Back in 2005, I reviewed the iCub, the first “digital lifestyle” product from French audiophile company Focal-JMlab. It was a unique product with excellent performance and great design. Its biggest drawback, for many people, was that it was too general in its focus: Rather than a dedicated iPod or computer speaker system, it was a subwoofer, an amplifier, and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in a compact package that you could use in many configurations. The price—$750 without satellite speakers—also put it out of reach of many consumers.

Focal’s follow-up to the iCub is the $599 Focal XS, and while it’s still not inexpensive, it’s nevertheless a more affordable and a more focused product, offering a Mac-centric design along with features specifically designed for iPods and computers.

iMac inspired
It’s obvious that the XS’s design was inspired by the look of Apple’s current iMac. The two satellite speakers each feature a weighted base finished in glossy black; an angled, brushed-metal stand that echoes those on the iMac and Apple’s Cinema Displays; and a black enclosure with aluminum trim and a black-mesh grille. Similarly, the subwoofer enclosure is matte black with aluminum trim and a glossy-black face. Taken as a whole, the XS is one of the more attractive computer or iPod speaker systems I’ve seen, and few look as good next to Apple’s current hardware.

Each of the XS’s satellites, derived from Focal’s Solo6 monitors, is 4.75 inches tall, 3.6 inches wide, and 3.4 inches deep and hosts a 3-inch midrange driver and a 0.75-inch tweeter. (Including the stand, the total height of each satellite is 12.8 inches.) The satellites connect to the subwoofer via 5.5-foot, thick, cloth-covered cables.

The right-hand satellite’s base features an iPod dock using Apple’s Universal design; eight dock adapters are included for older iPods. (Newer iPods and both iPhone models ship with their own dock adapters.) Although the system isn’t officially “Made for iPhone,” in my testing both iPhone models worked well except for audible interference when the original iPhone accessed the EDGE network.

In front of the dock cradle are power and volume buttons, and on the back of the base are an auxiliary-input minijack (for connecting another analog source), a USB port, and a Sync/Audio switch (more on the latter two features below). Although a white, backlit ring around the power button blinks when you change the volume, there’s no visible volume level. Also missing is a headphone jack.

The XS’s subwoofer is fairly compact at just 10.2 inches tall, 9.1 inches wide, and 13.75 inches deep (16 inches deep if you include the necessary clearance for cables in the back). It hosts a 6.5-inch speaker driver, as well as a 70-Watt amplifier for the sub, two 30-Watt amps (one for each satellite), and a DAC—a Burr Brown model, for the audio geeks out there—for converting your computer’s USB audio to an analog signal. On the back of the sub are the two speaker connectors, a power-cable jack, a power switch, and a dial for setting the subwoofer level.

Simple setup
The XS is easy to set up. Each of the two speaker cables fits into only one of the two jacks on the subwoofer, so you can’t accidentally mix up the left and right channels. Focal includes the necessary USB cable for connecting your computer to the system; once you do, you just go to the Sound pane of System Preferences and select FOCAL XS in the Output screen. (Your Mac’s volume buttons control the level of audio going from your computer to the XS.) Focal also includes a stereo miniplug cable for connecting another audio source; for example, a TV or another media player.

As with most iPod speaker systems, you simply put your player in the dock cradle and press play to listen. However, because the XS connects to your computer via USB, the dock cradle can also be used to sync your iPod with iTunes. And unlike many other speaker systems that include a data connection, the XS provides a way for you to decide whether your docked iPod should play music or sync: the aforementioned Sync/Audio switch. When the switch is set to Audio, you can listen to your iPod’s music; when set to Sync, your iPod goes into sync mode and shows up in iTunes on your Mac. (If you’re using the XS as a computer speaker, Sync mode automatically switches your Mac’s audio output to the Mac’s own speaker; once you shift back to Audio mode, your Mac’s audio automatically switches back to the XS.) In either mode, Sync or Audio, your iPod is charged while in the dock cradle.

This Sync/Audio switch is a useful feature that too few systems provide; you don’t even have to remove your iPod from the cradle when changing modes. However, the feature would have been even more convenient if the switch were located in the front or on the top of the speaker base; I found the switch to be awkward to reach given its placement on the back of the base.

Another nice feature is that all three possible audio sources—iPod, USB, and auxiliary—are mixed together, so you don’t have to swap cables or flip switches whenever you want to listen to a different source. It also means you can hear your computer’s alerts and other audio while listening to your iPod. However, in my testing, audio from a docked iPod drowned out my Mac’s audio—set to full volume—when both were playing. (iPod audio level cannot be adjusted, as the XS gets line-level audio from the iPod’s dock-connector port.)

