untidy desk, and it took me a little while to feel comfortable eating in font of it," Cyril says, noting that the Apple 'board is a very low-profile design, in which the front edge lies only 0.2" (5 mm) above the desk surface, and the rear beam props the back edge to a height of 0.67" (17 mm), and happily includes a pair of USB 2.0 repeater ports on either side, which come pretty handy if you'd like to plug in a camera or USB thumb drive without having to find a spare port on your computer or your USB hub is fully occupied, as it were

"Under the hood," as it were, Cyril found a plastic scissor-switch design with membrane type collapsible rubber plungers providing the spring function, but compared with the similar-design MacBook keyboard, the freestanding 'board is a little springier and louder, whereas this one has a softer, smoother feel that provides less tactile feedback.

Summarizing, Cyril says he never expected to find himself saying it, but he likes the Apple keyboard, and is enjoying the ride - able to type without deafening every one during conference calls and podcast recording sessions.

Link: Apple's Aluminum Keyboard Dissected and Analyzed

Products & Services

Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual

PR: Since its release in September 2007, Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual has been the best-selling computer book in America. And now the beast is back. The new Snow Leopard edition offers a wealth of detail on Apple's newest operating system. Snow Leopard is faster and more reliable than earlier Mac OS X versions, and no one is more reliable at bringing you up to speed than David Pogue.

"Steve Jobs said that Apple was going to 'put a pause on new features' in Snow Leopard," Pogue says, "but not everyone got the memo. An insane amount has changed - tiny, tweaky things, under-the-hood things, and even some big, routine-changing things. Writing the ultimate, complete, most entertaining guide to all of it was absolutely exhausting, but I guess somebody's got to do it."

The most authoritative book for Mac users of all technical levels and experience, Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual (O'Reilly/Pogue Press, $34.99) is amusing and fun to read, but Pogue doesn't take his subject lightly. Which features work well and which don't? What should you look for? What should you avoid?

You get all the answers with crystal-clear, jargon-free explorations of:

• Everything new: the rewritten Finder, 64-bit mode, Microsoft Exchange compatibility, build-them-yourself Services and keyboard shortcuts, self-waking networked Macs, and more
• The Dock, the Mac OS X folder structure, and Mail: all faster and with new Snow Leopard-only features
• Safari 4: the latest and best-performing Mac web browser
• QuickTime X: the new multimedia player that lets you trim and share clips to YouTube, MobileMe, and iTunes
• The coolest collection of tips, tricks, and undocumented shortcuts ever assembled

David Pogue, Yale '85, is the weekly personal-technology columnist for the New York Times and an Emmy award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News. His funny tech videos appear weekly on CNBC. And with 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's best-selling how-to authors. In 1999, he launched his own series of amusing, practical, and user-friendly computer books called Missing Manuals, which now includes 100 titles.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual

David Pogue

ISBN 13: 9780596153281

912 pages

$34.99, £30.99

order@oreilly.com

1-800-998-9938

1-707-827-7000

Purchase link: Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual, $20.46 at Amazon.com.

Man & Machine Hygienic, Washable Keyboards & Mice

PR: The Really Cool is a water-resistant and contaminant proof keyboard with tactile feedback keys. The sealed and rigid surface is ideal for industrial, marine, and medical use, as well as other applications where moisture, cleaning, and durability are a consideration.

Because the Really Cool is also quieter than "standard" keyboards, they are great for applications where noise generated from key-clicks is a problem. The Really Cool is compatible with standard keyboard layouts and drivers are not needed. The Really Cool keyboard is an excellent choice when you prefer a clear yet easy keystroke and when you use gloves while typing. This keyboard can be equipped with our Magfix, SCOP and Backlit features.

Really Cool - Waterproof Medical Keyboard

Features:

• Sealed silicone design for dust-free,
• contaminant-free and water-resistant use
• Cleans with soap and water
• No moving parts to minimize failures
• Tactile feedback similar to standard keyboard
• Easy to install
• Full size keyboard
• USB & PS/2
• 1U Keyboards Tray
• Limited Lifetime Warranty

Whether your challenge is dirt or durability, blood or bacteria, coffee or coughing, Man & Machine's liquid resistant, 100% latex-free, rugged, silicone base keyboards and mice are engineered to withstand environmental hazards in all workplace settings. From the OR to the ER, the factory to the field, our contaminant IP-68 rated keyboards and mice can not only withstand the harshest conditions, they can be disinfected, sprayed, wiped, sanitized and even submerged to dramatically reduce incidence of damage and contamination.

Cool Concept

Distinguished by their rugged, ergonomic, sealed design, Man & Machine's keyboards and mice are ideal not only for industry, health care, food service and dentistry, but also enable silent, sanitary keyboarding in courtrooms, libraries, laboratories, pharmacies and schools anywhere safety and durability are issues and employee, student, or patient health is a priority.

