Macworld articles from April 2003

Macworld archives from April 2003

Spam, spam, spam: I don't like spam! But, the again, who does? (From the Editor's Desk).(Editorial)
April 1, 2003... I MISS THE DAYS WHEN SPAM CAME ONLY FROM A CAN OR, even better, was a Monty Python sketch. Now it's just a nasty part of our wired world. And while I refuse to believe that unsolicited commercial e-mail messages are an inevitability and that we...

Switched around.(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... Who cares about switching from PC to Mac? After our January 2003 issue, a different sort of switch may be in order. "I think you should change the name of your magazine to Breen World," suggested Paul "Pash" Pashbin, citing the many articles...

Feedback.(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... Which Switch Is Which? MARK SHAPIRO # "PC to Mac" (January 2003) was a nice article. I've used a Mac since 1985. I tried OS X-it's clumsy, hard to back up, and buggy. No thanks. I'll stick with OS 9. When Apple makes OS X-only...

Corrections.
April 1, 2003... In "More Sizes Fit All" (Mac Beat, March 2003), we reported an incorrect spec given to us by Apple. After we went to press, the company informed us that the 17-inch PowerBook's DVD-burning speed was 1x. In "Power Mac Power Boost" (Mac...

Power has its price: with latest upgrade, Apple's Power Macs do more, cost less. (Mac Beat).
April 1, 2003... Apple certainly didn't waste any time with its latest hardware update. Less than a month after unveiling new PowerBooks featuring next-generation versions of AirPort and FireWire, the company has revamped its Power Mac desktops to include those...

What's next. (MacBeat).(Calendar)
April 1, 2003... Apple will be showcasing its digital-video offerings at NAB2003. The electronic-media trade show is in Las Vegas, April 7 through 10.

Flat panels, falling prices: Apple adds 20-inch display to LCD product line. (Mac Beat).(20.1-inch Apple Cinema Display )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Apple desktops aren't the only products our of Cupertino to see a steep price drop. Apple has also slashed its flat-panel--display prices. You want the 23-inch HID Cinema Display with 1,920-by-1,200-pixel resolution? It's yours for...

Device makers fire things up: first came Apple's support--now FireWire 800 products are on the way. (Mac Beat).
April 1, 2003... After adding a FireWire 800 port to its 17-inch PowerBook G4, Apple is now bringing the next-generation connectivity standard to its Power Mac and Xserve offerings. So when will you be able to find devices that take advantage of FireWire 800's...

Suite now out in the open: openoffice.org works on free productivity suite for OS X. (Mac Beat).(OpenOffice.org suite from the OpenOffice.org Source Project )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... It may be hard for some Mac users to imagine accomplishing everyday tasks without Microsoft's ubiquitous Office suite, but that's exactly what the OpenOffice.org Source Project (www.openoffice.org) hopes to let you do. OpenOfice.org is a suite...

Apple's X marks the spot for X11: user interface could make it easier to port unix apps to Macs. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... X OpenOffice.org could soon have company on the Mac. Apple has introduced its own version of the X Window System, also called X11, a user interface that most standard Unix applications and operating systems use. This version of the windowing...

Backup. (Utilities Beat: Software).(Prosoft Engineering's Data Backup X 1.0.1 and Data Backup Classic; Intego's Personal Backup 10.1)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Data Backup X 1.0.1, by Prosoft Engineering (925/426-6100, www.prosofteng.com): The Os X backup software now includes a feature that automatically performs backups when the backup drive is attached and recognized by the Mac ($49; upgrade,...

Security. (Utilities Beat: Software).(Intego's NetBarrier X 10.1)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... NetBarrier X 10.1, from Intego (512/637-0700, www.intego.com): The Internet security utility provides a firewall with customizable rules; an antivandal component that detects incorrect passwords; a filter that analyzes outgoing data such as...

