tugga tech

Western Digital No More... You Piece of Junk!

2009-05-01T00:31:00.007+01:00

There was a time when Western Digital meant respectful hard-drives. There was a time when having a WD hard-drive meant being sure that your data was safe... As well as your computer...

Today it's a different time. Today I lost all my respect for Western Digital! Want to know why? Follow the link...

When do you realize you're a geek? When you find out that the piece of hardware you need/want is not invented yet!!!

All I wanted was a 1TB 2.5" firewire 800 powered external hard-drive... But, as I told you, it's not invented yet! So I had to buy the 500GB version of the above. The only drive I could find in local stores, meeting these specs, was the (in)famous WD My Passport Studio.

I can tell you... This WD external drive is a piece of junk! Unmounts... Completely freezes the Mac... Looses data... Until it dies!

After the first day I went to the store again and replaced the first drive for another one. Same crap.

After one week I decided to return the drive and get a refund.

OK. Everything was fine but I had no drive, no backups, no big files... I had to solve this!

I went to my computer and started searching. There's a really good Mac oriented online store called Servisoft. I already own a few Lacie external drives but they're 3.5" and for my Mac server @home. Anyway... The Lacies are really good so I decided to search for the same specs but this time on a Lacie drive. And this is what I found: Lacie Rugged Hard Disk 500GB. AMAZING DRIVE! No problems, faster than WD and really nice design. I strongly recommend it! ;-)

WWDC 2008: What To Expect From Apple?

2008-05-16T08:11:00.016+01:00

The tech world is getting nervous as the WWDC 2008 approaches. Everybody is placing a bet on what to expect from Apple.

Steve jobs is going to open the first day (2008/06/09) with a keynote at 10am. Everything tends to be great when Steve decides to open a conference. Usually great launches and new products or, at least, big upgrades to existing ones.

So we, @ tugga tech, decided to place a bet...
Everybody else is doing it... Why don't we? :-)
More betting after the jump.

From our point of view here's a list of what to be expected @ WWDC 2008. Five (5) announcements:

1. 3G iPhone (99,9% sure)

Definitely the only sure bet. 3G is coming to the iPhone. Apple as agreements with almost every mobile network provider in the world now so they have to compete with Europe's 3.5G networks. Jobs wants to overcome the 10mi milestone until the end of the year and people are demanding faster connections in the iPhone. We believe bluetooth is going to be standard and connect to all devices. Also to expect the new 1.2.0 firmware with powerful new software toys. A decent camera with 5.0 MP and video are also a plus. The iPhone 2.0 is going to be slimmer and 32GB.

2. New Macbook aluminum case (50% sure)

Every-other computer from Apple is already aluminum so why not MBs? Also the new multi-touch trackpad is coming to the MB.

3. New Macbook Pro (70% sure)

iMacs have 3.06GHz processors why shouldn't MBPs? Also a new and larger multi-touch trackpad and blue-ray optical drives. Bigger and faster HDs are a plus. 3G connection? Maybe over bluetooth using the iPhone? (yeah right).

4. Macbook Air new speeds and capacity (30% sure)

The New Macbook Air launched last February is expensive and slow. A new 2.2GHz chip is going inside and also new larger and faster HDs. Anyway you can make it slimmer and lighter? Probably not.

5. All iPods going touch (30% sure)

Apple is so kinky about the new multi-touch pads so why not make all iPods touch aware? Maybe the Nano first and new design to iPod classic.

In the meannwhile you can download the WWDC countdown widget from here.
Lets wait for the 9th of june to see... Any comments?

Photo credit: Jonathan Snyder/Wired.com

Interlog: The Worst Apple Authorized Service Centre Ever!!!

2008-05-12T18:11:00.017+01:00

Many of you may ask: What about Apple Authorized Service Centres in a country where there's no official Apple Store? Portugal is one of those countries. But then there's Interlog. An official Apple Care Centre private company.
Today I decided to request a new battery for my MacBook Pro because the current one, fully charged, was giving me about an hour of power supply. I went to www.apple.com/pt/support/contact/ for more details and I found out that my battery was in the list of defected batteries and Apple would give a new one free of charge (warranty covered) replacing the defected one. This is the beginning of a crusade... More fighting after the jump!

I called the Apple support number. This is a portuguese support number but all the calls are redirected to Ireland (the Official Apple Support for Europe). A Brazilian guy answered my call in Cork, Ireland and everything was fine. The questions he asked pointed me to a new battery. I got a case number and he told me to go to the nearest Apple Centre representative to swap my battery. The case number should be sufficient to allow the exchange.

