Recipe - Amish Apple Cake - Yummy

1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 1/2 cups finely chopped apples, such as Granny Smith
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

Hot Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9-inch round cake pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add the egg and beat until well blended. Mix in the baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the flour and stir just until blended.
Stir in the apples and nuts. Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 30 minutes until the top springs back when touched lightly with your finger.

Hot Caramel Sauce: In a saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract and milk.

Serve warm sauce over cake.

Apple Mac Pro MA970LL/A Desktop (Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processors, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, 16x SuperDrive)

Boost your productivity with the Apple Mac Pro desktop PC--the fastest Mac Apple has ever made. Combining two of Intel's new 64-bit, 45-nanometer Quad-Core Xeon 5400 processors running at 2.8 GHz, the Mac Pro is an unbelievably powerful workstation that can handle even the most intensive graphics rendering. Its industrial-style enclosure offers improved functionality with a cable-free installation process and massive upgrade ability--up to 32 GB of 800 MHz RAM and four hard drive bays for up to 4 TB (that's right--terabytes) of storage under the hood. And while it comes standard with a 16x SuperDrive (compatible with burning DVD±R/RW and CD-R/RW discs), you can also add a second writing SuperDrive.

Technical Details :
* Two 2.8 GHz quad-core Intel Xeon processors with dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses.
* 2 GB RAM expandable up to 32 GB, 320 GB hard drive, 16x Double-Layer SuperDrive.
* ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB (Two dual-link DVI).
* Two FireWire 800 ports, two FireWire 400 ports, five USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 2.0 ports on keyboard.
* Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard (includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools), iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, and GarageBand).



Additionally, the Mac Pro MA970LL/A features a 320 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM, and the ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT (two dual-link DVI ports) graphics card with 256 MB of video RAM, both FireWire 400 and 800 slots, optical digital audio input and output, Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, and iLife '08. The Mac Pro also includes a DVI to VGA adapter and an Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse.
- Processor : Based on Intel's next-generation Core micro-architecture, the two 2.8 GHz 64-bit quad-core Intel Xeon 5400 processors are based on state-of-the-art 45nm Intel Core micro architecture.
- Graphics : This Mac Pro comes standard with the new, high-performance ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory, PCI Express 2.0, and two dual-link DVI ports.
- Hard Drive : This Mac Pro (model MA970LL/A) comes loaded with a single 320 GB hard drive. It comes with four 3.5-inch internal hard drive bays for an enormous amount of internal storage--up to 4 TB.
- Memory : While this Mac Pro comes loaded with just 1 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 RAM--which is satisfactory--this Mac Pro has two memory riser cards with four fully buffered DIMM slots each.
- Expansion and Connectivity : The Mac Pro features four full-length expansion slots, including a high-performance PCI Express 2.0 graphics slot, with up to twice the bandwidth of PCI Express.

Apple responds to FCC enquiry about rejection of Google Voice

The Apple iPhone is such a popular device that it has encouraged a huge number of 3rd party developers to write applications for the iPhone, and Apple makes a large number of them available on the iTunes store (Apple claims that around 20% of the 500 apps that it receives per week are not approved - either directly rejected, or they need some modifications). However, it is apparent that one area where Apple is most concerned about is apps that either affect Apple's or AT&T's data plans or the money they make from voice calls. There was a lot of controversy in the month of July when Apple rejected the Google Voice (learn more) application, a software that could enable people to save money in making calls (even if Google Voice is not a VOIP application). The FCC was concerned about this apparent rejection, since it would seem that customers were being denied an alternative, and asked Apple for an explanation.
Apple has finally replied to the FCC, giving multiple reasons for the rejection, including privacy issues, and an apparent change of the basic call making flow inside the app (link to article):

"The application has not been approved because, as submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone's distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone's core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail," Apple said in a statement posted on its Web site. Apple also said Google Voice's importation of the Contacts database represented a privacy concern. "[T]he iPhone user's entire Contacts database is transferred to Google's servers, and we have yet to obtain any assurances from Google that this data will only be used in appropriate ways," Apple said.
Separately, Apple acknowledged that its agreement with AT&T obligates it "not to include functionality in any Apple phone that enables a customer to use AT&T's cellular network service to originate or terminate a VoIP session without obtaining AT&T's permission.

However, Apple is stating that the application is still under review, and not rejected; an apparent subterfuge to ensure more time, and maybe hope that back-channel contacts ensure that the issue goes away.
At some time in the future however, Apple will find that the platform that it has built in the form of the iPhone and the app store will be broken open, that Apple will find that the rights it has to deny an application will need more openness. This could happen through a mix of consumer reaction and pressure from regulators.

Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) NEWEST MODEL

The iPod touch has always been an amazing iPod. And with its groundbreaking technologies--including a Multi-Touch screen, the accelerometer, and 3D graphics--and access to hundreds of games, iPod touch puts an amazing gaming experience in the palm of your hand. It comes in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB models with new volume controls and a built-in speaker. Play hours of music. Create a Genius Playlist of songs that go great together. Watch a movie. Surf the web. View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Browse YouTube videos. And shop the App Store for games and applications.

Technical Details :
* This player is the iPod touch, not the Apple iPhone.
* 16 GB capacity for 3,500 songs, 10,000 photos, or 20 hours of video.
* Up to 36 hours of music playback or 6 hours of video playback when fully charged.
* 3.5-inch widescreen multi-touch display with 480-by-320-pixel resolution.
* Supported audio formats: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV; supported video formats: H.264, MPEG-4; supported image file types: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG.



Apple iPod Touch Highlights :
- Music : Music on iPod touch not only sounds amazing, it looks amazing, too.
* Touch your music : Just turn iPod touch on its side and flick through your music to find the album you want to hear. Tap the cover to flip it over and display a track list. Tap again to start the music. Even view the lyrics while you're listening.
* A Musical Genius : The new Genius feature finds the songs in your library that go great together and makes a Genius Playlist for you. You can listen to the playlist right away, save it for later, or even refresh it and give it another go.
* Fill It Up : Fill up your iPod touch with audio and video from your iTunes library.
- Movies and TV Shows : Movies and TV shows have never looked this good on a portable device.
- Games : With its groundbreaking technologies, iPod touch puts an amazing gaming experience in the palm of your hand.
* Get in the game.
* Fingertip control.
* Tilt, Turn, and Go.
* The App Store.
- iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store : Discover new music anywhere.
* Buy on the fly.
* Sync it back.
* iPod touch at Starbucks.
- Home Screen : Get instant access to whatever you need on your iPod touch.
* Customize Your Home Screen.
* Go Home.
* Add Apps, Web Clips, and More.
- Safari : iPod touch features Safari, the most advanced web browser ever on a portable device.
* Browse Anywhere.
* Search and Find.
* Zoom with a View.
* Clip it.
- Mail : Email on iPod touch looks and works just like email on your computer.
* See it all.
* Access it all.
* Send Fast.
* Type Smart.
- Maps : When you're connected via Wi-Fi, you can get directions, find local businesses, and check traffic.
* Find Yourself.
* Get Directions.
* Enjoy the View.
* See Traffic.
- YouTube : Love to watch the latest YouTube videos? iPod touch gives you all the fun of the web's best videos--pocket-size.
* Share from Anywhere.
* Watch What You Want.
- Photos : Carry up to 25,000 of your favorite photos everywhere.
- Calendar : With iPod touch, it's easy to make plans and stay on schedule.
- Contacts : Put names, email addresses, phone numbers, and more at your fingertips.
- Stocks, Weather, and Notes.
- Calculator : iPod touch's calculator helps you settle the restaurant bill or keep track of your budget.
- Multi-Touch : iPod touch features the same revolutionary interface as iPhone.
- Accelerometer : iPod touch responds to motion using a built-in accelerometer.
- Wireless : Connect iPod touch to the Internet anywhere there's a wireless network.

Hits :
+ great display
+ good audio
+ gesture-based interface
+ accelerometer for controls
+ great integration with your music library (via iTunes)
+ long battery life
+ wireless music store
+ wireless App store (killer feature)
+ Speaker for gaming
+ Mail, Calendar and Address book with Push
+ WiFi Internet (killer feature)
+ Remote App (free) for your PC/Mac's iTunes/AppleTV
+ SDK freely available for anyone
+ Microphone and remote support
+ Nike + iPod without dongle

Misses :
- incompatibility with 'made for iPod' devices (bad, bad, bad)
- stainless steel backplate (fingerprints and scratches easily)
- no wireless synching
- no wireless playback of streamed iTunes content (an Appstore application can stream unprotected content, though)
- no visualizer
- no search function
- no playlist groups
- no GPS nor FM radio
- Notes not synched with MobileMe
- no hard drive mode
- no synching documents (except third party Apps)
- downsampling of photos
- currently tops out at 32GB (would have preferred 64)
- no bluetooth

Apple MacBook Air MB940LL/A 13.3 Inch Laptop (1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 128 GB Solid State Drive)

With the MacBook Air, Apple has created the world's thinnest laptop. Apple brings its vaunted multi-touch technology, found on the iPhone, to its laptops with the MacBook Air, enabling you to pinch, swipe, or rotate to zoom in on text, advance through a photo album, or adjust an image via the oversized trackpad. And the MacBook Air embodies Apple's continuing environmental progress with its aluminum enclosure, a material highly desired by recyclers; Apple's first mercury-free LCD display with arsenic-free glass; and brominated flame retardant-free material for the majority of circuit boards as well as PVC-free internal cables.