System. (Utilities Beat: Software).(Chronos' F10 Launch Studio)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... F10 Launch Studio, from Chronos (435/615-7335, www.chronosnet.com): The Dock-replacement utility consists of a semitransparent panel that appears over the entire screen, with large icons for selected applications and documents. Users can launch...

Share and share alike: sites spring up for sharing iCal calendar information. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The ability to publish calendars online via Apple's .Mac service sets Apple's iCal apart from other calendar applications--unless, of course, you don't have a .Mac account (see "Apple's Information Hub," December 2002). Still, you don't have...

Avid's editing free-for-all: Avid free DV to challenge Apple's final cut express. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Avid (800/949-2843, www.avid.com) may be the leader in the professional digital-video-editing field, but that doesn't mean the company isn't feeling pressure. On the day Apple released Final Cut Express, Avid announced a slimmed-down, low-cost...

MIX in the MIX. (Pro File Q&A with Rob Burgess).(Macromedia's MX labels)(Interview)
April 1, 2003... The March release of Macromedia MX caps a busy year for Macromedia, which has now rolled out new versions of all its marquee products. But the company considers these releases to be more than just simple updates. Bearing the MX label, these...

Creative reference. (Productivity Beat: Software).(MasterWriter 1.0)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... MasterWriter 1.0, from MasterWriter (866/848-8484, www.masterwriter.com): The songwriting program includes reference, rhyming, and phrase dictionaries, an organizational database, a melody recorder, and a MIDI drum-loop library. The application...

Fax. (Productivity Beat: Software).(Ben Mackin's Cocoa eFax 1.0.3 )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Cocoa eFax 1.0.3, from Ben Mackin (www.macadvocacy.com/cocoaefax.htm): The OS X faxing shareware lets users send faxes from their Mac via an internal or external modem. The software also receives faxes, saving them as TIFF documents ($10).

Exchange Server support for OS X from Microsoft (800/426-9400, www.microsoft.com). (Productivity Beat: Announced).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Exchange Server support for OS X from Microsoft (800/426-9400, www.microsoft.com): The support, which will let users share calendars and manage personal information in mixed PC and Mac networks, will come via a free update to Entourage X....

Asset management. (Creative Beat: Software).(Extensis' Portfolio 6.1)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Portfolio 6.1, from Extensis (800/796-9798, www.extensis.com): The update to the digital-asset-management program adds OS X compatibility. The update, which requires Jaguar, also includes a redesigned user interface ($200; upgrade, free).

Illustration. (Creative Beat: Software).(Macromedia FreeHand MX)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... FreeHand MX, from Macromedia (800/470-7211, www.macromedia.com): The update brings the Macromedia Studio MX standard interface to the illustration software. FreeHand MX also features a number of new tools and an improved workflow ($399;...

Publishing. (Creative Beat: Software).(Markzwar eQuarkXPress XTension )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... InDesign to QuarkXPress, from Markzware (800/300-3532, www.markzware.com): The QuarkXPress XTension converts Adobe InDesign files to QuarkXPress files. The XTension converts original Mac or Windows files generated by InDesign version 1.5 and...

Selling Mac users short: financial tools can help Mac investors level the online playing field. (Mac Beat).
April 1, 2003... Online grocers may have made their final deliveries, and sock puppets may no longer be hawking pet food available online, but Web-based financial sites remain a viable service on the Internet--especially when it comes to buying and selling...

A digital-hub connection: Rendezvous brings Macs and tivo digital video recorder together.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... With all of Apple's digital-hub talk, one appliance that sits in most homes really hasn't been part of the discussion: the TV set. But that's changing--a partnership between Apple and digital-video-recorder (DVR) manufacturer TiVo...

Is the time ripe for Apple? The readers speak: 2003 is looking bright after January's Macworld Expo.(Karlin Associates' survey)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The tech industry may be mired in an ongoing funk, but Mac users--at least the ones in the Macworld Reader Panel--are looking forward to what's in store for Apple. Our panelists--1,214 Macworld readers selected at random by market-research...