When I got to Interlog they asked me for the computer serial number and "voila!", there it was... The case number telling them to swap my battery. But then the problems began...

The lady at the reception told me I was supposed to leave my MBP for testing and it should be ready in 3 or 4 days. Humm??!? But you have an online Apple written information that says: "replace customer battery: allowed", I said! Yes but we have to test the entire computer for defects and verify that the information about the battery is true, she said.

True??!? But Apple Europe told you to replace the battery so why should you test the entire computer for defects if I have no complaints about the computer... Just the battery?!
Internal procedures, she said!

I want to speak to your manager, I demanded!

The manager (Marco Afonso) came and explained everything! We don't care about what Apple says. We have internal procedures! So you have to leave the entire computer and provide us with the login password. After logging into your user and take a peak at ALL YOUR PRIVATE DATA we'll return it with the new battery in 3 or 4 days. Yes, we don't have a battery stock so we have to order it!

Password??!? My password??!? No battery stock??!? But then you'll have access to all my private data...

No problem... You can format your HD and bring it over... We'll install the OS again for you...

At this point it was clear that I would never be able to replace my battery without formatting my HD, provide my personal password, wait 3 or 4 days... And apply for a mental institution vacancy!

So I called Apple Care in Ireland again! This time I was able to speak to a very nice portuguese guy, Miguel Pereira, that was astonished by this case. I don't need to say more... Miguel Pereira apologized in Apple's name and filled an internal complaint about Interlog. Miguel advised me to do the same sending a printed letter to Apple European Offices in Cork explaining everything. He also called another Apple Centre representative in Lisbon (Netcetera) that took only 10 minutes to process this case and told me that I should only leave my battery and wait 24 hours for the new one.

Conclusion: If you have a Mac, or another Apple device, never, but never, go to Interlog thinking you'll be treated as an Apple customer. You'll be treated as a dummy PC user, at the most, and will end-up with no computer for 4 days and no personal data... Forever!!!

iPhone: It's Official... Vodafone Wins The Battle!

2008-05-07T09:05:00.011+01:00

As predicted by tugga tech, Vodafone is the winner. Later this year Portugal will have the most awaited mobile phone ever selling (legally) at Vodafone stores: The iPhone!
That wasn't very hard to guess as Vodafone is the biggest mobile operator in the world. So I guess they have, at least, a bit of power to negotiate with Apple. Far behind are TMN and Optimus (they will have to manage with some unlocked iPhones). More legal fun after the jump.

Vodafone won the contract to sell the iPhone in ten countries: Portugal, Australia, India, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey and Italy.
Let's remember our readers that Vodafone lost the battle for the iPhone in their home country, the UK, where O2 and Carphone Warehouse Group won the commercial contract with Apple.

As the iPhone is entering the EU we, at tugga tech, believe that the american way locked phone model is obsolete and Apple will have to rethink this commercial plan. At Germany you can already buy an iPhone for as low as 99€ ($153 cry americans... cry!).

One thing is for sure. From the almost 4 million sold iPhones only 2.7 million have been legally activated.

Tuff market hey Steve? Will it be 3G?

OQO: Tiny Mac?

2008-04-29T12:55:00.005+01:00

Psystar? Forget them! This is a really interesting Hackintosh. Ex-Apple employees decided to use Leopard in their toy: The OQO.
Is this the smallest Mac in the world?

Screen resolution is 800x480. It takes two minutes to load the operating system. There are a few wan problems to solve but continuos work will probably fix this.
The blurry video is here.
This is very interesting since OQO was founded by ex-Apple employees! [via Gizmodo]

Safari Finally Out

2008-04-17T13:57:00.003+01:00

After a "buggy" start, we can now say Safari is finally out! Version 3.1.1 is stable and corrects the bugs previously found. Apple started spreading the new version and my Macbook Pro received the warning this morning. More after the jump.

At tugga tech we tried the new Leopard version and it works fine. Already installed at our Windows testing machine but not tested. Wanna give us some feedback about the Windows new version?

Good job guys!

Mac Clones Are Clowns!

2008-04-17T13:24:00.007+01:00

Everybody hold! Remember the post about a company building Mac clones? It's a clone!
Don't buy anything from Psystar until we know everything about this company.
Gizmodo fans went searching for information about Psystar and found... nothing! The physical address points to another perfectly legal company operating at that location since two years ago. The complete story after the jump.

This morning I was reading my favorite competitor (Gizmodo) and I found about their private investigations. Looks like Gizmodo fans are all over the USA and doing corporative investigation about Psystar. This company claims to be building Mac clones and selling at low prices: from $399 (250€). Too low if you ask me... But a credible price anyway if you think of Psystar as a big corporation being able to keep costs low. Wrong!

