Macworld articles from April 2007

Macworld archives from April 2007

Laptop nation; How portable Macs have gone mainstream. Plus: do we look different?
April 1, 2007... The second Mac I ever bought was a laptop. Since that day in 1992, when I first opened the box of my PowerBook 160, I have always had a portable Mac. Back then, laptops and desktops occupied entirely different worlds. The pricing was...

Looking back on the future.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... Flash memory, as described in "What's Next" (January 2007), is old hat. I still regularly use three HP handhelds--a 100LX, a 200LX, and a Jornada--each of which relies on flash memory for storage. The HP Omnibook 300--the big brother of those...

Input on input devices.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I'm disappointed that you neglected to include keyboards with built-in trackballs, touchpads, or touch-sensitive cursor pads in your roundup of input devices ("Mac Keyboards and Mice at Your Fingertips," Reviews, January 2007). I know of at...

Who wants their Apple TV?(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... After reading your article about the coming Apple TV ("iTV FAQs," Mac Beat, December 2006), I have one question: Why in the world would I want one of these things? I'm not averse to new technology--I own both a MacBook Pro and an iPod--and I'd...

Overheard on the forums.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... "If I touched [the iPhone], I wouldn't wash my hands. Ever." iron_chef macworld.com/2515 "Yes, the iPhone is an amazing device. But the truth is it's not for everyone. Right now, I have no interest in it. I'm not a Cingular customer...

Apple's legal troubles.(Burst.com Inc. filed suit against Apple for patent infringment)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Apple has been involved in many legal battles over the past few years--here are a few that are still pending. Patents Burst.com filed suit against Apple, accusing the company of infringing on four of its patents. Burst claims that Apple's...

Harvard Extension School offers iTunes U previews.(Harvard University and Apple Inc. developed course content online education program)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The Harvard Extension School, a continuing-education program at Harvard University, has started offering a selection of free course content previews via iTunes U (a joint effort by Apple and educational institutions to publish course content...

iPod shuffle goes color: 1GB player now comes in blue, pink, green, orange, and silver.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The second-generation (2G) iPod shuffle is the smallest and least expensive iPod Apple has ever released, but its silver hue didn't give it the personality or the vibrancy of the colorful iPod nano (or the iPod mini). Now Apple has spiced up...

Menu Butler.
April 1, 2007... MacMage's free Menu Butler widget shows you all your available Menu Extras in a convenient palette in Dashboard. Click on one, and voila--it appears in your menu bar (macmage.com). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked is Mac-bound.(Aspyr Media Inc. plans to release Mac version for popular strategy game)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Aspyr Media announced plans to release a Mac version of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked, an expansion pack for the popular strategy game that puts you in charge of an amusement park: you have to build the rides, lay out the park, staff the park...

Adobe releases Photoshop Lightroom: tool for digital photographers rivals Apple's aperture.(Adobe Systems Inc.'s image processing software)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... More than a year after being announced--and with the help of more than 500,000 beta testers--Adobe's Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 is finally shipping to customers. The app is designed to aid professional photographers with their digital workflows....

Dialog box.
April 1, 2007... "Backdating is totally legal if you disclose that it's done." Phil Dina, BusinessEdge Solutions compliance expert. For complete coverage of this topic, go to macworld.com/2512. "Verizon will strike back [with] a new player, where you can...

Jobs: an end to DRM? Step would require support of major music labels.(Steve Jobs)(digital rights management)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Imagine a world without digital rights management (DRM) restrictions dictating how and where we can enjoy our downloaded digital music. In a bold--and highly unusual--move, Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently suggested such a dramatic switch in an...

Blogs.(people who read blogs continues to grow)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... It seems that everyone has a blog these days. The number of blogs has grown from fewer than 1 million worldwide in 1999 to more than 63 million today. But research firm Gartner shocked the blogosphere recently by predicting that the number of...

Assembly-line Mac minis: tiny Apple hardware helps Ford improve productivity.(Ford Motor Co. used Apple Inc.'s Mac Minis)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... If you've driven a Ford lately, chances are a Mac mini deserves some of the credit. That's because Ford Motor Company is using the Apple computers in two of its northern Indiana factories, to boost assembly-line efficiency. Fourteen Intel Core...