Specifications:

• Size: 15 x 5.5 x 0.6 (in) / 381 x 140 x 15.3 (mm)
• Weight: 1.7 (lb) / 780 (g)
• Cable Length: 6 (ft) / 1.83 (m)
• Storage temperature: -20 to 70C (-4 to 158F )
• Operating temperature: 0 to 70C (32 to 158F )
• Power Consumption: 26mA (Max)
• Platform: windows and Mac
• Layout: Includes numeric keypad and 12 Function keys
• Color: Black or Cool grey
• Resistance: IP 68
• Compliance: CE, FCC, EN-IEC 60601-1

Really Cool Keyboard

Price: $199.00

Color:

• Black
• Gray (Off White)

Link: Man & Machine Cool Solutions Hygienic, Washable Keyboard & Mice

WD Caviar Black Desktop Hard Drives

PR: WD Caviar Black drives combine a high performance electronics architecture with a rock solid mechanical architecture to deliver a perfect storage solution for your fully loaded PC or maxed out gaming machine. Cool drive operation, no-touch head technology, and leading-edge vibration protection ensure enhanced reliability and sustained data throughput. And backed up with a 5-year limited warranty.

Key Features

• High Performance Electronics Architecture
• Dual processor - Twice the processing power to maximize performance.
• Colossal cache - Bigger, faster cache of up to 64 MB means faster performance.
• Rock Solid Mechanical Architecture
• Dual actuator technology - A head positioning system with two actuators that improves positional accuracy over the data track(s). The primary actuator provides coarse displacement using conventional electromagnetic actuator principles. The secondary actuator uses piezoelectric motion to fine tune the head positioning to a higher degree of accuracy. (2 TB only)
• StableTrac - The motor shaft is secured at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize platters for accurate tracking, during read and write operations.
• NoTouch ramp load technology - The recording head never touches the disk media ensuring significantly less wear to the recording head and media as well as better drive protection in transit.
• Massive Capacity - WD Caviar Black SATA drives are available in capacities up to 2 TB.
• Compatible - Tested on hundreds of systems and a multitude of platforms in WD's FIT Lab and Mobile Compatibility Lab to give customers confidence that these drives will work in their systems.
• 5 Year Limited Warranty

Ideal For

Power computing applications such as multimedia, video and photo editing, and maxed out gaming computers.

How this WD hard drive protects your data

Data Lifeguard is an exclusive set of data protection features, including shock protection, an environmental protection system and real-time embedded error detection and repair. WD's Data Lifeguard technology automatically finds, isolates, and repairs problems that may develop over the life of a hard drive.

Data Lifeguard Tools are software utilities designed for WD hard drives that work with the embedded Data Lifeguard features to make hard drive installation,diagnostics and repair both simple and worry-free.

ShockGuard instantaneously protects the hard drive against damage from bumps and vibrations while it is running. This technology enables WD Caviar drives to achieve industry-leading shock specifications.

Link: WD Caviar Black Desktop Hard Drives

Trans International DX4 Internal Storage Solution for Mac Pro

PR: Trans International, a company known for maximizing Mac, introduced DX4, an internal storage solution for Apple Mac Pro [all models].

DX4 is another unique internal storage solution from Trans International for Mac Pro. Install Four more (4) 2.5" SSD or HDD inside your Mac Pro connecting to your choice of Fast and affordable third party SATA/SAS RAID host adapter. In RAID 0 get Performance not possible even with Expensive Fiber Channel Storage Systems.

Install up to 14 TB of internal storage in the Mac Pro with Trans International Storage Solutions. A true convenience and improvement for the power users. Quick and Easy installation.

Specifically designed for Mac Pro (all models) DX4 is an Affordable and Versatile Four (4) 2.5" internal SATA SSD or HDD mounting solution.

With DX4 and Pro Caddy 2 now it is possible to pack your Mac Pro with up to 14 terabytes of Internal data storage.

Perfect for film, video, music, data protection, and other drive-intensive operations, multiple drives can be setup in a RAID 0,1, 5, 10 or JBOD configuration using any third party SATA adapters.

A simple yet powerful internal storage solution crossing performance limits not possible even with expensive Fiber channel storage solutions.

Features

• Easy Installation.
• Does not alter original system configuration.
• Use any Fast 2.5" SSD or HDD.
• Houses Four 2.5" SSD or HDD.
• Ships with custom designed Power Cable, Second Generation Halogen Free Signal cables and manual.
• SAS/SATA Hardware RAID host adapter available.
• Requires Mac Pro with one open PCIe Slot.

Price

• $129 (with no drives)
• $274 with RocketRaid 2310 RAID card

Link: Trans International DX4 Internal Storage Solution for Apple Mac Pro

Software

Google Quick Search Box

PR: When most people think of Google, search comes to mind. Hundreds of millions of people have come to know and love Google.com as their starting point for searching the Internet.

