RandomMaccess

There’s a new variant of the Mac Defender Trojan Horse making the rounds. This one, called “Mac Guard,” is scarier in that it does not require a password to install, since it affects the user account, not the entire computer. Scarier, but still fairly benign since at worst, the installer can only open automatically — (…)

More on Dell’s new laptop from The Guardian: Noted in passing: advert for the Dell XPS-15, containing the phrase Finally, the power you crave in the thinnest 15″ PC on the planet*. Wow, the thinnest? But wait, what’s the asterisk? Small print time: “Based on Dell internal analysis as at February 2011. Based on a (…)

The phenomenon of other brands’ products “coincidentally” beginning to look like Apple products is nothing new, (think about cellphones before and after the iPhone or tablets after the iPad, for instance) so it’s not surprising to see that Dell’s new XPS 15z laptop bears a striking resemblance to the MacBook Pro. They’ve even copied Apple’s (…)

With today marking the 10th anniversary of Apple’s first brick-and-mortar store, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at how we covered the company’s first location in the Garden State, which opened in Tice’s Corner in 2001. Back then, of course, there were only five retail outlets, and the company had (…)

I’m finding it hard to get riled up about the latest brouhaha regarding the discovery of a file on iPhones that contains time-stamped location information about places your phone (and presumably you) have been. First, there’s no evidence so far that this information is being sent anywhere. Second, if you use foursquare, Facebook Places, Gowalla (…)

The next-generation iPhone will sport the same design as its predecessor, but will have a faster processor, according to a Reuters article. Nothing earth-shattering in that, but the story’s sources say the iPhone 5 will come in September, not July, which has become the traditional month for new iPhones. Makes sense. Apple has already said (…)

I’ve long thought Navigon’s MobileNavigator is the best turn-by-turn GPS app available, (far) surpassing even standalone units. Now Navigon has released MobileNavigator 1.8 with updated maps, new features and new options available via in-app purchase. Try getting enhancements like that for free from your standalone unit. Here’s what the press release has to say about (…)

Jeff Carlson is a smart guy and a very good writer. If you want to know more about your iPad 2, you should buy his book. Before you say “It’s an iPad — I already know everything I need to,” see if you can answer these questions: How do I move my media to my (…)

TechCrunch has leaked screenshots of the new Windows App Store: Compare that with this screenshot of the Mac App Store (also via TechCrunch): Now consider what smartphones looked like after the iPhone; tablets after the iPad; and now this. Seriously, isn’t anyone even trying to be original anymore?

Nice piece by my friend Jeff Gamet at The Mac Observer on the impact of Apple’s iPad as a tool for autistic children. What makes it really notable, though, is the first comment following the article, by Pat Mahon (also a friend of mine)—a real-life example of the device’s power. I won’t spoil it by (…)