Anyway... These guys don't have a real physical address and nobody seems to find them registered as a real company.

Psystar: Are you cloning Macs or are you clowns? [via Gizmodo]

(The picture in this article is property of Gizmodo)

Pwnage Tool Updated: Apple Prepares For Battle

2008-04-16T13:17:00.006+01:00

There's a new version (v1.1) of Pwnage Tool. It corrects two bugs and adds three new features (check the picture on the side). We, at tugga tech, are always on top of Apple's gadget stories so we tested the new version and it works fine. Apple promised to fight this team with firmware v1.2.0 (2.0) but we find it very hard to achieve as the concept behind this tool is to make the phone think that all the software is signed and secure. More after the jump.

According to the Dev Team site here's what's new.

Changes and fixes:
* EDGE settings fix for iPhone 1.1.4 firmware
* iPhone/iPod firmware 2.0 5A240d support

New Features:
* Added custom package support
* Added custom logo support
* Added auto delete of BootNeuter.app

How much more difficult will it be to the Dev Team to keep up with this? Will this be a real challenge? Will the Dev Team's current dominance in the hacking war survive v1.2.0? According to them, it may be a real challenge. But it just makes things more interesting and fun, which is exactly what the entire world wanted to hear! Hey Steve?

OpenMac: The Apple Alternative!

2008-04-15T13:53:00.004+01:00

Here it is... The first company that defies Apple. Psystar announced the first Apple compatible personal computer. The OpenMac!
Psystar doesn't care that Apple's EULA prohibits using OS X on any machine not made by Apple and, in fact, they say that Apple's terms "violate U.S. monopoly laws", posing the example of Microsoft theoretically saying you could only install Windows on Dell machines.

The Open Computer is a PC that works just like a Mac with Apple's latest operating system OS X 10.5 a.k.a. Leopard. With the Open Computer you can run OS X natively as if you had purchased an expensive Apple computer except that, while paying less, you receive more. More after the jump.

Apple's entry-level computer, the Mac Mini, is a small and not very powerful machine. When comparing base configurations, the Mac Mini costs 150% of the price of the Open Computer while offering poorer performance, smaller storage space, and RAM. Not only that but the Mac Mini doesn't have the option for an nVidia GeForce 8600 video card like the Open Computer does so playing games on it is a lost cause.

The new Mac clone comes in two flavors:

* Open Computer selling at $399.99 (252€). The highly extensible Open Computer is a configuration of PC hardware capable of running unmodified OS X Leopard kernels. If you purchase Leopard with your Open Computer we will not only include the actual Leopard retail package with genuine installation disc, but we also include a Psystar restore disc for your Open Computer and we will preinstall Leopard for free so you can begin to use your computer right out of the box.

Base Configuration:
- 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Processor
- 2GB of DDR2 667 memory
- Integrated Intel GMA 950 Graphics
- 20x DVD+/-R SATA drive that is Lightscribe-capable
- 4 rear USB Ports

* OpenPro Computer selling at $999.99 (631€). The bad boy OpenPro is a configuration of high-end PC hardware capable of running OS X Leopard kernels. With a slick case and 600 watts of power the OpenPro can take everything you can throw at it.
The new case features 3 120mm fans for a computer that runs completely cool regardless of how much CPU time you need and a 600W power supply. Firewire is standard on the OpenPro and it has USB ports on the front panel as well.
No base configuration. You have to choose what to buy on the site.

What about this Steve? Are you ready to support Apple's rising with all the related problems it comes with? ;-)

Apple Rumors: All Aluminum Macbooks, Thinner 3G iPhones

2008-04-10T09:50:00.005+01:00

This week we found two new rumors about Apple for the next WWDC. No big announcements.
It seems that the 3G iPhone will be slimmer and 32GB. As for the new Macbook it's going all aluminum case just like the Macbook Pro.
It seems Apple is giving some credit to Mac fans and their expectations as this was a long awaited claim from the Mac aficionados. So I think WWDC will bring nothing but a few improvements to already existing products. Sources after the jump.

According to Gizmodo:

+TG Daily claims that the 3G iPhone will be in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB flavors from $399-$599, with a 2.5mm slimmer profile, a tuned accelerometer and but a similar UI.

+Apple Insider reports that the standard Macbook is losing the plastic shell and going all aluminum, just like the current Macbook Pros.

Giving these sites their relative credit I think there's an 80% chance the rumors are true. But let's wait for the WWDC to confirm it!