Xcellent Sound
You’d hope that a $600 iPod speaker system would sound good, and the XS doesn’t disappoint in this category, performing more like a small home stereo than a set of “computer” speakers. Audio is balanced, with very good—and quite neutral—treble detail and midrange, as well as solid bass response down to around 70Hz. (There’s a slight dip in response between 120Hz and 100Hz, which I’m assuming to be roughly the system’s crossover frequency—where the audio signal is split between the satellites and the subwoofer.) At lower volumes, the bass isn’t especially powerful, but it’s tight and balanced with the rest of the audio spectrum. At louder volumes, however, you’ll want to set the subwoofer’s bass level carefully, based on your listening area, to avoid boominess. There are no other tone controls.

Stereo separation and imaging are likewise excellent, in part due to the ability to put up to 11 feet of space between the left and right satellites. And unlike many of the larger iPod/computer speakers I’ve tested, the XS sounds very good both from across the room and while sitting at your desk. Overall, it’s one of the best-performing iPod/computer speaker systems I’ve tested.

It’s also worth noting that the XS is designed to be relatively green: When in standby mode, it uses less than 2W of power.

On the other hand, the included remote is quite basic, including only power, volume, play/pause, back, and forward functions, and using “bubble”-style buttons that provide little tactile feedback. While I liked the internal magnet that’s just strong enough to let you store the remote on either satellite stand, I found the remote’s infrared signal to be on the weak side: The remote worked adequately from across a room, but if I moved too far to the left or right of the sensor (located on the front of the right-hand satellite’s base), reception suffered.

Macworld’s buying advice
The XS costs quite a bit more than most iPod/computer speakers out there, but it’s an excellent aesthetic match for Apple’s current hardware; provides some of the best audio you’ll get from a set of computer speakers; and, by letting you listen to your Mac’s digital-audio signal, your iPod or iPhone, and another audio source, is also very versatile. If you’d like something that looks and sounds great at your desk or from across the room, this is an impressive system. Indeed, it’s one of our favorite iPod accessories of 2008.

[via Macworld]

Features:
• Better ergonomics is achieved with higher screen height.
• Increases screen height by 6 inches.
• Tilt design brings screen closer and improves airflow around laptop.
• Single piece aluminum design provides solid stability.
• Keyboard stash clears up desk area when not in use.
• Cable organizer behind arranges cables neatly.

All ergonomic guidelines recommend placing the screen at comfortable eye level, and keeping your back, forearms and wrists straight. This can be achieved by using your laptop with mStand, an external keyboard and a mouse.

The mStand is extremely stable because it has a large base support of 7.5 inches x 10 inches. (190mm x 253 mm), and big enough for the 17″ MacBook Pro to sit securely on it. All ports can be fully accessed and are not blocked. A lip at the front of the mStand prevents it from slipping forward, and there are also rubber pads on the corners for extra grip.

The latest mStand has been updated to have a cutout for easy access to the latch.

The mStand is fully padded with thick rubber feet so that no part of the notebook actually touches the mStand’s aluminum surface.

Price $49.90

For more information, visit:
http://www.raindesigninc.com/mstand.html

With two laptop hard drives inside, the tiny LinkStation Mini fits almost anywhere.

Network-attached storage, or NAS, is one of the dullest—but most underrated—upgrades we can think of. If you’ve got a couple Macs on a network, a single drive can hold documents and stream media without having to leave one Mac on all the time. But the Buffalo LinkStation Mini marries a strong foundation (a choice of RAID 0 or RAID 1) with flirty extras (an online connection that gives access to your kick-ass Clapton collection from anywhere). Although the interface can be quite confusing, once it’s running, the LinkStation Mini adds significant value to a home network.

The NAS comes with a software utility, which essentially just pointed us to the browser-based configuration page. So after plugging the LinkStation Mini into our home network, we set it up in Firefox, as if it were a non-Apple router. The page gives access to the device’s deep features. We toggled between RAID 0, which combines the two 250GB drives for a total of 500GB, and RAID 1, which gives a total of 250GB but writes redundant information on each drive for backup. In one of the few interface highlights, an illustration helped explain the difference between the two.