TuneStudio.(Belkin's launched audiomixer device)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... All 5G and nano iPods can record CD-quality (16-bit, 44.1kHz, stereo) audio, given the proper dock-connector add-on. Unfortunately, until recently those accessories were limited to small microphones with limited functionality--great for...

Diamond mouse.(What we're raving about this month)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... I'm not really sure what the target market is for a mouse embedded with 59 diamonds, but it requires someone with [euro]18,600 (about $24,000) to drop on a pointing device that you can get for less than $10 from your local computer store's...

webEdition 4.(What we're raving about this month)
April 1, 2007... If you look around the Web, you'll be hard-pressed to find two identical content-management systems (CMSs). Web-based packages are usually designed with the assumption that customization will be the first step after purchase. If you want that...

LightSnake USB.(HARDWARE)
April 1, 2007... LightSnake USB, from SoundTech Pro Audio (www.soundtech.com): Intelligent USB microphone cable incorporates embedded analog-to-digital converter and signal booster ($70).

Quicky.(HARDWARE)
April 1, 2007... Quicky, from Quicker Tek (www.quickertek.com): This USB transceiver is designed to improve the wireless networking range of iMacs by up to 10 times ($225).

MetaGrove Suite 1.1.(SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2007... MetaGrove Suite 1.1, from Pound Hill Software (www.poundhill.com): Suite of plug-ins provides Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) support for Adobe Creative Suite 2 applications ($299).

Tracktion 3.(SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2007... Tracktion 3, from Mackie (www.mackie.com): Digital audio and MIDI production software adds time-stretching and pitch-shifting features (Ultimate Bundle, $320; Project Bundle, $130).

AccountEdge 2007.(MYOB's accounting software)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $299 COMPANY: MYOB URL: www.myob-us.com For the last several years, MYOB's AccountEdge has been the most comprehensive accounting application available for the Mac, offering an extensive set of...

DiskWarrior 4.(Alsoft's disk and file management software)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... RATING: OUTSTANDING PRICE: $100 COMPANY: Alsoft URL: www.alsoft.com After a long wait, Alsoft has finally released its Universal version of DiskWarrior. Version 4 optimizes and repairs directories on hard disks, RAID volumes,...

TurboTax premier.(tax preparation software)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $75 COMPANY: Intuit URL: www.turbotax.com The latest version of TurboTax offers a friendly interface and an efficient means of wading through your financial waters. It handles your state and federal...

Oki Data C6100dn.(color laser printer)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $1,102 COMPANY: Oki Data URL: www.okidata.com The Oki C6100dn produces great-looking prints, and it includes built-in duplexing. It has easy network connectivity and quick printing speeds...

Epson Stylus Photo R340.(ink-jet photo printer)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $200 COMPANY: Epson URL: www.epson.com The Epson Stylus Photo R340 prints the best color photos in its class, and it reproduces shadow detail extremely well (macworld.com/0948). [ILLUSTRATION...

HP Photosmart C7180.(multifunction Ink-Jet printer)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $400 COMPANY: Hewlett-Packard URL: www.hp.com The HP Photosmart C7180's features, connection options, and solid print and scan quality make it a fine fit for people who want a good all-around color...

8-megapixel digital SLR.(digital single lens reflex camera)(Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... EOS Digital Rebel XT RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $899; with lens, $999 COMPANY: Canon URL: www.canon.com The Digital Rebel XT's feature set, image quality, and price, combined with the vast assortment of available Canon...

Panasonic PV-GS500.(MiniDV camcorder)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $1,000 COMPANY: Panasonic URL: www.panasonic.com The PV-GS500 is a fine piece of equipment: it offers great control, excellent video quality, and broad operational flexibility (macworld.com/1673). ...

HP LP2465.(liquid crystal displays)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $799 COMPANY: Hewlett-Packard URL: www.hp.com The LP2465 is an affordable and flexible 24-inch desktop LCD with a 16:10 wide-screen aspect ratio that immediately makes one think of the cinema...

NEC MultiSync 2190UXi.(liquid crystal display)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $1,500 COMPANY: NEC URL: www.necdisplay.com This 21-inch display doesn't come cheap, but graphics pros will love the NEC MultiSync 2190UXi's vivid and accurate colors and wide viewing angle...

Desktop drive.(fireWire hard disk drives)(G-Technology's G-Drive Q 500GB)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... G-Drive Q 500GB RATING: OUTSTANDING PRICE: $559 COMPANY: G-Technology URL: www.g-technology.com The G-Drive Q SATA hard drive has nearly every type of connection you could want. It operates without a fan, so the G-Drive Q...