Nokia Tube: iPhone Killer First Pics

2008-04-09T12:28:00.008+01:00

Leaked by Nokia on purpose, or not, here they are... The first Nokia Tube (iPhone killer) pics seen yesterday at a conference in California.
The phone is quad-band, 16:9 screen, 3G-ready, Bluetooth and integrated GPS with geotagging support. The camera is "better than the one that we can find on an iPhone". More after the jump.

If you take a closer look at the second pic you can see it's not finger friendly. It has stylus support and the "options" and "exit" features are too small for a finger to tap on them.
According to the rumors, Nokia was trying to build a new phone based on the iPhone concept. After all Nokia is the biggest mobile phone manufacturer in the world and they want to keep the status. Will it come on time?

Maybe too late to kill the iPhone. There are also rumors that Apple is launching a 3G iPhone later this year (Europe doesn't use museum phones anymore). If that's true we all are going to watch a nice show between Nokia and Apple for the best seller mobile phone during 2009.

Rumors say the Tube is coming out in the beginning of 2009. [via symbian-freak]

Crazy Wendy... How Stupid Can You Be?

2008-04-09T09:08:00.012+01:00

This is what happens when you give a stupid-long-nails-asian-blogger-star-wannabe-woman a state of the art piece of technology. The worst iPhone review ever!
Wendy Cheng is, apparently, the most popular blogger in Singapore. So she decided to review the iPhone but her producers tricked her and gave her a fake China iPhone to review before they gave her the real thing.
More video stupidity after the jump.

The best part of all this is that she prefers the China iPhone than the real one. "I really don't like the touchscreen...it's fucking shitty."
Hey Steve: Have you planned a new touchscreen for brainless-long-nails-asian-girls?

Suck All Your Shit Up

2008-04-08T08:49:00.005+01:00

It's a plane... No, it's a full-of-shit-mini-vacuum-tabletop-toilet-shaped gadget!
Now you have the perfect gadget for a geek desk. That's pretty much it. With one little present inside... A floating piece of shit!
How funny can that get? This is a must have for you toilet fun kind of thing guys.

Hmm... Wouldn't be fun to have your mom visit you and use it to vacuum your disgusting living space? Priceless.

I know of at least one person that I would love to give this as a present... [via Nerd Approved]

iPhone Race: Apple Rethinks... Vodafone Back In Business!

2008-04-07T19:14:00.020+01:00

Finally the confirmation: Portugal will have the iPhone in the last 2008's trimester. Just in time for Christmas!
Apple decided to move back in the negotiations and accept that the global strategy for European Union wasn't that good. After all we're on top of mobile phones related business and technology. We call the shots.
This said there's another strategy for EU's smaller countries: No exclusive operators and lower profit related percentages. Vodafone said: We're back in business!

So here's what's going to happen: Portugal will have 2 mobile operators selling the iPhone before the end of 2008. Two out of the three existent: Vodafone, TMN and Optimus.

How much will the iPhone cost in the Portuguese market nobody knows. But, from previous experiences, I guess it will be around 499€. Almost 500€ for a 2.5G mobile phone is too much when compared to other products out there. The only thing that will make the difference is the little apple on the back side. Oh yes... We know how that makes a difference!

Let's hope Apple and Portuguese GSM operators don't forget one little thing... There are hundreds of unlocked iPhones already out there!

One question remains... Mr Jobs: Will the iPhone be 3G by then? Don't forget we don't use museum phones anymore!

Pwnage iPhone Unlocking and Hacking Tool Is Now Available, Good job!

2008-04-03T16:56:00.023+01:00

After one week of delay here it is: the Pwnage iPhone Unlocking and Hacking Tool. This was a long awaited software for those owning an iPhone outside of lucky/authorized countries, those not wanting to use the authorized GSM carrier inside, or outside, USA or those just wanting total freedom. I have to tell you... It works great but does much much more than that.
It gives you total control over your device! Full video after the jump.

As you would expect from a great russian team this is a great software. Now you have unlimited possibilities. You can run *any* application, use it unlocked in any compatible cellphone network and basically do whatever you want do to with it!
You can find firmware files all over the net, just google for "1.1.4 iPhone download url". It will usually turn up the direct links for these files. Most sites will give you the entire firmware history from 1.0 to 1.1.4. Version 1.2.0 is a bit harder to find but not impossible. The nice part is that these files can be downloaded directly from Apple's site so they are not illegal.

This tool runs on Mac OS X 10.4+ but hey, you windows lovers out there: don't cry! Later this week a windows version is coming out! This will help you maintain that terrible addiction!
Just don't forget... For the best results you have to use firmware v1.2.0!

Hey iphone-dev team (or should I just call you the "Dev Team"): nice Steve Jobs cartoon!
Can you please translate the balloon?! :-)