512 Pixels

Joe Rossignol at MacRumors:

A new Apple wireless keyboard featuring backlight keys and a power button has been spotted on the Apple Online Store in Czech Republic and Hungary, with an identical Arabic version appearing on the U.S. storefront. The graphic render shows controls for adjusting the brightness of the backlight added to the F5 and F6 keys, as found on current MacBook models, while the eject key for CDs has been replaced with a power button.

I use the Apple wireless keyboard both at home and work, and have long wanted a backlit version. My guess is that if this is coming, it’s got some tech from the MacBook’s new keyboard in it. If this thing is real, I’ll be picking one up.

For far too long, email has been the main medium for communication at work. While email isn’t going away, team communication platforms like HipChat are allowing for more collaborative and productive communication experiences between co-workers.

HipChat combines every communication method you’d ever need—IM, group chat, screen sharing, file sharing, link sharing, video and voice calling—into a single solution. Working remotely, working across time zones, and working with the person right next to you becomes infinitely simpler and more efficient.

Create a chat room for your team or project so you can brainstorm, discuss work, or share files all in one place. Everything in HipChat is archived and searchable by keyword so you go back to a conversation whenever you want. @mentions allow you to bring your co-workers instantly into a conversation so you can get all of the right people involved in the discussion.

Best of all, HipChat is completely free for unlimited users. The Basic plan offers everything you need to get your team started: group chat, IM, file sharing, unlimited users and integrations. And if you’re interested in video chat and screen sharing, HipChat Plus is just $2/user per month.

Get your team on HipChat, sign up for a free account. This post is sponsored via The Syndicate.

Apple’s desktop line is far simpler than its notebook one, but there are still many considerations to make before purchasing something like a Mac mini or iMac. The company sells far more laptops than desktops, but for many companies, schools and stay-at-home workers, a desktop can make a lot more sense.

Mac mini

Apple’s smallest desktop machine, the Mac mini, is often heralded by the company as the perfect machine for a first-time Mac owner — it’s designed to be able to drop in to an existing setup of screen, keyboard and mouse and just go.

The base $499 model is the cheapest Mac by $400, and while not the fastest thing on the market, handles OS X Yosemite without any issues.

If you do want more power, the Mac mini is more than capable for even a veteran OS X user, with lots of nice build-to-order options, including a dual-core Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and up to a 1TB SSD. A fully loaded Mac mini can cost over $2,000, but sometimes the size (and headless operation) can come in handy. What’s Hot:

• Small size and quiet operation
• Flexibility in setup options

What’s Not:

• No quad-core option for pro users

Who is it for?

Anyone looking for a quiet, capable Mac to replace a PC. The Mac mini also shows up in data centers, media centers and more, due to its small size.

iMac

In my mind, the iMac is the default answer for most anyone looking for a desktop Mac. With a 21.5-inch or 27-inch built-in display, the iMac is the all-in-one for the masses. Thanks to Bluetooth accessories and wireless networking, most users will only need to plug in the power cable to get up and running.

Like the Mac mini, the iMac is very customizable, with near-endless options for RAM and storage options. Generally, the smaller of the two models isn’t as powerful, but like with most Macs, even the base model is more than enough computer for an average user.

What’s Hot:

• Neat and tidy all-in-one form factor

What’s Not:

• Screen can’t be reused by another system once the iMac is out of comission
• The $1,099 model is limited to 8GB of on-board RAM
• Only the 27-inch model can have its RAM upgraded later

Who is it for?

The iMac is for the masses. It’s comfortable at home, in the classroom and at the office. While the upgradability of these machines in the long-term means being careful what you order, most users will find it a worthwhile trade-off for the iMac’s thin, clean design.

iMac with Retina 5K display

The poorly-named iMac with Retina 5K display is basically a high-end 27-inch iMac with a much better screen. In the future, all iMacs will have such amazing display panels, but for now, the cost of entry starts at $2,499.00.

For that, however, the base Retina iMac comes with a fast CPU and 8GB RAM, which can be upgraded to a mind-blowing 32GB RAM, a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and a 1TB SSD.

The Retina display isn’t a necessity, but for creative professionals, it gives a level of detail and quality that the other iMacs just can’t deliver.

What’s Hot:

• That Retina display
• Everything else that’s great about the iMac

What’s Not:

• Steep price of entry

Who is it for?

Any creative professional who cares about screen and color quality above all else.

Mac Pro

The Mac Pro sits a the top of the Mac line, putting performance above everything else. It’s a rocket in a world of airplanes; a desert speeder in the land of family sedans.

Starting at $2,999, the Mac Pro can be configured up to $9,599 with these specs:

• 2.7GHz 12-core with 30MB of L3 cache
• 64GB (4x16GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC
• 1TB PCIe-based flash storage
• Dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs with 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM each

This isn’t a computer for the living room or home office; it’s a world-class workhorse for audio and video editing.

