Eye-Fi functionality comes to iPhone via new application
We’d be fibbing just a wee bit if we said that Eye-Fi functionality for the iPhone has always been imminent, but now that it’s real, we suppose we aren’t too surprised. Announced today at Macworld, the Eye-Fi application will enable iPhone owners (that just so happen to also own an Eye-Fi card) to upload images taken on their handset to their computer and the web. Reportedly, the app will allow users to aggregate all of their photos from both the iPhone and a digital camera into “organized folders on a computer and to one of 25 online photo sharing and social networking websites.” The app is also said to support geotagging just like the Eye-Fi Explore, though two crucial bits of info are sorely missing. First off, what happens with folks that don’t own an Eye-Fi card? And second, when is this app even coming out? Read
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Mac OS on a netbook? Here’s the compatibility list.
Who needs Psystar?
Apple says it’s had “pretty interesting ideas” for a Mac netbook, but it’s everyday users who’ve already taken action. Due to their similar technical underpinnings, most of the popular netbooks can run OS X, but there are plenty of caveats: non-functioning components which lack drivers and need to be replaced—or which simply can’t be gotten to at all.
Unfortunately, the Googles are choked with info, and much of it’s out of date. I’d like to maintain a one-look chart to help people figure out out if their netbook (or one they’ve got their eye on) will run it well enough to their needs.
The short answer: get an MSI Wind or Dell Mini 9. Thanks to new WiFi drivers (direct download), the Wind runs the whole show out the can. 
Now, I’m 100 percent sure this first version has errors and omissions: post updates and corrections to the comment.
If you’re thinking about making yourself a Hackintosh, know that it’s still not a no-brainer. For starters, standard OS X disks won’t work: you’ll need to grab a hacked version of it from the tubes. This contravenes Apple’s EULA, even if you own a legal copy. The following guides also generally require an external DVD drive and familiarity with the terminal.
How To Guides:
Running Mac OS X on a Netbook: Guide, Tips, Tutorial, Walkthrough [Ditii]
Run Mac OS X on an Eee PC [Wired]
Installing OSX on Eee 1000h [Wikidot]
OS X For the Eee PC 901 and 1000H [Mac Eee]
Install OS X on the MSI Wind [Make]
Guide to Installing OS X on a Lenovo Ideapad s10 [Netbook Tech]
OSX on a Samsung NC10 [Wired]
Again, corrections and updates are most welcome!
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MSI releases Mac OS X Wi-Fi drivers for the Wind netbook
Seeing that the need for a warranty-voiding Wi-Fi module switch was the only thing keeping users from easily making convincing mini-MacBooks, MSI has semi-released OS X wireless drivers for the Wind.
After pelting MSI with unlikely requests for OS X driver support, a number of users on the MSIWind.net forums have received responses from the company, written in the “Dear Sir/Madam” parlance of a Nigerian scammer but nevertheless containing an early version of working Wi-Fi drivers for the Wind’s Realtek RTL8187SE Wi-Fi module. The driver doesn’t allow the card to be used like a regular Airport adapter, but according to users connects just fine through Realtek client software.
Forum-goers are floating copies on a couple of ephemeral hosting sites, so head over to the thread and give it a shot. [MSIWind Forums via GottaBeMobile]
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Atheros Wi-Fi drivers goes open-source
If you use Wi-Fi on your laptop, there’s an excellent chance you’re using Atheros chipsets for your wireless networking. Atheros’ silicon is in gear from Linksys, D-Link and Netgear to name but a few vendors. However, although Atheros has been popular, they haven’t always been friendly to open-source and Linux developers. That has been changing over the years and now, thanks to Sam Leffler, noted open-source developer, the HAL (hardware abstraction layer) for Atheros’ ath5k and ath9k chip families.
This is another major step in opening up hardware for Linux, Free BSD, and the other open-source operating systems. Earlier this year, Atheros released an open-source driver for its latest 802.11n chipsets.
While Atheros had long offered some support for Linux, it has always insisted on keeping its HAL code proprietary. Last year, an open-source alternative, OpenHAL, became available, but it wasn’t completely compatible with the newer chipsets.
Now, Leffler’s efforts has lead to an open HAL. Looking ahead, Leffler wrote, “This means that in the future all fixes, updates for new chips, etc. will need to be a community effort.” According to Leffler, Atheros also stated, “the Linux platform will be the reference public code base so folks wanting to add support for other platforms will have to scrape the information from there.”
What it all boils down to for desktop Linux users is that you can look forward to being able to wirelessly network any Linux on any laptop or desktop without a second thought. It’s another great day for Linux users.
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