Other parts of the interface caused confusion. We eventually set up a slick way to access the disk from outside our home network, even on a dynamic IP address. You log into a website provided by Buffalo, and the site contacts the drive without needing to know your home IP address. But the setup was full of ambiguity, making us think we had to register a name and password first, leading to dead ends. We picked our way through other features, such as automated backups, but beginners will likely get confused by some of the options.

Still, our Macs had no trouble finding the shared storage. We streamed music and movies directly through the connection without any problems, even to a wireless MacBook. It took about 15 minutes to transfer 1GB over the air, but with support for up to Gigabit Ethernet, wired transfers move much quicker.

While we like the convenience of browser-based administration, the execution occasionally lacks clarity. But once configured, the LinkStation Mini’s usefulness can remind you why you set up a network in the first place.

COMPANY: Buffalo Technology
CONTACT: www.buffalotech.com
PRICE: $249.99
REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.3.9 or later, 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet network

Back-ups are great (and if you’re not backing up, you’re asking for trouble). But even if you back up your computer records and files, they could be lost to fire. That’s where the FireKing MediaVault HD comes in. It’s available with one or two 250GB external hard drives in their own fireproof container. The MediaVault HD is specially designed to automatically backup and protect your valuable data from the fire.

It also comes with a lock and is pretty darned heavy (around 55 pounds) so it also acts as a theft deterrent. The MediaVault product is also water resistant, which is not the same as waterproof. In the event of a fire, the MVHD is designed to be resistant to water from the use of sprinklers and fire hoses.

The hard drives compatible with any Mac or PC, but, unfortunately, the software is Windows only (though the drives work just fine with Apple’s Time Machine software). The MediaVaultHD product consists of two major items: the MVHD fireproof container and one or two Seagate 250 GB hard drives. Two four-foot twin-lead USB cables and security keys are also provided.

Set-up is very simple. Here are the steps:
° Open the MVHD lid. Connect your first hard drive to the interior USB cable marked “A.” Slide the hard drive into the foam slot closest to the rear of the MVHD.
° Connect the second hard drive (if you have one) to the interior USB cable marked “B,” then slide it into the second foam slot. For maximum protection, close and lock the MVHD.
Place your MVHD such that the rear of the MVHD is within four feet of available USB ports on your Mac. Connect one external USB cable between your computer and the MVHD rear port A. A blue light should light up on the end of the hard drive connected to internal USB cable A. Your computer should automatically detect the new drive within several seconds and make it available for use. Follow the same steps for the second drive. If you choose to push data to the MVHD from more than one LAN node, you may access both drives simultaneously.
Once proper electrical operation is verified (your computer finds and assigns drive letters for each new hard drive), you should close and lock the lid to your MVHD for full protection. It will operate with the lid open, but that sort of defeats the purpose.

The “twin-lead” USB cable that comes with the MVHD is a four foot 24 AWG cable. The Mini-B plug connects to the MVHD rear panel. The standard USB plug is used for data and power and it connects to your computer. The pass-through USB pigtail connector is an Auxiliary Power input that’s only required to be connected to another USB port on your computer if the computer doesn’t supply sufficient power to operate the external hard drive through the main USB connection.
You can use the MVHD as your sole backup source or (as I do) to back up other hard drives (in my case, my Time Capsule). It’s designed to run all the time. The folks at MediaVault say that the MVHD is designed so that even under maximum hard drive loading, the system will operate within acceptable temperature limits.

The MediaVault may or may not work with a USB hub. It wouldn’t work with mine, but I have a plethora of devices attached. Many USB hubs won’t provide adequate power to the hard drives, so it’s recommended that the hard drives be connected directly to the USB ports on your computer.

In some cases you can use your own hard drives in the MVD, but not always. The MediaVault device can accept a wide range of 2.5-inch external drives meeting the USB 2.0 specification. However, some USB 2.0 drives require excessive power and may not function properly when connected.

If you’ve really got a lot of data you can have multiple MVHD’s hooked up to you computer. However, you can’t “daisy chain” them. In other words, you can’t connect them to each other.
Also note that the MVHD was designed to be a “stand-alone” unit. However, provided that the integrity of the exterior cables of the MVHD isn’t compromised, the unit can be placed inside of a desk cabinet. But it’s not recommended to place the MVHD inside of a file cabinet.

As mentioned, I don’t like the fact that the MVHD doesn’t come with Mac backup software. I also wish it had FireWire connectivity (unlike Apple, it seems, I’m still a big fan). Also, the MediaVault device isn’t much to look at, but it’s built for protection, not looks.

