MacMegasite

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.

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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Eye-Fi cards make transferring photos from your camera to your computer almost effortless. No more fussing with card readers or cables – you simply leave your camera on and let it send your photos wirelessly. Eye-Fi cards are available in several different versions to fit every need & budget and work with most cameras that use SD memory cards.

The Eye-Fi Geo is their newest version, available exclusively at Apple Stores with built-in geotagging support for iPhoto ’09’s places feature.

Like all Eye-Fi cards, the Geo is easy and painless to set up. You simply plug the reader into a USB port, drag the Eye-Fi manager application from the card to your application folder, and double-click it. The manager will open in your web browser to configure your card. If you already have a Wi-Fi card, you can add the new one to your account.

The first thing you need to do with your Eye-Fi card is to add your wireless network to it. The manager will then prompt you to remove the card, put it in your camera, and take a picture. Like magic, the picture will appear on your computer. You can then configure additional options, such as whether you want the pictures sent directly to iPhoto or to a folder on your computer.

The Eye-Fi Geo, like the $49 Eye-Fi Home, can only upload to your computer. Other Eye-Fi models can upload to a variety of photo sharing sites.

The Eye-Fi Geo card has a 2GB capacity, which makes it well suited for most point & shoot cameras. Several 4GB cards are available to provide extra storage for more advanced cameras. The 4GB cards also support video as well as photos.

Most new Nikon DSLRs, including the D90, have special support for the Eye-Fi card and will automatically adjust their power settings and let you enable or disable wireless uploading.

I especially like the Eye-Fi Pro in my D90 since it supports RAW images as well as JPEG. Since I’ve been using the Eye-Fi card, I almost never take it out of my camera or use a card reader. I simply let it send the photos wirelessly to a folder on my computer. I then import the photos into Aperture where I can make any necessary adjustments & upload them to Flickr.

This chart explains the differences between the Eye-Fi models:

After using my iPhone 3G S for several hours, I can say it’s a solid upgrade to the original iPhone 3G with several major enhancements. My immediate impression is that it’s a lot faster. Applications launch about 2x as fast, web pages load 2x to 3x as fast, and tabs switch instantaneously in most applications. The camera is also drastically improved.

Rather than standing in line at an Apple or AT&T Store, I pre-ordered my iPhone 3G S from Apple’s online store with free shipping. As promised, it arrived via UPS before 11AM this morning. You can see my unboxing pictures here.

Speed

The increased speed is the first thing you’ll notice, and it’s a huge difference. It really feels snappy.

Earphones

The iPhone 3G S includes the same new earphones introduced with the new iPod Shuffle, with an inline volume control. All of the same click controls are available both with the included earphones and Apple’s new in-ear phones.

Camera

The camera quality is drastically improved. You can now tap on any part of the picture to focus there.

A slider at the bottom of the screen lets you select still pictures or video. Tap to focus works exactly the same in video mode.

The picture quality is really great. I don’t think I’ll be traveling with a point & shoot camera any more.

Video quality is also very good. You can upload to Youtube right from the action menu.

Compass

The other major hardware enhancement is a magnetometer & compass. The compass is very straightforward: it simply tells which direction you’re facing. You can choose Magnetic or True North with the Info button at the bottom right.

The location button at the bottom left shows your location on the map.

Unlike the iPhone 3G, there’s almost no delay in displaying the map. You don’t see it being drawn in individual tiles.

In all, the iPhone 3G S is definitely a solid upgrade that’s worth the price.

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.

Omniverse is UNIEA’s latest MacBook tote, an attractive, durable lightweight bag that can hold your 13″ MacBook and a few small accessories such as the AC Adapter & mouse.

The outside is made of soft & durable silk fiber. Interior is shock resistent and heat-absorbent to protect your MacBook, while the bottom cushion features a heat sink that absorbs & dissipates heat, so you can use your laptop in the case. Corner pockets hold your laptop snugly in place.

The case is very lightweight & comfortable to carry and it appears to provide great protection.

For more information about Omniverse and other products, visit UNIEA.

There are lots of clear plastic screen protectors for the iPhone, but BodyGuardz is different. BodyGuards is applied wet and dries to form a tight bond. It’s available for the front only, back, or both. Unlike most clear film protectors, BodyGuards doesn’t attract grease with regular use. If you use something like FastMac’s iV, which prevents you from using a case, BodyGuards will give your iPhone the protection it needs.

UNIEA’s Haptique provides ideal durable protection for your aluminum MacBook with a soft textured feel, available in 6 colors. The two piece design gives you full access to all of the MacBook’s ports.

The two ABS plastic pieces snap easily on the top and bottom of the MacBook and fits snugly. The textured surface provides a good grip and keeps it from moving around on your desk.

Haptique is available for $49.95 in white, black, pink, blue, green, and orange from UNIEA.

Haptique provides maximum protection for your MacBook while still allowing full access to the optical drive and all ports. It adds very little weight, and after using it for several hours I haven’t noticed any excessive heat.

FastMac’s TruePower iV is a must have for any iPhone user who needs to stay fully charged all day without being able to plug in.

I had an opportunity to see just how well it works on my trip home from Macworld Expo. I charged my iV overnight before I left, and after more than 8 hours of travel time, including more than 4 hours of music, 1 hour of video, and several games of Frenzic & reMovem, my iPhone was still fully charged and the iV’s battery indicator still showed 4 lights. Normally after such a trip, I’d find my iPhone nearly out of power by the time I got home.

The iV adds a bit of bulk and not too much weight to the iPhone, but it can still be carried comfortably in a coat pocket. I prefer the iV’s form factor, which cradles the iPhone, to that of Richard Solo’s battery which hangs off the bottom of the iPhone.

The iV provides 3100 mAh of battery power (vs. 1800 for Richard Solo’s battery). FastMac claims up to 24 hours of talk time, 72 hours of audio playback, up to 21 hours of video playback, and up to 30 days of standby time. Based on my experience traveling home from Macworld, I think that’s probably accurate.

The iV features a standard iPhone/iPod docking connector for charging and even fits in a dock. In addition to powering an iPhone, it also features an extra USB port to charge other devices and an extremely bright LED flashlight for emergency use or low light photos.

I highly recommend the TruePower iV. I’ll never take another trip without it.

In an attempt to put an end to the wild speculation about his health, Steve Jobs posted the following letter to the Apple community:

Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Steve