Adapters. (Networking Beat: Hardware).(Keyspan Bluetooth Adapter)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A Bluetooth adapter from Keyspan (510/222-0131, www.keyspan.com): The USB Bluetooth Adapter ($59) plugs into a USB port on any Mac running OS X 10.1.4 and later.

Connectivity. (Networking Beat: Software).(iPass Connect 2.3 for Os x)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... iPass Connect 2.3 for Os x, from iPass (650/232-4100, www.ipass.com): The remote connectivity client, which lets mobile users securely connect to corporate networks, has been updated to run natively in OS X (pricing varies).

File transfer. (Networking Beat: Software).(Stairways Software Interarchy 6.1.1)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Interarchy 6.1.1, from Stairways Software (510/601-5244, www.interarchy.com): The update to the file-transfer application adds support for Rendezvous, the zero-configuration technology in Jaguar. Version 6.1 lets users discover and connect to...

Hard drives. (Storage Beat: Hardware).(WiebeTech's UltraGB and DesktopGB+)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Two new portable drives from WiebeTech (316/744-8722, www.wiebetech.com): The UltraGB is a FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 drive that comes in two capacities: 80GB ($340) and 120GB ($380).The DesktopGB+ ships in an aluminum, fanless enclosure and...

Media readers. (Storage Beat: Hardware).(Keyspan's 7-Way Media Reader )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A new USB digital media reader from Keyspan (510/222-0131, www.keyspan.com): The 7-Way Media Reader ($49) lets owners of USB-equipped Macs read and write to all major types of digital media cards including Compact-Flash I and II, Memory Stick,...

Data storage. (Storage Beat: Software).(ArcaneWare's Serial Storage 2.5)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Serial Storage 2.5, from ArcaneWare (www.arcaneware.com): The OS X program for storing serial numbers, credit card info, passwords, and other data adds 448-bit encryption ($10; upgrade, free).

What's hot: a quick look at the world of Macs. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... 1. AOL Time Warner reports it lost $99 billion last year. In a cost-cutting move, the AOL client's "You've Got Mail" greeting will be changed to "Get Your Own Damn Mail." 2. Apple says the newest Power Macs are quieter than the last round...

Mac OS X updates. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Adobe After Effects 5.5.1 Now supports 2GB of RAM on Macs Adobe Photoshop 7.0.X AltiVec Core Update Plug-in to enhance reliability Change Startup Disk 1.5 Bypasses system preferences to shift between Os 9 and OS X ...

RAID storage at your service: Apple unveils Xserve RAID, updates server hardware. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Apple hopes that Mac users who need massive, high-speed storage will find its Xserve RAID worth the wait. Originally slated for a late-2002 release, the storage companion to Apple's server hardware can hold as many as 14 independent ATA/100...

Digital cameras. (Imaging Beat: Hardware).(Canon Powershot S400 Digital Elph)
April 1, 2003... Six new cameras from Canon (800)/652-2666, www.powershot.com): The PowerShot S400 Digital Elph ($449) is the first 4-megapixel model in Canon's compact Digital Elph line. Sporting an all-metal body, the camera features a 3x optical zoom lens,...

Scanners. (Imaging Beat: Hardware).(Epson The Perfection 3200 Photo and Perfection 3200 Pro )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Two scanners from Epson (800/463-7766, wwwepson.com): The Perfection 3200 Photo ($399) and Perfection 3200 Pro ($599) have resolutions of 3,200 by 6,400 dpi, 48-bit color depth, and FireWire and USB 2.0 compatibility. Both models include a...

Image editing. (Imaging Beat: Software).(Bibble Labs ships MacBibble 3.0)
April 1, 2003... MacBibble 3.0, from Bibble Labs (512/345-3480, www.bibblelabs.com): The digital-photo--manipulation software converts RAW uncompressed images from many digital SLR cameras into formats readable by Adobe Photoshop and other image editors....