If you have a lot of valuable data in your home, home office or business, the MVHD could prove to be a life saver. If you don’t spring for a device like this, I’d suggest investigating online storage options or, at the least, backing up your files on a hard drive that you carry with you when you’re away or that can be left in a secure location.

Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 is a central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos and documents from multiple computers on a home network.(1)

The MediaSmart Server automatically organizes files across all PCs, streams media across a home network and the Internet,(2) and publishes photos to popular social networking and photo sharing sites.

“A growing number of digital-savvy households have both Windows and Mac computers, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of media files and documents scattered across these devices,” said Jason Zajac, vice president of strategy, Worldwide Attach Group, HP. “The HP MediaSmart Server protects, stores and organizes this content from anywhere on a network so consumers can access and share it any place they are connected.”

“HP continues to innovate on the Windows Home Server platform giving consumers even more options to enjoy and protect their precious memories and valuable data,” said Charlie Kindel, general manager, Windows Server Solutions, Microsoft. “We believe consumers will embrace the new MediaSmart Server as one of the most exciting computing products for the home.”

HP MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 features include:

HP Media Collector: conveniently schedules the MediaSmart Server to copy and centralize digital files and libraries from networked PCs

Media Streaming: remotely streams photos and music to any Internet-connected PC or Mac

Server for iTunes: centralizes iTunes music libraries on the server for playback to any networked Mac or PC running iTunes

HP Photo Publisher: easily upload photos to Facebook, Picasa Web Albums and Snapfish(3)

HP Photo Viewer: allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family
PC Hard Drive Backup: backs up networked PCs via the Windows Home Server backup feature

Mac Hard Drive Backup: backs up Macs running Leopard using Apple Time Machine software

Server Backup: duplicates designated shared folders to a separate hard disk drive

Online Backup: duplicates designated folders to Amazon’s S3 online backup service for an additional layer of protection

Smart Power Management: can schedule times for server to go to “sleep” and “wake up,” saving on energy costs

Processor: Intel Celeron, 2.0 GHz 64-bit. Two gigabytes (GB) of 800-MHz DDR2 DRAM now standard on MediaSmart Server
Expandability: additional drives can be added for up to 9 terabytes (TB)

“Customers are always looking for the right mix of features and ease-of-use when choosing digital home products,” said Danielle Levitas, group vice president, Consumer, Broadband and Digital Marketplace, IDC. “HP’s focus and investment in software allows it to deliver a home server with compelling features for Mac and PC users while offering a great customer experience that helps simplify the complexity of the connected home. This unique offering will help expand the home server market.”

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the HP MediaSmart Server ex485 with 750 GB of hard disk storage is $599 while the HP MediaSmart Server ex487 with 1.5 TB is $749.(4)

The HP MediaSmart Server can be pre-ordered beginning Jan. 5, 2009, from Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Buy.com, Frys.com and NewEgg.com; it is expected to ship in February.

The first 200 consumers who visit HP Home & Home Office (http://www.hpshopping.com ) or call +1 888 271 2982 between Jan. 5 – 11, 2009, to reserve a MediaSmart Server and use coupon code “AC5674” will receive a $50 savings off their purchase.(5)

More information is available at:
http://www.hp.com/go/mediasmartserver

(1) Wired or wireless home network required.

(2) Internet access required and sold separately.

(3) Services are subject to change without notice and some services may not be available at time of product purchase.

(4) Estimated U.S. retail prices. Actual prices may vary.

(5) Valid for HP Home & Home Office

[From Applelinks.com HP Launches New Home Server for PCs and Macs]

For one, it is expected that the right click on a Mighty Mouse won’t work 100% of the time from the beginning, or even 50% for that matter. Why not? Good question. Right clicking is one of the most often used tasks on a computer, so it should be easy. I know you can simply Ctrl + Click, but you should have the option to simply click.

Second, and more importantly, the scroll wheel. This thing is great… for about a week. Then it just acts as a dirt collector and doesn’t scroll up or down anymore, just side to side.

So why has Apple neglected this product for so long? It’s in need of a serious update because in the current state it is at right now, it just doesn’t live up to what you expect from an Apple product. My question for you is, how could it become more like an Apple product? Well, it’s a mouse, and Apple should know that it doesn’t have to look great, it just has to be usable. Maybe they could include some of their awesome multi-touch functionality on the mouse to use for scrolling, then we wouldn’t have to worry about dirty wheels. What else do you think they could do?

[From Apple’s worst product to date; the Mighty Mouse]