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Twelve South’s BassJump is a compact yet powerful USB-powered subwoofer designed especially for the MacBook. Despite the size, it dramatically improves the MacBook’s sound quality.

At 5″ wide & 2.24″ high and weighing 1.4 pounds, it’s a lot smaller and more convenient than most desktop speakers. It uses only a single USB cable and includes a carrying case, making it easy to travel with (although it’s a little too big & heavy to fit comfortably in a carry-on bag).

The sound quality is surprisingly good, and their system preference panel lets you adjust the bass boost according to your preferences. I found that the R&B setting can sound muddy with some music, but in general the sound is crisp & clear.

This video demonstrates how effective the BassJump is with my aluminum MacBook.

Eye-Fi Inc. has developed what it says is the next generation Eye-Fi experience, which includes an entirely new platform and more flexible sharing options. The 8GB Eye-Fi Pro X2 is powered by Eye-Fi’s proprietary X2 engine.

Photo enthusiasts will benefit from increased storage capacity, Class 6 performance for faster read/write speeds, faster-than-ever wireless photo and video uploads and increased Wi-Fi range, according to Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi. Eye-Fi Pro X2 users will also benefit from a new feature, Endless Memory mode, which enables the Eye-Fi card to automatically make space available after photos and videos are uploaded. Last, Eye-Fi is introducing Eye-Fi Center, a new desktop application that gives users more options in sharing their digital memories.

The Eye-Fi Pro X2 wirelessly uploads JPEG and RAW images and videos from the camera to computer and one of 25 online photo and video sharing sites, such as Flickr, Picasa or Facebook. It also allows users to create an ad hoc connection directly to their computer to wirelessly upload photos and videos while away from a wireless router. Or users can upload away from home at more than 10,000 Wayport and open hotspots. Pro X2 automatically geotags photos with information about where the images were taken.

It is available for pre-order at Eye-Fi and at Amazon.com for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of US$149.99.

A lot of great hardware was released in 2009, so here are my favorites:
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Last week I received my 27″ 2.8 GHz (i7) quad core iMac, and after using it for more than a week, it definitely lives up to its promise and was well worth the wait.

It’s by far one of the fastest Macs I’ve used, and the 27″ screen is gorgeous. Most applications launch instantly. iPhoto takes 6 seconds from clicking the icon to ready to use with a library containing around 8000 items. Photoshop CS4 launches in about 12 seconds. It takes less than a minute to start Parallels Desktop 5 and boot a Windows 7 VM.

Here are the Geekbench 2.1.4 results for the iMac:

For comparison, here’s my old MacBook’s rating:

As was widely expected, Apple has introduced new faster CPU options for the Mac Pro, after recent benchmarks showed that the i7 Quad Core iMacs outperform the older Mac Pros.

When you configure the Mac Pro on the Apple Online Store, a new option offers a 3.333 GHz Nehalem quad core processor, or for the quad core models two 2.93 GHz processors. A 2TB drive option is also available, both for the Mac Pro and Xserve.

Until now, if you used an Eye-Fi card that supports sharing, you had only two options: Upload all photos to your sharing site and to your computer, or upload only selected photos both to your sharing site and to your computer. Now you have a third option with Selective Sharing: Upload only selected photos to your sharing site, while transferring all photos to your computer.

Selective Sharing is available immediately to all Eye-Fi cards that support sharing by simply updating your Eye-Fi Manager software.

I received my Magic Mouse today, and after using it only for a few minutes, I can say it’s the best mouse I’ve ever used. The scrolling feels so smooth & effortless that when I first started using it, I kept scrolling around just to admire it. Scrolling takes a very light touch, and unlike the Mighty Mouse, the right click works every time. The two finger swipe gestures take some getting used to and not too many applications support it.
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I received my production model Eye-Fi Pro card today, after beta testing it for a few months.

Unlike earlier Eye-Fi cards, the Eye-Fi Pro supports RAW files as well as JPEGs and movies, which is great for anyone using a DSLR who likes to shoot RAW. Since it’ a 4GB card, it will hold 256 RAW files from my Nikon D90 or 1000 JPEGs. The Eye-Fi Pro also lets you set up an ad-hoc network with your computer for peer-to-peer connections without a router or access point when you lack a WiFi network.

As a bonus, it also geotags your images, avoiding the need for a GPS attachment for your camera.

See my full set of unboxing photos here.

The Nikon D90 is one of the camera models with built-in Eye-Fi support. It recognizes an Eye-Fi card and sets its power management accordingly, to avoid shutting off while an upload is in progress. It also adds an item to the setup menu which allows you to enable or disable Eye-Fi wireless uploading.

Using this card has changed my photography workflow. Instead of shooting pictures, then removing the card and using a card reader to import them into Aperture, I just let it send the pictures wirelessly to a folder on my MacBook Pro, where I can then import them into Aperture.

When I import the photos into Aperture, I prefer to keep them in their original location, rather than copy them into the Aperture library, which saves some disk space by avoiding redundant copies. iPhoto also offers the same option when importing from local files rather than a camera or memory card.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 10, 2009 — Eye-Fi Inc. today unveiled the Eye-Fi Pro, a new wireless SDHC memory card for digital cameras that allows professionals and photo enthusiasts to automatically upload images straight from their camera to their computer and the Web. Available today, the Eye-Fi Pro includes RAW image support and peer-to-peer connectivity for a direct connection between the camera and a computer, no router or Internet connection required (also known as ad hoc).

Eye-Fi also announced today that all Eye-Fi card users can now select which photos or videos they want to wirelessly transfer from their camera to their computer or the Web, using the new Selective Transfer feature.