867MHZ 12-inch PowerBook G4: compact notebook compromises on pro features but offers great portability. (Reviews).(Apple Computer)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2003... Mac users who need a powerful portable computer haven't exactly had a lot of choices lately. There's the light and small iBook, which, with its G3 processor, doesn't come close to the G4 might of its professional-level kin--though it is the...

QuickBooks Pro 5.0: rerelease of accounting app in Mac business market offers small change for big bucks. (Reviews).
April 1, 2003... When Intuit dropped support for the Mac version of QuickBooks in 1997, it was the best-selling accounting software available for the Macintosh. Hailed for its ease of use and powerful accounting capabilities, QuickBooks allowed even neophytes...

Keynote 1.0: presentation software dazzles but lacks key features. (Reviews).
April 1, 2003... Whether you're reviewing sales figures in a boardroom or teaching history in a classroom, your presentation's style often counts as much as its substance. Apple's Keynote, introduced by Steve Jobs in January, lets you create spectacular slide...

ArchiCAD 8: state-of-the-art CAD doesn't skimp on details Pros need. (Reviews).
April 1, 2003... There are CAD (computer-aided design) programs to meet the needs of various people, from homeowners who are redesigning their kitchens to professional architects and designers. But make no mistake, ArchiCAD 8--the latest version of Graphisoft's...

PGP Personal 8.0: full-featured security system comes to OS X. (Reviews).
April 1, 2003... The most chilling phrase in the online world is "I know your secrets." We all have sensitive information, whether it's financial records, personal or professional e-mail, or confidential business plans. PGP Personal 8.0 takes a direct approach...

InterMapper X 4.0: network-monitoring utility transitions well. (Reviews).
April 1, 2003... When you're the one responsible for ensuring the accessibility and availability of your network, how do you get enough sleep? One good way is to use monitoring tools, such as Dartware's InterMapper, to watch your network for you. The recently...

SuperCard 4.0: excellent software-development application reclaims its top spot. (Reviews).
April 1, 2003... Since the Mac's introduction in 1984, programs for it have been easy to use but difficult to create. Throughout its 12-year history, Solutions Etcetera's SuperCard has tried to bring the ability to create Mac programs to a broader spectrum of...

PrintReady: online alternative to preflighting falls short. (Reviews).(Extensis online service)
April 1, 2003... Preflighting documents-- checking them for production and prepress errors before sending them to a service bureau--is the desktop-publishing equivalent of flossing teeth. We all know that we should preflight, but few companies or individual...

This month in digital cameras. (Reviews).(Olympus's C-50 Zoom and Canon's PowerShot S45)
April 1, 2003... Want a full-featured, high-resolution digital camera in a small package? Take a look at either Olympus's C-50 Zoom or Canon's PowerShot S45. The 5-megapixel C-50 is a well-designed camera with a metal body and a 3x zoom lens. It works well...

Virtual PC 6: update improves OS X integration, performance, and usability. (Reviews).(Connectix elmulation software)
April 1, 2003... If you're a PC user and Apple's recent ads have persuaded you to switch, but you still pine for some of the PC applications you left behind, Connectix's recently updated Virtual PC 6 might give you the best of both worlds. The new release...

Formac Studio DV/TV: personal video-capture device records and plays television in high-quality digital format. (Reviews).
April 1, 2003... When El Gato Software released the EyeTV last year (### 1/2; Reviews, November 2002), Mac users finally gained access to a computer-based digital video recorder (DVR) with features similar to those of the TiVo and Replay TV. A slightly...

Magic Bullet Suite 1.0: after effects plug-ins give DV a realistic filmlike look. (Reviews).
April 1, 2003... Since the early days of television, making video look like film has been as difficult as turning lead into gold. Magic Bullet Suite 1.0 Standard Definition edition, a set of After Effects 5.5 plug-ins developed by The Orphanage and distributed...

Netware Client: utility breaks one more barrier in the mac-windows divide. (Reviews).(Prosoft Engineering's NetWare Client for Mac OS X, IP Edition)
April 1, 2003... Although Mac OS X has made accessing Windows file servers practically seamless, Mac users who need to access Novell NetWare servers still need server-based software, such as Novell's Native File Access, or client-side software. For lone Mac...

