Mini Motor Racing and Mini Motor Racing HD ($0.99 iPhone, $1.99 iPad) are excellent top-down racing games from The Binary Mill.  A good racing game requires three main features to come together: vehicle control, a variety of challenging courses and a heart-thumping soundtrack. Mini Motor Racing excels at all three. But the real kicker is the game’s head-to-head multiplayer action.

Mini Motor Racing supports four styles of steering and an optional auto acceleration feature to accommodate your prefered style of gameplay. “Wheel” mode uses a virtual steering wheel on the left side of the screen very similar to the iconic d-pad. “Toggle” provides a left and right button on the left side of the screen, whereas “Tank” places the left and right on separately on either side. “Slider” allows the user to control the car by moving a slide bar to the left and right.

Each style of play will cater to different drivers. Some prefer the Wheel, but I found Tank mode to be the easiest to control.  The final control in all modes is a button that gives the car a boost of nitro during the race.  Thanks to the way that the car navigates the track, as well as careful camera placement, you will never find the controls getting in the way of the game regardless of your control scheme of choice.

The opening sequence and smooth 3-D transitions when navigating the game’s menu system attest to the development team’s attention to detail.  There are over twenty different courses to choose from, and variations in weather and time of day keep replay value high. All fourteen cars on offer are  customizable: You can select the color and style, as well as upgrade each as you collect money and customizations along the various tracks.  If you want to upgrade in a hurry, you can use in-app purchases ranging in price from $0.99 up to $14.99.

Even without multiplayer support, the game is worth buying. Being able to play with up to four racers over Wi-Fi or two over Bluetooth, the multiplayer mode just adds to the bargain.

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After the battery gave up the ghost, the Mini continued to work great, as long as it was plugged in, for a couple more years. After the Mini refused to power on when plugged in, (or so I thought) I put it up, and generally forgot about it until my two year old son somehow found it and decided that he needed it.  Since it was busted anyway, I let him have it, and that’s when the real abuse began.

My son dropped it on the concrete, used it as a hammer, and may have even taken a dive in the tub with it once or twice.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a device as throughly beaten as this old Mini. For months, what was my companion became my son’s, inside and out. So, imagine my surprise when, after months of neglect and mistreatment, the Mini powered on and filled my daughter’s room with music once more. My old iPod is not without its scars, the click wheel doesn’t work, and the black and white display is a little patchy, but it still accepts the buttons on the iHome.

Have you had a similar, jaw dropping, “it still works” moment with your Apple gear?  I’d love to hear about it, sound off in the comments!

Image courtesy of Flickr user mfajardo

Apple has released what it calls “Performance Update 1.0,” an update to its Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard) operating systems for selected iMacs and MacBooks.

As Apple describes it — in typically brief fashion — in its Support pages, ”This update addresses intermittent hard drive related pauses reported by a small number of customers.”

Gotta love those detailed descriptions!

The update may be related to an EFI Firmware Update in June that some MacBook owners suspect was the cause of intermittent crashes and system freezes. This latest update may well put these problems to rest once and for all, except there’s something interesting about the name…that 1.0 suffix hints at the possibility of further revisions to come. A “Performance Update, Update” perhaps?

The update isn’t for everyone, however. It applies only to the following Mac models.

MacBook
MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)
MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009)
MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009)

MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009)

MacBook Air
MacBook Air (Late 2008)
MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

Mac Mini
Mac Mini (Early 2009)

iMac
iMac (24-inch, Early 2009)
iMac (20-inch, Early 2009)
iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009)

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First, as you may have seen, Minis will be limited to games only, so that’s a whole vast uncontested field left open for the iPod touch. That was bad enough, but now it looks like Minis will only be pale shadow versions of their former selves by the time they hit the PSP. For Minis, both wireless multiplayer and DLC or feature updating will be completely forbidden.

That’s right, according to Gamasutra, Sony’s putting its foot down on anything more complicated than pass and play in terms of multiplayer, and games will be pretty much static upon release. Both restrictions are said to be in service of expediting the review and approval process, a lesson they clearly learned from the beast that is Apple’s App Store submission review system. But is it the right takeaway?