Technical Details :
* Thinnest, lightest MacBook ever includes multi-touch trackpad, built-in iSight webcam, and up to 4.5-hour battery life.
* 13.3-inch glossy LED-backlit screen; 128 GB solid-state hard drive; 2 GB of RAM (maximum capacity).
* 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor; NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics with 256 MB of shared memory.
* One USB 2.0, built-in Wi-Fi (802.11n draft plus 802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Mini DisplayPort.
* Preloaded with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system and iLife '08 suite of applications.



Design
The thinness of MacBook Air is impressive, but even more impressive is that fact that there's a full-size notebook encased in the 0.16 to 0.76 inch of sleek, sturdy anodized aluminum. This svelte, 3-pound laptop has a vibrant, energy efficient 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, and its spacious trackpad offers multi-touch gesture support for pinch, rotate and swipe--making it more intuitive than ever to browse and rotate photos or zoom into web pages in Safari.

HIGHLIGHTS :
- Intel Core 2 Duo Processor.
- Video Processing & Output : Whether you're working on a Keynote presentation or watching a movie before you catch a flight, every document, video, and photo on your MacBook Air will look sharp on the glossy 13.3-inch widescreen display.
- Hard Drive and Memory : For storage, this MacBook Air comes with a 128 GB solid-state hard drive. Faster and more reliable, solid memory provides a rapid boot-up and quicker access to applications while improving battery life.
- Optical Drive : Because of the amazingly thin design of the MacBook Air, an optical (DVD/CD) drive was not included.
- Networking : The MacBook Air doesn't include wired Ethernet networking, and instead relies solely on Wi-Fi to connect to your home network as well as wireless hotspots. The built-in 802.11n wireless networking provides up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g, but it's also backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g routers, enabling you to communicate with the a wide variety of Wi-Fi resources.
- Video Conferencing with Built-in iSight : Artfully placed in the display bezel is an iSight camera, which enables easy video conferencing as well as allows you to snap pictures of yourself and create video podcasts.
- Mini DisplayPort compatible with DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI connectors (all optional).
- Analog audio output/headphone out (minijack).
- Built-in mono speaker and omnidirectional microphone.
- Integrated 37-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery provides up to 5 hours of battery life.
- Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys, 4 arrow keys (inverted "T" arrangement), and embedded numeric keypad.
- Supported resolutions: 1280 by 800 (native), 1152 by 720, 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, 800 by 500, 720 by 480, and 640 by 480 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio.

PROS:
- Truly compact.
- Excellent touchpad.
- Voice recognition is fun.
CONS:
High price.
Poor connectivity.

Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (4th Generation) LATEST MODEL

With eight amazing colors, a new curved design, and great new features, iPod nano rocks. The Genius Playlist feature finds the songs in your music library that go great together and makes a playlist for you. With its built-in accelerometer, iPod nano is made to move. Give it a shake, and it shuffles to a different song in your library. Turn it on its side to flip through your album art in Cover Flow. And tilt, move, and play accelerometer-inspired games (games available separately). Watching movies, TV shows, and video is even more fun on the sharp 2-inch screen. And your photos (up to 7,000 of them) look great in portrait or landscape view. Available in 8 GB and 16 GB models, the 8 GB iPod nano puts up to 2,000 songs or 8 hours of video in your pocket.

Technical Details
* 8 GB capacity for 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos, or 8 hours of video.
* Up to 24 hours of music playback or 4 hours of video playback when fully charged.
* 2-inch LCD with blue-white LED backlight and 320-by-240-pixel resolution.
* Supported audio formats: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV.
* Supported video formats: H.264, MPEG-4; Supported image file types: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG.



HIGHLIGHTS:
1. A musical genius.
2. Find Your Music Faster.
3. Rock and Roll Over
Tilt or turn iPod nano on its side, and you'll listen, watch, and play in new ways. You can flip through your album art with Cover Flow. Or, vertically speaking, see more albums and artists on the screen at one time.
4. Shake Your Groove Thing.
5. Let the Games Begin.
6. Even Your Photos Rock.
7. The World's Biggest Small Screen.