About 2 years ago, Google introduced Google Desktop to extend Google search capabilities to your Mac and, earlier this year launched a developer preview of the next evolution of search outside the browser. Now they're officially releasing this technology to all users as the Google Quick Search Box (or QSB for short).

With Google Quick Search Box you can search for information from just about anywhere. As you type, suggestions will appear that match your query, ranging from applications and local files on your computer, to web search and navigational suggestions, to items from your browser history and contacts - and the types of results you can get will only grow over time.

Once you've found the result you want, we wanted you to be able to do something with it. To find out what you can do, select a result and press the tab key or the right arrow on the keyboard. Some examples of actions include instant messaging friends, playing a song, or emailing a URL. Just like the data you can search over, the list of actions you can perform will grow over time!

The quickest way to launch the Google Quick Search Box is by pushing Control + spacebar at the same time (Google Desktop devotees will still be able to press Command twice to summon the box). If you prefer another keyboard shortcut to summon the Google QSB, you can change it in the Preferences panel.

As you use the Google Quick Search Box more, it will learn which results you are likely to want. The goal here is that we get you to what you're looking for as quickly as possible. In the above example, if you chose Google Calendar, the next time you search for "cal", Google QSB will reorder the results so that you don't have to arrow down to your desired choice. Instead, you can just type "cal" and press enter.

Last, but definitely not least, the Google Quick Search Box is extensible. This means that anyone can create a plugin that enables the QSB to search over additional data or perform more actions on results. As an example, we really enjoy the Twitter plugin . After enabling that bad boy, we can send tweets right from the QSB and then do a Google search right after!

The Google QSB allows you to do your daily tasks faster.

Features

Google Desktop is a desktop search application that gives you easy access to information on your Mac and from the web. Desktop makes searching your own email, files, music, photos, and more as easy as searching the web with Google.

Quick Search Box

The Quick Search Box is your fastest way to do web and desktop searches and launch applications. You can call it up by pressing the # key twice, and hide it by pressing # twice again. Type a few letters or words into the search box and your top results pop up instantly, including applications. For example, you can launch iTunes simply by typing "itu" into the Quick Search Box and pressing Return when iTunes appears as the first result.

Search Your Gmail and Web History

Not everything you're looking for lives on your Mac. Whether you're searching your computer or the web, Desktop helps you find it by searching your Gmail and web history along with your hard drive. Also because your index is stored locally on your own computer, you can even access your Gmail and web history while you're offline.

Google Gadgets

Google Gadgets are interactive mini-applications you can add to your Dashboard to show you new email, weather, photos, and personalized news. Other gadgets include the clock, calendar, scratch pad, to do list and many more.

Use the Google Gadgets application to choose from the enormous collection of gadgets created by Google and users all over the world.

Many File Types

Google Desktop automatically indexes and allows you to search the full text of virtually all your files, including the following types:

• Gmail
• text files (.txt)
• PDF
• HTML
• email from Apple Mail and Microsoft Entourage
• iChat transcripts
• Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• music and video files, including artist and song names
• Address Book contacts
• system preference panes
• file and folder names

Google Desktop also searches file types that have a Spotlight importer.

Familiar Results

When you do a Desktop search, you'll see a list of search results. Each result, just like Google web search results, includes the file name and a brief snippet with your search terms highlighted. You can also filter for a particular type of item - only emails, for instance - by using the links at the top of your Desktop search results page.

Smart Indexing

After you install Google Desktop, it starts indexing the files that are already on your Mac. This one-time indexing is designed to peacefully coexist with your normal work, so you can continue working while indexing takes place. Depending on how many files and other items you have on your computer, this process can take up to several hours. Once it's done, Desktop makes sure your index stays up to date by adding new email as you receive it, files as you update them, and web pages as you view them.

Google Integration

What if you already have the information you're looking for but don't realize it? When there are useful results on your Mac related to your Google web search, Google Desktop will include these files with your search results. There's also a simple command center for searching your computer, which you can access by clicking "Desktop" above the search box on Google.com.

File Versioning

Google Desktop creates cached copies (snapshots) of your files and other items each time you view them, and stores these copies on your Mac's hard drive. As a result, you can often use Desktop to find previous versions of your files or ones you've accidentally deleted.

• Google Quick Search Box
• Google Desktop for Mac

MacSpeech Dictate Gains Bluetooth Support

PR: Don't be left out in the snow. Have you recently upgraded to Apple's latest operating system, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, or do you plan to do so soon? Then you'll want to be sure to upgrade your MacSpeech Dictate speech recognition product to the brand new version 1.5.5.

MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 is 100% compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and supports all MacSpeech Dictate products, including MacSpeech Dictate Legal, MacSpeech Dictate Medical, and MacSpeech Dictate International. What's more, MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 adds a new feature: a contextual menu for the Available Commands window, providing options to Edit, Execute, and Copy Description to Clipboard.

And you can't beat the price . . . the MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 update is FREE. That's right, free of charge to registered MacSpeech Dictate 1.5 customers using the "Check for Updates" feature.

If you're still using MacSpeech Dictate 1.3 or earlier, you'll want to upgrade right away and begin enjoying increased accuracy . . . near perfect at up to 99%, stronger recognition . . . support for 13 different English dialects, faster performance . . . optimized for key Mac apps like Microsoft Word and TextEdit, and much more.

Visit the MacSpeech website to order your MacSpeech Dictate upgrade.

The new MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 adds one more nifty feature you're sure to love: Exclusive support for the Plantronics Calisto Bluetooth Headset. Check the next column for all the details

You know the MacSpeech Dictate family of speech recognition products provides unparalleled freedom - freedom from your mouse, freedom from your keyboard. And now MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 provides unmatched freedom of movement when used with the Plantronics Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter bundle.

Certified by MacSpeech for exclusive use with MacSpeech Dictate speech recognition products, the Calisto headset provides state-of-the-art features you're sure to love, including:

• Industry-leading sound clarity and noise canceling technology
• Range of up to 10 meters (up to 33 feet) from headset to adapter
• Up to 8 hours of talk time, and up to 240 hours of standby time
• Extremely comfortable ear interface and single button control for volume
• Easily adjustable for left and right ear

Get the most from your speech recognition experience with a Calisto headset for the ultimate solution. You can purchase any MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 speech recognition product bundled with the Calisto headset, or you can get the Calisto headset on its own.* The choice is yours.

For complete details and to make your purchase, visit macspeech.com. And at checkout, be sure to enter coupon code CALISTO - if you're one of the first 2,000 customers, that code will score you a whopping $50 discount on your Calisto headset purchase. From your friends at MacSpeech, enjoy.

* The Calisto headset requires version 1.5.5 or greater of any MacSpeech Dictate speech recognition product and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Link: MacSpeech Dictate

Plantronics Calisto Headset Certified for Use with MacSpeech Dictate

PR: MacSpeech, Inc. has announced the Plantronics Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter is now certified for use with MacSpeech Dictate, the premier speech recognition solution for the Macintosh.

By combining the Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter and MacSpeech Dictate, customers can now use a single wireless headset for dictation and control of the Macintosh, that can also simultaneously pair to a Bluetooth-enabled mobile device, such as the iPhone, to make and receive calls.

The Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter is the only Bluetooth-enabled device certified for use with MacSpeech Dictate.

"MacSpeech Dictate provides state-of-the-art speech recognition for the Macintosh," explained Andrew Taylor, founder and CEO of MacSpeech, Inc. "The Plantronics Calisto with Bluetooth USB Adapter provides state-of-the-art noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset technology and great mobility. Now you can use the same Bluetooth device with your iPhone, and then using the USB Adapter, dictate directly into your Macintosh, or control it with your voice. All this voice power with one sleek device."

"Simplicity, sound quality and wireless mobility have resulted in very favorable response to the Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter," said Judi Hembrough, director of Product Marketing at Plantronics. "Now Macintosh users can benefit from a best-in-class wireless headset for MacSpeech."

The Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter combines a robust noise-canceling microphone with an extended boom to deliver outstanding audio quality. The Calisto headset battery offers up to 8 hours of talk time, up to 10 days of standby time and a range of up to 30 feet from the adapter. It comes included with a USB charger for convenient charging.

MacSpeech Dictate is the only desktop speech recognition solution for the Macintosh. MacSpeech Dictate provides unprecedented speech recognition accuracy with minimal training and works with existing Mac applications. MacSpeech Dictate delivers a truly Mac user experience, and conforms to behaviors already familiar to Macintosh fans worldwide. Beyond dictation, MacSpeech Dictate lets people perform basic navigation of their Mac and control it with their voice to launch applications, open new windows, execute menu commands, etc.

The Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter is available today for use with MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 or higher. MacSpeech Dictate requires Intel-based Macintosh hardware and requires Mac OS X 10.5.6 Leopard through Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Available immediately, only in North America, directly from MacSpeech, Inc., MacSpeech Dictate with Calisto Headset is priced at $299, and the Plantronics Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter alone is priced at $149. Orders from all other countries are subject to significant additional customs and shipping charges.

Link: MacSpeech

Desktop Mac Deals

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For deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro, 12" PowerBook G4, 15" PowerBook G4, 17" PowerBook G4, titanium PowerBook G4, iBook G4, PowerBook G3, and iBook G3 deals.

We also track iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle deals.