If anything, Apple’s success with the App Store should actually suggest the opposite — namely, that allowing feature-rich and dynamic content into your marketplace is well worth the time investment and criticism you bring upon yourself in the process. Pocket God couldn’t exist in the climate Sony is setting up for Minis, nor could F.A.S.T. (Fleet Air Superiority Training).

Oh, and remember, there’s a 100MB cap for any game released in Mini form. Which cuts out another huge chunk of wildly successful iPhone and iPod touch games. Great job, Sony. I’m sure you’ll have iPhone devs climbing over themselves to generate releases for your untested, extremely limited platform.

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According to news released today, that assumption appears to be right on the money. Sony announced 15 launch titles for its PSP Mini line, with Minis being the equivalent of the iPhone’s apps. Minis will be available to all PSPs, not just the new PSPgo, but the downloadable titles are clearly designed to bolster sales of the new hardware. You’ll recognize at least a few of those titles, including Fieldrunners and Hero of Sparta, from the App Store.

Tetris and MiniGore round out the list of iPhone apps that will be getting the direct port treatment. Sony handpicked all the titles because of their success in the App Store. 50 more titles are promised for inclusion in the Mini line by the end of 2009, and I’m assuming that a good number of those will likewise be App Store success stories.

First of all, let me just say that as a gamer, this announcement excites me greatly. I love many iPhone games, including all of those announced today as PSP Mini titles, but I hate iPhone controls (Rolando being the exception). Ninety-five percent of the games I’ve played on the iPhone would’ve been infinitely more enjoyable on the DS or PSP. And now it looks like Sony is going to pick the cream of the crop and make that a reality.

Will it affect Apple’s App Store sales? Yes, because I (and gamers like me) will probably wait for a PSP Mini release of most titles, even if it’s available for both platforms. Will it kill the iPhone as a gaming device? No way, because the PSPgo will have a much smaller audience than the iPhone, and casual gamers will continue to play on their phones, mostly because many of them won’t buy a handheld gaming console.

In the end, the user wins. Being able to target multiple platforms will prompt more and better development efforts from studios, and Sony will shoulder the arduous task of filtering through the thousands of throwaway apps to bring avid gamers quality content via the Mini platform. If Minis are a success, and Sony sees the wisdom of putting a phone in its PSP, then we’ll see some sparks fly. Until then, sit back and enjoy the fruits of a little mutually beneficial jostling for attention.

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In a bizarre story over at Ars Technica that seems like the plot of a terrible mafioso movie, a man named Gregory McKenna is claiming that Apple knowingly colluded with the Mafia (and various governmental agencies) to help them threaten him with death via his iPod mini. According to McKenna, it is apparently fairly standard practice for Apple to add receivers and transmitters to its portable media players as a special service for organized crime.

Apple attracts its own fair share of wacko legal action, but this one is so intricate in its level of detail that it deserves a closer look, if only to admire the craftsmanship. McKenna believes that not one, but two separate iPods contained Mafia bugs. One, a Shuffle he picked up on eBay, makes a little sense, since it would be easy to tamper with the hardware after the fact, if the Mafia was really committed to doing so.

It’s the other, an iPod mini he bought new from an Apple retail store, six months after the model was officially discontinued, that vaults McKenna’s story into the realm of complete absurdity. The sheer number of steps required for Apple to have specifically targeted McKenna for the receipt of a specially modified iPod mini boggle the mind. I guess that’s what makes it a conspiracy theory, instead of a coincidence theory.

Why, you may ask, did the Mafia even care enough about McKenna to harass him so diligently for so long? He apparently once worked for a modeling agency which he claims is just a front for the mob. And he was so good at what he did, the couldn’t let him just get away. The Mafia is the one job you can’t quit, after all.

Apple isn’t the only defendant named in the suit. McKenna also believes that every law enforcement agency from the St. Louis PD to the Department of Justice was in on the plan, since (shockingly) none would take his allegations against the Mafia seriously. The suit also targets an auto repair shop that conspired to bug his car, and a private investigator who helped “cover up” the existence of surveillance devices by conveniently not finding any when hired by McKenna to do so.

In total, McKenna is seeking $14.3 million in damages from all the defendants named in the suit, much of which is accounted for by the $550,000 in lost wages he claims to have missed out on as a result of conspiracy effort. Oh, that must be the reason I’m not making half a million a year, too. I knew it couldn’t be my decided lack of marketable skills.