“People are engaged in photography at a deeper level than ever before. They have moved from being casual photographers to passionate enthusiasts, shooting in RAW for more extensive editing, adding geotags for a richer experience or using an online gallery to share their work,” said Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi. “These people are looking for tools that advance the art of photography and make it more efficient – and the Eye-Fi Pro does both.”

About the Eye-Fi Pro

The Eye-Fi Pro lets users wirelessly upload more file types, including JPEG and RAW images and videos. The Eye-Fi Pro also allows users to create an ad hoc connection through their computer or other mobile device to wirelessly upload media files while away from a wireless router.

“The Eye-Fi Pro has streamlined my workflow. It lets me quickly upload files in the background while I continue my photo shoots. My clients can choose their best shots in near real time,” said Jeff Sockwell, an Eye-Fi Pro beta user and professional photographer who used Eye-Fi in a portrait session with more than 150 dance students. “I also have assurance that photos are automatically saved both on my computer and my Eye-Fi Pro.”

Like the Eye-Fi Explore Video, the new Eye-Fi Pro will automatically upload images and videos direct to more than 25 online photo and video sharing sites. It also lets users upload away from home at more than 10,000 Wayport and open hotspots, and will automatically geotag photos with information about where the images were taken. The Eye-Fi Pro is now available at Amazon.com and www.eye.fi for an MSRP of $149.

Selective Transfer

Also announced today is Eye-Fi’s newest feature, Selective Transfer, that gives users more control over which photos and videos to upload. Using the standard “protect” or “lock” feature in any camera’s menu, users can select which files to wirelessly upload. Any “protected” photo or video will automatically be uploaded, and all photos and videos will remain on the memory card until the user manually deletes them. Selective Transfer is free and available now for all Eye-Fi card users through the Eye-Fi Manager.

At the Leading Edge of Camera Technology – Eye-Fi Connected cameras

In effort to meet prosumers’ increasing camera feature set demands and widen wireless adoption, manufacturers are offering Eye-Fi card recognition and optimization. The Eye-Fi Connected camera features range from power setting optimization to on-camera notifications while photos and videos are wirelessly uploaded. These new cameras include Nikon’s latest model, the D5000 (which follows in the footstep of the already Eye-Fi Connected D60 and D90), as well as the entire spring line-up of Casio cameras, including the Casio EX-S12, Casio EX-S5, Casio EX-FS10, Casio EX-FC100 and Casio EX-Z29.

Eye-Fi’s complete line-up of wireless SD and SDHC memory cards range in price from $49-$149 and are available at www.eye.fi, in store at Apple Retail Stores and Best Buy locations, and at major online retailers such as Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Costco.com.

Eye-Fi has received numerous product awards including Popular Science’s “Best of What’s New” for 2008 and PC World’s “The 100 Best Products of 2008.”

For more information, please visit www.eye.fi, or follow Eye-Fi on Twitter @EyeFiCard.

A leading producer of the direct response infomercials we all know and love – Swivel Sweeper, OxiClean and Smart Chopper – as well as the subject of Discovery Channel’s popular “Pitchmen” series, Sullivan Productions recently took the Small Tree challenge to see if Small Tree’s scalable, cost-efficient shared storage technology was the right solution for their workflow needs. After struggling with its workflow for months, Sullivan Productions is completing projects much more easily thanks to Small Tree’s Edge-corE ES4524D, a 24-port Gigabit Ethernet switch, along with its PEG6 6-port Ethernet card – both of which are a part of Small Tree’s new GraniteSTOR product line.
 
Prior to installing Small Tree’s technology, Sullivan Productions had a separate RAID for two of its three Final Cut Pro editing suites. Its third room was used to digitize onto a portable RAID, which would then have to be moved manually to one of the other suites. This slowed down the production team because it couldn’t share anything and didn’t have access to any footage.  By installing Small Tree’s GraniteSTOR products, Sullivan Productions is now running in two  rooms concurrently for 10 hours every day, and three rooms for 10 hours at least three days a week with real-time editing and no dropped frames.

“The difference in workflow since installation [of the Small Tree equipment] is night and day,” said Stephen Cain, post-production editor at Sullivan Productions. “Just the other day I was working in Suite 1 and needed b-roll footage for another project with a tight deadline. I was able to digitize the b-roll in Suite 3 so that when I was finished with the project I was working on in Suite 1 I could pull up the footage and immediately begin working on the next project. It’s incredible that we don’t have to stop, transfer materials onto a portable drive and then move it over. The seamless, real-time editing has made life so much easier for everyone on our team.” 

Improved workflow? Check. Happier production and post-production teams? Check. But wait, there’s more.

Not only did Small Tree’s shared storage make life easier for Sullivan Productions, it did so at a fraction of the cost of a typical storage solution. “It was absolutely more cost-efficient than the system we were currently running and far less expensive than SAN solutions on the market today,” Cain continued. “Cutting the cost of our storage technology allowed us to address other pressing technology needs in our facility, such as adding more computers and software to maximize our services. I can’t think of a reason why a post-production facility wouldn’t go with this solution.”

Small Tree is the Mac Networking Expert, making networking child’s play. Small Tree provides a complete portfolio of Ethernet-based networking and storage solutions for Apple Mac OS X customers.  Small Tree’s team of networking developers has extensive experience in high performance computing, and knows how to achieve the demanding application requirements of Mac customers.  Small Tree also provides contracted programming services for the Department of Defense.  For more information about the company and its products, please call 1-866-STC4MAC (1-866-782-4622), or visit www.small-tree.com.