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Archive for » January, 2011 «

OWC Videos are Everywhere!

Thursday, January 20th, 2011 | Author: OWC Chris S.

Things have been exciting here on the OWC video front. Not only do we have a bunch of videos that we’ve produced internally, but we also have some now rolling in from CES a couple weeks ago.

Let’s start with the latter. While we had a couple of interview videos to show you when we got back from CES, a couple more have come in since then:

We’ve been busy on the home front, too. Our Instructional Series of videos now includes instructions for installing the NewerTech NuVue Screen Protector for iPhone 4 as well as a new, cleaner look for the video page overall.

We’ve also got a few more exciting videos on the way, including installation videos for the OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express in a 2010 MacBook Air, the Mercury Aura Pro MBA in a 2008/2009 MacBook Air, and more speed shootouts.

Keep an eye here on the OWC Blog or on our YouTube Channel to get the latest updates.

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Category: Installation Videos, Random Thoughts & Topics
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Win a 40GB OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD!

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 | Author: OWC Chris S.

We’ve gone on and on about how our SandForce processor based OWC Mercury Extreme™ Pro SSDs have seem to be universally held in high regard by reviewers, including the likes of the folks over at The SSD Review who, as you may guess by the name, specialize in SSD performance.

In fact, they loved our OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD so much that they’ve decided to offer one up as the grand prize in a giveaway they’re holding. Entry into the contest is free, but there are a few caveats (you knew there was going to be some…) that you’ll have to keep mind of:

  1. You need to be a member of The SSD Review site.
  2. In order to be eligible for the drawing, one must register on The SSD Review and become an active member in the forum community between now and February 15, 2011.
  3. Members will not be eligible if they haven’t posted to the site previously or at least once within the contest eligibility period.
  4. To win the contest, the selected site member must correctly answer a skill testing question only when informed that he/she has won and the question is presented in an e-mail.

That’s not too bad, right? Head over to The SSD Review, register, and start contributing your SSD knowledge, and you’ll be eligible to win.

Of course, if you don’t wind up being the lucky winner, you’ll still be able to buy your own right here at OWC!

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Category: Product Spotlight, Special OWC Deals
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Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini Gets Great Review

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 | Author: OWC Chris S.

Come on, guys! This is getting embarrassing! As if raking accolades on our Mercury Extreme Pro Solid State Drives wasn’t flattering enough, now The Unofficial Apple Weblog just released a nice write-up of our Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini storage solution, which feature Mercury Extreme Pro RE SSDs inside.

The OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini features 14 pre-configured models with hardware RAID-1 “mirrored” redundancy for “live activity” data protection; or RAID-0 “stripe” for maximum data transfer speed. Each Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini contains two 2.5″ hard drives or OWC Mercury SSDs for up to 2.0TB of capacity, a “Quad Interface” of FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, & eSATA connections for data transfer speeds up to 300MB/s.

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Category: Product Spotlight
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Jobs on Medical Leave

Monday, January 17th, 2011 | Author: OWC NewsFeed

In case you hadn’t heard, it seems that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking a medical leave for an unspecified amount of time. Not a lot of information has been made available except that, while COO Tim Cook will be taking over day-to-day operations, Jobs will remain as CEO.

Speculation over how long this leave of absence will be remains. An internal memo reported by Business Wire reads, in part, that Jobs feels that Cook and the Executive Management Team will “do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011,” which may indicate Jobs’ absence  may last through a greater portion of this calendar year.

How this will pan out, we’re not sure. Jobs took a similar leave on the early part of 2009, which lasted until late June. During that time, Apple stock rose 60%. However, as of this morning, overseas trading had Apple stock (AAPL) down about 8%, according to Bloomberg.

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Category: Random Thoughts & Topics

iTunes App Store Approaching 10 Billion

Saturday, January 15th, 2011 | Author: OWC Chris S.

Ten billion apps can’t be wrong—and if you’re the lucky soul who downloads the ten-billionth app from the App store, it could be very, very right! That fortunate iPhone, iPod or iPad user will win an iTunes gift card worth US$10,000! Never has downloading Angry Birds seemed so lucrative!

At the current rate, we should reach that mark some time over the middle of next week. However, downloads could speed up at any time, which means that 10 billion app barrier could be reached well before then.