Sound advice. (Mac Gems).
April 1, 2003... LIKE THE BULK OF AN ICEBERG, MUCH OF THE MAC MARKET hides beneath the surface. For every Microsoft Office, FileMaker Pro, or Adobe Photoshop, there are 50 products you may never hear about. Whether it's a vital shareware utility or a cool...

The checkered flag: Mac Gamers, start your engines. (The Game Room).(MacPlay's F1 Championship Season 2000)
April 1, 2003... FOR YEARS, FANS OF OPEN-WHEEL AUTO RACING WERE forced to seek out PCs or game consoles when they wanted to fulfill their need for speed. But open-wheel racing has finally come to the Mac, thanks to a Formula One simulator that's a blast to play...

Guard your in-box: spam-filtering utilities help separate the good mail from the bad.(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2003... If you use e-mail, you know about spain: unsolicited e-mail messages that clutter our in-boxes (and our hard drives) with advertisements, outlandish offers, and things we don't want the kids to see. Internet users have bemoaned spain for years,...

iPhoto 2. (Get an i-Life).(graphic utility)
April 1, 2003... iPhoto 2 may turn out to be the most welcome of the iLife upgrades, since iPhoto 1.1--though it was functional--had frustratingly poor performance, no proper integration with the other i-apps, and clumsy keyword features. Although iPhoto 2 has...

iMovie 3. (Get an iLife).(desktop video software)
April 1, 2003... It's been two years since Apple last revamped its easy-to-use video-editing application, and for many users, it looks as though the company's time has been well spent. iMovie 3.0.1 sports a number of deep enhancements, and the program benefits...

iDVD 3. (Get an iLife).
April 1, 2003... iDVD 3 is a shining example of elegant simplicity--it lets you build complex, professional-looking DVD projects with ease. It has limitations, to be sure (for example, it doesn't support external DVD burners-it works only with Apple's internal...

Take stock: don't start from scratch--make stock media seem custom-made.(video shareware)
April 1, 2003... A designer under deadline, a sales rep putting together a last-minute presentation, a filmmaker looking for additional footage, and a teacher building a class Web site--what do they all have in common? They could save time and money by tapping...

Easier edits with word. (Productivity).(Microsoft Word for Macintosh tips)(Column)
April 1, 2003... Microsoft Word's Track Changes feature makes it easy to annotate and revise documents without creating a mess of cramped marginal notes and scratchouts. But turning an edited file-or sometimes multiple files-littered with brightly colored...

Command-line control. (Mac OS X).(Mac OS X tips)(Column)
April 1, 2003... Mac OS X's graphical user interface (GUI) is elegant, graceful, and powerful enough to let most of us ignore what's happening behind the scenes. But if you're bent on finding new ways to streamline your work, it may be time to roll up your...

Glory days. (Mac 911).(Mac operating systems need some of the old features)(Column)
April 1, 2003... Although I strive to be a forward-looking individual, from time to time I must allow the curmudgeon within to vent his cantankerous spleen. Rather than take this tetchy soul to the nearest Apple Store and bore the resident Genius with stories...

Tales of retail: what I learned by spending 15 hours at an Apple Store.
April 1, 2003... IT'S 11 P.M., AND THANK GOODNESS I'M FINISHED. I HAD wondered how I'd feel walking out of an Apple Store after 15 hours in the bloody place. It's exactly the same way I felt after my first half-marathon: my legs and feet are sore from all the...

Open, says me: Apple fears the tactics it uses on competitors. (The Big Picture).
April 1, 2003... WHEN STEVE JOBS ANNOUNCED APPLE'S NEW PRESENTAtion program, Keynote, he bragged that it used an open file format--in contrast to the format a little-known program from Microsoft, called PowerPoint, uses. Apple's CEO said that because Keynote...