Mactracker has been updated to v4.0.2. This update adds a timeline feature to view models by introduction date, updated information for the latest iPods, and a few minor bug fixes. Read the Favored Freeware entry for Mactracker here.
Here are the highlights from today’s Blogroll dive:
TuneTech is essentially an iPod-specific version of Drive Genius. Prosoft Engineering claims that TuneTech is “the only comprehensive software utility geared specifically toward iPod users,” but is it really necessary? Read the review to learn more about TuneTech.
Celestia is a free real-time space simulation that lets you experience our universe in three dimensions. Unlike most planetarium software, Celestia doesn’t confine you to the surface of the Earth. You can travel throughout the solar system, to any of over 100,000 stars, or even beyond the galaxy. All travel in Celestia is seamless; the exponential zoom feature lets you explore space across a huge range of scales, from galaxy clusters down to spacecraft only a few meters across. A ‘point-and-goto’ interface makes it simple to navigate through the universe to the object you want to visit. Celestia comes with a large catalog of stars, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and spacecraft. If that’s not enough, you can download dozens of easy to install add-ons with more objects.
Pros: Celestia has excellent graphics, it’s faster and more responsive than most real-time space simulations, and the free-form navigation is a unique and welcome addition. Full documentation for Celestia is available at its website. Celestia is a cross-platform application for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Cons: None significant.
When Apple announced the fifth-generation iPod with video playback features, I could do nothing but laugh about the concept of viewing television shows and music videos on its tiny screen. Why would I want to watch videos on my iPod? An iPod is for listening to music while you drive and read. You can’t watch videos while driving and reading. I was skeptical to say the least, but I was wrong. Read the review to learn more about Apple’s fifth-generation digital media player.
VLC has been updated to v0.8.4a. “This minor update to VLC v0.8.4 fixes a few annoying bugs. OSX S/PDIF has been fixed (thanks to the donations we got for the G5), and so has A/52 over S/PDIF in Linux ALSA. MusePack is also now enabled in Windows version.” The release notes are available here. Read the Favored Freeware entry for VLC here.