While we’re not 100% on whether free downloads count towards the total or not, there’s nothing in the official rules that would suggest that it has to be a paid app. If that’s the case, then OWC is there for you – we’ve got a nice list of free apps that we’ve reviewed over the past year

That way, even if you didn’t win, you can at least be sure you got a good app out of the deal!

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Category: Fresh from Apple, Random Thoughts & Topics
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NewerTech Introduces The Pad Protector Leather Folio For Apple iPad

Friday, January 14th, 2011 | Author: OWC NewsFeed

Newer Technology, Inc. announced today The Pad Protector™, a stylish, lightweight leather folio/carrying case for the Apple iPad. Available in choice of red or black leather, The Pad Protector keeps an iPad looking like new while providing enhanced typing and viewing comfort along with full access to all ports and controls.

The Pad Protector is available immediately and comes with a one year NewerTech warranty.

High Style Meets Practical Functionality

The Pad Protector features a rich leather cover that discreetly fastens with the use of high-powered slimline magnets. Inside, smooth suede leather provides a scratch-free environment for an iPad. A top loading, full-framed holder keeps the iPad in place while allowing complete access to all ports and controls. A unique magnetized flap acts like a “kickstand”, so the iPad can be positioned for optimum viewing and typing comfort. Weighing only 7.8 ounces and including a bonus screen protector, The Pad Protector is the complete style and function solution to enhance the fast paced mobile life. Article Continues…

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Category: Press Releases
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First Price Drop of the Year – Elite-AL Pro “Quad”

Friday, January 14th, 2011 | Author: OWC NewsFeed

Wow! With all the holiday specials and new products that we’ve had over the last month or so, we at OWC have been falling behind on our Price Drops. Well, the waiting is over; we’ve got the first Drop of the year for you, and it’s on none other than the award-winning OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro “Quad” Interface storage solutions.

Like all of our storage solutions, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro FireWire 800/400/USB2/eSATA “Quad Interface” offers incredible performance along with great versatility. Key features include:

  • Oxford 924 based performance bridge solution
  • Two 1394B 9 pin FW800 ports, One 1394A 6 pin FW400 port, One USB 2.0 port, One eSATA port
  • Large data buffer up to 32MB
  • Fully bootable, ideal for applications, A/V, Photos, Music, etc.
  • Certified for Audio/Video and Time Machine
  • Attractive & compact shock resistant Aluminum design
  • USB2, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, & eSATA cables ALL INCLUDED!
  • Prosoft DataBackup III (OS X), NovaStor NovaBackup (Windows), Carbon Copy Cloner (OS X), and Intech Speed Tools (8.6-10.6.x) included
  • Fully Mac & PC compatible
  • Industry leading 3 year solution warranty

Of course, you probably knew that already. What’s new about them are these, are these lower prices: Article Continues…

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Category: Press Releases, Product Spotlight
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Verizon to offer iPhone.

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 | Author: OWC Chris S.

As with most things Apple, any announcements by—or related to—their products is subject to national media attention and wild speculation. Such was the case with today’s Verizon event; the announcement last week coupled with photos of a slightly modified iPhone 4 frame led to rumors that Apple’s wildly-popular smartphone would be finally be available on a network other than AT&T, which has had an exclusive contract with Apple since the first iPhone’s release in 2007.

Rumors of a second US carrier have popped up from time to time, with Verizon being a top contender. The only reason people discounted them was its CDMA network. But Apple’s exclusivity agreement with AT&T was the biggest thing keeping the iPhone from working with other carriers.

That exclusivity agreement has apparently run out. Starting in February of 2011, the iPhone will be available on Verizon as well as AT&T. Apple had made some internal changes to work on Verizon’s CDMA network, but the only outward signs are a slight repositioning of a couple buttons and an extra antenna gap. This slight repositioning of the buttons may make it incompatible with some custom-fit iPhone cases, but otherwise the form and functionality is practically the same.

Plan pricing details at the moment seem to be somewhat lacking, though we do have these bits of info:

  • $200 for the 16GB model on a two year agreement
  • $300 for the 32GB version
  • Current Verizon customers will be able to pre-order on Feburary 3rd
  • everyone else can order on February 10th.
  • can act as a mobile WiFi connection for up to five devices – functionality built right into the System Preferences – no word on any extra fees associated with this.

The purchase prices of the phones are the same as through AT&T. Though specific details aren’t available yet, similar plans from Verizon indicate a similar price strategy. So, as OWC Grant asked as we discussed this earlier today, what does this mean? Article Continues…

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Category: Fresh from Apple
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