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The Internet tubes have been awash with rumors of Apple and Verizon talks targeting a working relationship in 2010. While Verizon CEO Lowell McAdams has confirmed that they have talked to people at Apple, he’s otherwise not giving up any details about the discussions. BusinessWeek, however, who conducted the interview with McAdams, have found other sources that say Apple is working on two new products that might see distribution through Verizon Wireless.

News of the new devices comes via the oft-cited source of “people familiar with the matter” (as if people unfamiliar with the matter would be able to offer any information at all), one of whom reports actually having seen one of the devices. That one is supposed to be an “iPhone Lite,” details beyond which are not revealed. A “Lite” version of the iPhone has been a pet rumor of Apple followers since almost the advent of the iPhone itself, so it’s unsurprising to see them cropping up again. Presumably such a device would have less storage, maybe no camera, and perhaps lack Wi-Fi and other features.

The other device is another perennial favorite that basically sounds like an iPod Touch XL. Described by BusinessWeek as “a media pad that would let users listen to music, view photos, and watch high-definition videos” that also allows for VoIP calls via Wi-Fi, under which premise Verizon would most likely be involved. Maybe they’ll offer the thing as a piece of subsidized hardware in exchange for signing up for a wireless mobile broadband package, in a deal comparable to many European (and now U.S., too) netbook packages.

According to BusinessWeek’s sources, the new devices could come out as early as this year, with one possibly introduced as early as this summer. That makes sense if AT&T does indeed have iPhone exclusivity once again, since presumably nothing would prevent Verizon from working with Apple on other devices. Maybe Apple is taking a cue from BlackBerry maker RIM and other smartphone manufacturers that release different “exclusive” phone models with different carriers.

For now, the evidence just isn’t there to file this under anything other than wishful thinking, but it does make more sense than a netbook, given Apple’s very public stance against the devices. Apple’s iPhone/iPod touch brand is strong, and the App Store is a cash cow that would only benefit from having more devices funneling revenue its way. For the foreseeable future, iPhone OS represents far more growth potential than does OS X. Let’s just hope Apple recognizes that, too.

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Despite the claims of the source (a Russian magazine), the photos are clearly just Photoshop mock-ups.

Can anyone really look at these and entertain the possibility that they might be real? No mic input, no discernible MagSafe plug, and a less-than-accurate alteration of the MacBook Air text to read “MacBook mini”? Kudos to the Photoshopper for the keyboard work, but let’s not secure our reputation as the most gullible tech community in the world people.

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The comparison is serendipitous for more than name commonality (although Mini — the car — has always been capitalized). That first commercial product imprinting the Mini name on cultural iconography was sprung on the world 50 years ago this year.

Minis Then and Now

Inspired by economic considerations interestingly analogous to our current contretemps (ie: fuel rationing due to the 1956 Suez Oil Crisis followed by a sharp recession), Turkish-born innovator and British Motors Corporation engineer Alec Issagonis conceived a car design concept never tried before: a transverse-mounted engine driving the front wheels — the prototype of the modern front wheel drive car. The Mini was intended to be the smallest possible car that could accommodate four adults and their luggage, measuring roughly 10 feet long by four feet high and four feet wide.

The original Issagonis Mini was unveiled on August 26, 1959, continuing in production until October 2000. Early Minis (properly known as the Morris Mini-Minor and its badge-engineered sibling, the Austin Seven) were incredibly austere. For example, inside door latch releases were plastic-coated wires strung across the door cavities, which were wide open with no upholstered side panels or roll-up window mechanisms occupying the space. However, the Mini was an instant marketplace hit.

“Car Of The Century”

Some 5.5 million Minis were sold during a 41-year production run, with the Mini voted European “Car of the Century” by an international panel. The form factor and appearance remained largely unchanged throughout, with some body panels interchangeable between the 1959 Mark I and the final 2000 Mark V models.

The Mini’s cornering and roadholding could embarrass many purpose-built sports cars of the day, and Mini-owning celebrities included the Beatles (one each), Peter Sellers, David Bowie, Britt Ekland, Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Princess Diana, (Princess Anne learned to drive in one, but I don’t think it was her own), Tim Allen, the fictional Mr. Bean, and no less than Enzo Ferrari.

