Apple is really gunning for Microsoft as far as the OS market is concerned. Since OS X launched a couple of years ago, they have released major updates three times. Yesterday at the WWDC, they introduced the fourth - Mac OS X Tiger.

Showing off the latest OS X update, Steve Jobs talked about a new search technology called "Spotlight". In a nutshell, using the Spotlight technology, you can search your entire PC for whatever you need in seconds. According to Apple, "Spotlight can find email messages, calendars and contacts along with documents, movies, images - any kind of file - all at once." Think of it as being similar to searching for music in iTunes.

The other major portion of the Tiger update is "Dashboard". The Dashboard functions as a widget organizer which can be accessed at any time using a function key.

This isn't all. There are about 200 new additions to the Mac OS in the new version 10.4. Interestingly enough, all the new technologies that Apple is showcasing now are what Microsoft plans on releasing in another two years on the Windows front. You can be sure Mr. Gates was listening. Let's just hope he got the message. If you are going to come into the game late, you better innovate.

Read More | Apple

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Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates spoke recently about the enhancements being made to the MSN search engine. It sounds like Big Bill is determined to overthrow Google and Yahoo! from the top of the search engine world. Gates was quoted as saying the new MSN Search technology will be able to "understand" the documents they index, and plans to make web search "ten times better" than it is today.

I certainly wouldn't mind more relevant search results. If the new MSN Search can actually understand the content it indexes, and thus give better output - look out Google.

Read More | WebProNews

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Earlier today at the Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple CEO introduced the world to the new Apple Cinema Display HD line. The displays include a 20-inch 1680x1050 model, a 23-inch 1920x1200 model, and the flagship (and incredibly gorgeous) 30-inch 2560x1600 display.

The 20" and 23" models are the first Apple displays that can be used with a PC out of the box. The 30" display uses it's 4 million pixels in conjunction with a dual link DVI connection and only works on a Mac.

While these anodized aluminum encased monitors are gorgeous, they certainly will leave your wallet hurting. The 20-inch display costs $1299, the 23-inch is $1999, and the 30-inch is a staggering $3299.

Talk About New Displays on the Gear Live Forums

Read More | Apple

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Microsoft's next version of its Windows CE Operating System (5.0) is set to launch on July 9th. With this new version, Microsoft has also opted to give licensees a lot more control over developing for the platform. Licensees will have access to about 60-70% of the Windows CE 5.0 source code, which is essentially the blueprint of the OS.

In addition, Microsoft is also allowing developers to own the changes they innovate using the source code. This is a huge step in getting a larger base of software and applications which can be differentiated by developer.

Read More | PC Magazine

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If for some reason you are all iTunes'ed out, or are looking for (legal!) higher quality music downloads, you may want to give the RealPlayer Music Store a try. We took Real's Download service to task, and are back with our report.

Click to continue reading REVIEW: RealPlayer Music Store

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The latest 'meet and greet' trend over in Singapore is an inexpensive service called BEDD. For approximately $0.57 per month users have unlimited access to the program, which is one of many "social network" technologies available via cell phone. So how does BEDD differ?

Users download the program, and fill out a short survey similar to a personality profile. From there, BEDD takes over. Using Bluetooth, the technology runs on your phone searching for other BEDD users within range (about 67 feet). If it finds someone, you are alerted and can then view their profile. From there, you can text message and decide if you want to meet face to face.

A good concept, but is 67 feet really a good enough distance to expect to meet someone that you are even remotely interested in? In a large city with tall buildings, BEDD just wouldn't work - however, there are over 1,000 members of the service in Singapore.

Read more on BEDD | Yahoo! News

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Over the past week, the successor to the XBOX has been the talk of the gaming world. First, questionable XBOX 2 specs are leaked. According to the "leaked" info, the XBOX 2 will have a 3.5GHz IBM Power PC Processor, a 500MHz ATI graphics processor, 256MB of RAM, and a 12X DVD drive (but the XBOX isn't supposed to be a computer, right?). Then a report was released that the XBOX 2 would not be backwards compatible with any current-gen XBOX games.

Finally, Microsoft jumped in and basically stated that nothing has been announced yet in regards to the new console, codenamed "Xenon". However, they did not confirm or deny anything. Well, after speaking with a few major developers over the past couple of days, it is beginning to sound like those leaked specs are a reality. Many are reporting that the games currently in development for XBOX 2 are in fact expected to run on a machine similar to what was leaked.

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Congratulations again to everyone who participated in the Gmail contest and won. Now it's time to give away some gear!

We will be running a two week contest, and at the end, the winner will receive his or her choice of either an iSkin eVo or a Gmail account. The second place winner gets the prize that the first place winner did not choose. Click for contest info.

Click to continue reading Gear Live Giveaway: iSkin eVo and Gmail

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Apple recently released the 40 GB (Gigabyte) iPod, making it the device with the largest hard drive space in Apple's popular MP3 player line. With so much going for it, is it finally time for you to become the latest adopter of Apple's iPod? Check out our review, then decide.

Click to continue reading Apple iPod 40 GB Review

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Although both companies will deny it vehemently, it is obvious that Google's Gmail service has caused Microsoft and Yahoo! to re-evaluate their email services. In response to Gmail's 1 Gigabyte Email service, Yahoo! recently upgraded their service from 4 MB to 100 MB. Now, Microsoft has announced that their Hotmail service will be upping their threashold from 2 MB to 250 MB. Both Yahoo! and Hotmail will also give users the option of upgrading to 2 GB of space (twice what Gmail offers) for about $20 per year.

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