Reduced Environmental Impact
The iPod nano embodies Apple's continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:
* Arsenic-free glass
* Brominated flame retardant-free
* Mercury-free
* PVC-free
* Highly recyclable aluminum enclosure

PROS:
-Incredibly thin and light.
-Aluminum casing and glass screen offer excellent scratch resistance.
-Very competitive pricing.
-Accelerometer - this adds a few fun touches to operate without pressing buttons. -Screen clarity
-Simplicity of use.

CONS:
-ITUNES - itunes 8 is dependent on quicktime! any quirks at all with it and your back to reinstallation.
-Average battery life.
-Everything is automated - when headphones are put in the jack, or dis activate the hold button it shouldn't automatically turn on.

Apple MacBook Pro MB470LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB DDR3 RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Slot Loading SuperDrive)

Machined from a single piece of aluminum, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro is thinner, more powerful, and years ahead of its time. The stunning, ultrathin LED-backlit display gives you instant full screen brightness. The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT graphics processors provide the perfect combination of power and efficiency for everyday tasks as well as 3D games and graphics-intensive applications like Aperture and Motion. And the all-new Multi-Touch trackpad has no separate button. The entire smooth glass surface is the button, so it’s clickable everywhere. This larger trackpad brings more room, more functionality, and more Multi-Touch gestures to fingers. At less than an inch thin and 5.5 pounds,1 it isn’t just the next-generation MacBook Pro, it’s the next generation of notebooks. 1Actual weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. 21GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less.

Technical Details
* Redesigned MacBook with thin, strong aluminum unibody frame and 15-inch LED-backlit glass display.
* New glass trackpad with 40 percent more tracking area and supports more Multi-Touch gestures.
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 250 GB hard drive, 2 GB DDR3 RAM (4 GB max), DVD/CD SuperDrive.
* Dual NVIDIA graphics (integrated and discrete); Draft-N Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 2.1; Gigabit Ethernet; Mini DisplayPort video output.
* Preloaded with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system and iLife '08 suite of applications.



HIGHLIGHTS
1. Intel Core 2 Duo Processor.
2. Video Processing & Output.
3. Hard Drive and Memory.
4. Wireless Connectivity.
5. Video Conferencing with Built-in iSight.
6. Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800, ExpressCard/34 slot.
7. Mini DisplayPort compatible with DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI connectors (all optional).
8. 8x slot-loading SuperDrive with the following write speeds: 8x DVD±R; 4x DVD±R DL (double layer); 4x DVD±RW; 24x CD-R; 10x CD-RW.
9. Built-in full-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.)or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted "T" arrangement).
10.Internal omnidirectional microphone and built-in speakers.
11.Combined optical digital output/headphone out (minijack).
12.Combined optical digital input/audio line in (minijack).
13.50-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery providing up to 5 hours of battery life using 9400M graphics (up to 4 hours using 9600M graphics).
14.Kensington lock slot
15.Measures 14.35 x 9.82 x 0.95 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 5.5 pounds (including battery).

Environtmental Considerations
The entire new MacBook family meets stringent Energy Star 4.0, EPEAT Gold and RoHS environmental standards, and leads the industry in the elimination of toxic chemicals by containing no brominated flame retardants, using only PVC-free internal cables and components, and using energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass.

PROS:
1.Lightweight, solid, quiet and good battery life.
2.Magnetic clasp.
3.Keyboard - This is a great piece of work. Does it have "Home", "Page Up", "Page Down", the legendary "Any" key? No. Doesn't need it. A little research and practice and you will find that these "missing" keys are functions of the keyboard and I don't miss them at all. Secondly the keyboard "key-float" (that rattle you hear when you lightly stroke your finger back and forth over a laptop keyboard) is almost completely non-existent. So when you're typing it doesn't sound like your wadding up crinkly plastic and you don't annoy your neighbors. The key throw is short but very pleasant. Another thing I like about the keyboard is that you don't feel like you will break the keyboard if your touch is a little heavy.
4.Very smooth touchpad.
5.Wow Operating system.
6. No fresh air openings.

CONS:
1.Always pick the computer up with both hands.
2.The metal in the Battery/Hard Drive Cover is very thin and sometime appears to hang below lip of the chassis.
3.If you try to click at the top of the pad (nearest the screen) the force required to click goes up quite a bit.