What’s Hot:

• Power
• Power
• Power

What’s Not:

• Thunderbolt is still weird in places
• No external Retina displays … yet

Who is it for?

Video and audio professionals who need as much power as is available from an Apple product.

Good Morning America has a behind-the-scenes look at Apple’s health lab:

Apple engineers, managers and developers have been secretly volunteering for the past year in this state-of-the-art lab to participate in rowing, running, yoga and many more fitness activities in order to collect data for the Apple Watch’s inner workings.

I love the hands-on, throw-people-at-the-problem approach used by Apple in this case:

I know it’s just a concept, but this Jeep is doing something warm and tingly to my insides.

My co-founder, Myke Hurley:

When I listen to this show, I am given a completely different point of view to my own, about old and new games, and it really helps me think differently and challenge myself.

We are already lucky enough to have Brianna Wu as part of our great group of hosts on Relay FM, and we are so excited to now welcome Georgia Dow, Maddy Myers and Steve Lubitz as well.

Since adding Rocket to Relay FM, I have developed a great working relationship with Brianna, so having Isometric join us felt like a no-brainer.

Here’s Brianna’s blog post:

Moving to Relay.FM was a unanimous decision for all four members of Isometric. And I don’t want to speak for Maddy, Steve and Georgia - but here is the main reason I voted to move the show.

The biggest factor was Myke Hurley, who I’ve developed an excellent working relationship with for my other podcast, Rocket. I’ve said many times that choosing your business partners well is one of the most important decisions you can make. He’s a man with tremendous integrity, and he’s easy to solve problems with. When things haven’t worked on Rocket, we have open and honest discussions, and make changes.

Simply put, Relay.FM feels like a family to me.

We are thrilled to have Isometric join Relay FM. The show has a unique voice in the gaming space, and the co-hosts are all excellent podcasters and exceptional human beings. This is another great milestone for our network, and we’re excited about further expanding our offerings.

Making affiliate links for App Store apps is a pain, but Blink makes it fast and easy on iOS. With a nice set of URL schemes, this is going to be part of my mobile writing workflow from now on.

We know a little bit more what Apple’s going to do with the Stores and Apple Watch. Here’s Mark Gurman:

Each Apple Store will be provided with a special-hands on table filled with Apple Watch demo units, as Apple announced at its keynote earlier this month. Most stores will be provided one table with at least 10 surrounding Apple Watch try-on stations, while some Apple Stores will be given more tables to meet demand. Apple Stores will begin setting up the Apple Watch tables on April 9th and 10th during special overnight sessions for employees. Employees will also begin a few hours of more extensive Apple Watch training in the coming days, a follow-up to secretive training some employees received before the Spring Forward event at locations in Cupertino, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta.

On tonight’s episode of the podcast, we talk about Apple Watch apps, Force Touch Trackpads, the Apple Store and Apple’s past (and possible future) moves in television.

Oh, and Teletext.

My thanks to these companies and products for making it possible:

• lynda.com: An easy and affordable way to help individuals and organizations learn. Free 10-day trial.
• Igloo: An intranet you’ll actually like, free for up to 10 people.
• PDFPen 7 for Mac, from Smile: Take control of PDF’s on your Mac.

Apple may boast about their new keyboard design, but this ThinkPad is something else.

Eunice Kim, Product Manager for Google Play:

Several months ago, we began reviewing apps before they are published on Google Play to better protect the community and improve the app catalog. This new process involves a team of experts who are responsible for identifying violations of our developer policies earlier in the app lifecycle. We value the rapid innovation and iteration that is unique to Google Play, and will continue to help developers get their products to market within a matter of hours after submission, rather than days or weeks. In fact, there has been no noticeable change for developers during the rollout.

To assist in this effort and provide more transparency to developers, we’ve also rolled out improvements to the way we handle publishing status. Developers now have more insight into why apps are rejected or suspended, and they can easily fix and resubmit their apps for minor policy violations.

This has long been a point of humor of Apple fans, but that aside, I think this is a great move on Google’s part. The iOS App Store has its issues, but I firmly believe that having actual humans reviewing apps before putting them in the store is one one reason there have been so few security problems with iOS apps.

Clayton Morris:

Apple Watch won’t save us from shitty behavior but it will limit our distractions. Think of the Watch as a seive through which only the most relevant information lands on your wrist. Your interaction with that information is also whittled to nearly a few contact points: read, respond, or reachout.

On the surface the Apple Watch is limited and direct with the most useful information pushed to the top. A text comes in from one of my VIP contacts and I can immediately read it and respond without being dragged four layers deep inside my phone. To respond I can only use voice dictation or tap one of the prefilled fields such as “On my way”. An Uber notification that my car is two minutes away. Great, nothing more to see here. A Dark Sky notification that a massive thunderstorm is set to strike. I think I’ll head inside. A phone call from my wife, “Hello?”. No more fumbling for the phone inside the car, the backpack or pants pocket. My phone could even be plugged in three floors away, on the same WiFi network, and I can receive a call on my wrist.