Apple today introduced the new Xserve, a 1U rack-optimized server that is up to twice as fast as its predecessor and includes an unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server Leopard.

Starting at $2,999, the new Xserve has up to two Quad-Core 3.0 GHz Intel Xeon processors for 8-core performance, a new server architecture, faster front side buses, faster memory, up to 3TB of internal storage and two PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots for greater performance and flexibility.

<“With the latest Intel processors and no client access licenses, Xserve offers unbeatable server performance and value for under $3,000,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Xserve’s power, storage and Leopard Server make it ideal for supporting Mac clients and mixed platform workgroups.”

Apple today introduced the new Mac Pro with eight processor cores and a new system architecture that delivers up to twice the performance of its predecessor.

The new Mac Pro combines two of Intel’s new 45 nanometer Quad-Core Xeon processors running up to 3.2 GHz, powerful new graphics and up to 4TB of internal storage to offer the ideal system for creative professionals, 3D digital content creators and scientists. The standard 8-core configuration starts at $2,799.

“The new Mac Pro is the fastest Mac we’ve ever made,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With 3.2 GHz 8-core Xeon processing, a 1600 MHz front side bus and 800 MHz memory, the new Mac Pro uses the fastest Intel Xeon architecture on the market.”

Here are the specs…..

It looks like Google is killing off ad men and women.

Advertising Age reports that Ogilvy & Mather getting ready to lay off between 50 and 100 staffers in New York this week. Ogilvy, New York, recently reshuffled management in the wake of the departure of Andy Berndt, former co-president of the New York office who left the agency for Google.

The cuts are necessary “primarily because the nature of the business is changing,” said an executive close to the matter. The agency — whose clients include American Express, America’s Second Harvest and IBM — has seen declining compensation from traditional ad dollars in light of clients’ increased focus on digital.

The announcement reflects larger trends:

• Time spent online is rising;
• Internet television is sexy now that advertisers realize people pay more attention to online media.
• Online media is sucking the blood of traditional television.

Podcast.com announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas its list of the “Top 10 Podcasts of the Year” for 2007, in conjunction with media aggregation/distribution company Treedia.com, which created the feed management platform used at Podcast.com.

Podcast.com, a podcast directory and feed management site, maintains a list of 43,000 podcast feeds.

To choose this year’s award winners, Podcast.com tallied the total number of times a program in its network had been accessed by users. In 2007, Podcast.com tracked over one million podcast access connections via the Podcast.com portal. The top 10 Podcasts represent those items that were accessed the greatest number of times in 2007.

Podcast.com’s Top 10 Podcasts of the Year Award recipients are:

1. World Soccer Daily Podcast – independent
2. CNN News Update – mainstream
3. ESPN Radio Daily Podcast – mainstream
4. Geek News Central Podcast – independent
5. BBC’s Best of Today – mainstream
6. NOVA – PBS – mainstream
7. Slate Magazine Daily Podcast – mainstream
8. 60 Minutes Podcast – The Full Broadcast – mainstream
9. Face the Nation Podcast – mainstream
10. CNET News.com Daily Tech News Podcast – independent

At the 2008 CES Show, FlyTunes introduced a new digital music service for the Apple iPhone,
iPod Touch and other portable media players and cell phones:

FlyTunes offers a personalized radio-like experience, with thousands of channels of digital music.

Features:

• FlyTunes does not require a receiver or additional hardware purchase – it works with your cell phone or personal media player.
• FlyTunes offers access to over 20,000 Internet radio stations.
• FlyTunes plays everywhere, unlike satellite radio, which does not work inside buildings, or on planes.
• FlyTunes allows users to personalize their music channels. While listening, users can promote favorite songs and flag unwanted ones (never to be played again).
• No setup or monthly fees.

“FlyTunes bridges the massive disconnect that exists between the hundreds of millions of cell phones and portable media players people already own, and thousands of Internet radio stations that broadcast every type of music they could want,” said FlyTunes CEO Sam Abadir. “From the user’s perspective, FlyTunes provides an extremely easy-to-use service that allows them to quickly
get the music they want and to discover new music.”

Napster has joined the ranks of companies trying to compete with Apple’s iTunes by offering MP3 music downloads.
The file format change will apply only to single tracks and album purchases, according tothe company. Tracks downloaded as part of the company’s music subscription service will continue to be DRM’d.

“The ubiquity and cross-platform compatibility of MP3s should create a more level playing field for music services and hardware providers and result in greater ease of use and broader adoption of digital music,” Chris Gorog, Napster’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

In other words, by offering MP3s, Napster has a chance of selling tracks to the largest group of portable media player owners, iPod users.

CES: Newer Technology announced its newNewerTech iPhone Accessory Line, consisting of six products that add iPhone functionality and user convenience.

The NewerTech iPhone Accessory Line includes:

• Bass Response Earbuds
• iPhone & iPod Auto Charger
• iPhone Speaker Dock & Hands-Free Mic
• iPhone Hands-Free Mic & Earbuds
• iPhone Headphone Jack Adapter
• iPhone Mic Extender Cable

Their most interesting accessory is the $35 iPhone Speaker Dock & Hands-Free Mic. It lets you use your iPhone to make conference calls, as well as listen to amplified music and audio soundtrack playback.

At the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, JVC introduced the NX-PN7, a double-barreled iPod dock.

The dual dock NX-PN7 accommodates two iPod players side-by side, charging them simultaneously and offering playback from each through the dock’s speaker system. Supplementing iPod playback is an AM/FM tuner, a clock and timer. In addition, there’s an analog audio input for connecting other devices for playback.

While the player can charge his ‘n’ hers iPods, you may still have to fight over the remote. An included remote features dedicated iPod control keys that simulate the iPod control wheel layout, letting you shuffle, repeat, scroll and select songs from the iPod menu.

The NX-PN7 should be available in April and is expected to retail for $149.95.

Audacity, the cross-platform audio editor that has been used by many podcasters as an entry-level podcasting tool, appears to be dead on the Mac platform.

“1.3.4 for OS X will appear when someone volunteers to compile it and sort the remaining bugs out,” writes richardash1981 at the Audacity Team Forum. “There is currently no one with a Mac actively contributing to the development of Audacity, hence at the moment no Mac releases.

At the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, Samsung announced that it has developed a multi-level cell (MLC) flash-based 128 Gigabyte (GB) solid state drive (SSD) that it will produce this year in 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch versions for notebook and desktop PCs, as well as other mobile applications.

The new drive offers a data writing speed of 70 megabytes per second (MB/s), the industry’s highest for MLC-based SSDs. Samsung’s 128GB SSD reads data at 100MB/s.

The 128GB SSDs will be available in a thin-standard 1.8-inch version that is five millimeters thick, to spur the design of thinner ultra-mobile PCs, in addition to a conventional 1.8-inch version for mobile consumer applications and a 2.5-inch version for standard-sized notebooks.

Featuring a 3.0 gigabit-per-second SATA II interface, the new 128GB SSD uses native command queuing and spread-spectrum clocking to add to its higher performance levels. It also features device/host-initiated power management for an exceptionally low power consumption level of 0.5W in active mode.

Samsung expects to begin mass producing its 128GB SSD in the first half of 2008.