BMW acquired the Mini brand when it bought Rover Group in 2000, and set about designing a completely new Mini — the one Shaw Wu references in his analogy — owing inspiration but nothing else to the original, bringing a larger form factor and more than twice the weight of the original Mini.

Jaunty Insouciance

Apple’s Mac mini is conceptually and stylistically reminiscent of the original automotive Mini. Its ultra-compact 6.5″ x 6.5″ x 2″ form factor is similarly clean and, well, minimalist. It has the elemental essentials, without unnecessary frills. It is inexpensive (for a Mac), only as big as absolutely necessary to contain the designed contents, and has the same jaunty insouciance that Alex Issagonis’ four-wheeled creation did back in 1959.

Everything Most of Us Really Need in a Computer and More

In a nutshell, the mini, combined with a decent but not necessarily Apple-expensive keyboard, mouse, and monitor, has everything most of us really need in a computer and more at reasonably affordable price, especially this new model with the NVIDIA 9400M integrated graphics and FireWire 400 port. And of course one of the mini’s principal target markets has always been folks that already have a monitor, USB keyboard, and USB mouse connected to an aging PC (or Mac), and who can buy the Mac mini and substitute it for their old CPU module.

This latest Mac mini is unambiguously the best of breed, featuring a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor capable of driving a 30-inch Apple Cinema Display at full 2560 x 1600 resolution, up to 4GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, up to 320GB Serial ATA hard drive, five USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 and a slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive, a Mini DisplayPort and mini-DVI video output, 802.11n AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, and audio line in/audio line out port s supporting both optical digital and analog. That’s a lot of value and connectivity packed into an amazingly tiny package.

Energy Efficient

Like the automotive Mini, the Mac mini is energy-efficient, using less than 13 watts of power when idling — up to 10 times less than a typical desktop PC draws — making the new Mac mini the most power-miserly desktop computer in the world, according to Apple.

I wish it was easier to open up the mini for RAM upgrades and hard drive swaps, but aside from that it’s pretty much all good — definitely my favorite Mac desktop with the possible exception of the G4 Cube.

The first Macs were marketed as “the computer for the rest of us,” and the original Minis were pitched as inexpensive and economical basic transportation, but the Mac mini and today’s automotive Mini are premium-priced products in their size range, the car ranging from $19,200 for the base model up to $31,450 for a John Cooper Works Clubman wagon. North Americans used to cars being priced somewhat by the pound bridle at paying 20,000 bucks for a tiny hatchback sedan, let alone 30 grand. Similarly, some resist the idea of paying $599 to $799 for a tiny desktop CPU module without even a keyboard, mouse or display when you can get a fairly loaded cheapo desktop PC for under $500. In either case, it’s probably one of those “if I have to explain it to you, you’ll likely never understand” things. Both the Mini and the mini are pitched to demographics with taste and appreciation for more than the bottom line.

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DisplayPort got a big boost as a video connection standard when Apple decided to use it across its entire notebook line.

Of course, being Apple, they couldn’t use it as is, and instead introduced the Mini DisplayPort version, which was more compact, and, sadly, would also require special adapters to be purchased by MacBook owners. Now version 1.2 of the standard is poised to bring some improvements that will likely make it more attractive to consumers and manufacturers alike.

One of those improvements is the possible standardization of the Mini DisplayPort form factor, which could be a definite boon for MacBook owners, since the market for adapters would become much more competitive. Apple currently offers a free license for the Mini DisplayPort standard, but it has the right to refuse this license to anyone for any reason. Were it to become an official standard supported by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), any manufacturer could use it, without Apple’s say so.

That’s not all that’s in store for the promising young standard. Version 1.2 should also bring twice the available bandwidth, allowing for 3840×2160 resolution on a single screeen, two at 2560×1600, or four at 1920×1200, and support for 3D video playback.

More bandwidth could also be used for USB support, allowing the DisplayPort connector alone to power and run displays with built-in cameras like the iSight, and with integrated USB hubs. That would mean that a monitor like the 24-inch LED Cinema Display wouldn’t require a separate USB cable connection.

Support for functions beyond display is a definite advantage, but, as MacUser points out, DisplayPort brings with it the built-in DRM that’s responsible for the HD playback woes of new MacBook owners. Broader use of the standard should expand the list of supported monitors, so this problem could be somewhat mitigated by the time revision 1.2 arrives.

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