Portable drive.(Rocsecure Rocbit 2B)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Rocbit 2B RATING: OUTSTANDING PRICE: $230 COMPANY: Rocsecure URL: www.rocsecure.com The Rocbit 2B, with 40-bit encryption, is well worth its cost if security is a concern (macworld.com/1443). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

LaCie d2 DVD-RW with LightScribe.(DVD recordable drives)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $189 COMPANY: LaCie URL: www.lacie.com In addition to being one of the latest and fastest drives for burning DVDs, the LaCie d2 features LightScribe, a cool disc-labeling technology...

Macs.(laptop computers)(personal computers)(Product/service evaluation)(Table)
April 1, 2007... PRODUCT PROCESSOR DISPLAY RATING DESKTOP iMac Intel Core 2 17 inches VERY GOOD Duo/1.83GHz Intel Core 2 17 inches VERY GOOD 1/2 Duo/2GHz Intel Core 2 20...

iPods.(Apple iPod)(Apple iPod nano)(Apple iPod shuffle)(Product/service evaluation)(Table)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... BEST PRODUCT CAPACITY RATING PRICE (A) DISPLAY iPod 30GB VERY GOOD 1/2 $205 2.5-inch color iPod 80GB VERY GOOD 1/2 $325 2.5-inch color...

iPod accessory: IncipioBud.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $6 COMPANY: Incipio Technologies URL: www.incipiodirect.com One of the great features of Apple's second-generation (2G) iPod shuffle is its tiny profile. At two-thirds the size and weight of the...

Audio: ProfCast 2.0.(audio software)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $30 COMPANY: Humble Daisy URL: www.profcast.com If you've ever given a Keynote or PowerPoint presentation, you've likely received the following request: "Can I have a copy of your slides?" But what the...

New life for old Macs: 4 ways to put your old PowerPC Mac to work--and when to let it go.
April 1, 2007... If you've made the switch to an Intel-based Mac, the skeleton in your closet might be an old PowerBook. Or perhaps it's an original flat-panel iMac gathering dust behind your skis. Buying a new computer typically leads to a dilemma many...

Stop today's spam: as junk e-mailers get more resourceful, so must you.
April 1, 2007... By some estimates, spam now accounts for 80 percent of all e-mail sent. I believe it--in the past two months, 73 percent of the messages I've received have been junk. And that's not counting messages that my ISP filtered out before I even saw...

Find free music: go online for no-cost, legal tunes.
April 1, 2007... Every Tuesday, Apple posts free songs on the iTunes Store, a no-cost--and legal--way to add more than 100 new tracks to your library over the course of a year. Unfortunately, you won't necessarily want to add many of these songs to your...

Eliminate color casts: the white-balance menu is the key to accurate color.
April 1, 2007... Accurate exposure, faithful color, and sharp focus are the technical cornerstones of good photography. Of the three, color is the most often overlooked--many indoor shots end up with a dark reddish tint, while many outdoor snapshots end up blue...

Living a Second Life: maximize your experience in the virtual world.
April 1, 2007... You've no doubt heard the buzz about Second Life (www.secondlife.com), the online world where people create virtual second selves. Mac users are as welcome as anyone else in this world, but the simulation was originally developed for Windows,...

Mac OS X Hints: the insider tips you won't get from Apple.
April 1, 2007... Minimize All of a Program's Windows OS X's window-minimizing feature shrinks an open window and stores it on the right-hand side of your Dock (as long as you haven't moved the Dock off the bottom of the screen). This is a handy way to...

Mac 911: solutions to your most vexing Mac problems.(Keeping Up-to-Date with iPhoto)(MP3 file compression for disk usage)
April 1, 2007... Keeping Up-to-Date with iPhoto Q: I've noticed the calendar icon that appears in iPhoto 6's lower left corner, but I'm not sure how to put it to good use. Any recommendations? Dale Carson A: You've discovered the much-overlooked...

Apple's computer, incorporated: never mind the name change--the Apple TV and iPhone are computers to the core.
April 1, 2007... At first glance, it might have seemed that the Mac was invisible at Macworld Expo. During Steve Jobs's keynote address, there was no announcement of new Mac hardware, no news about Leopard, no word about iLife or iWork--and to top it all off,...