Macworld articles from April 2008

Macworld archives from April 2008

The MacBook air diet: fitting your data on a skinny laptop isn't easy.(FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK)(Editorial)
April 1, 2008... The first thing I did upon learning that I would be reviewing the MacBook Air (page 72) was sigh heavily. Not that I wasn't excited about playing with Apple's latest (and lightest) laptop. No, my sigh was one of realization: my current...

Leaping into Leopard.(FEEDBACK)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... Thank you to Macworld and to all the people who contributed to the feature article "Leopard Lands" (January 2008). Though I'm still a Mac beginner, I found it well worth the price of my subscription. # Barbara Fontana [ILLUSTRATION...

Glossy or matte?(FEEDBACK)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... I've just read the letters about the new iMacs in January's Feedback. I bought a 2.8GHz 24-inch iMac and am extremely happy with it. The display is bright but has absolutely no reflection problems. I never see anything reflected on the display,...

The good and the bad.(FEEDBACK)
April 1, 2008... I am writing to address all the negative items that appear in your magazine. I'd like to give subscriptions to your magazine to acquaintances who have just purchased a Mac or who are thinking about buying one. But I cannot bring myself to do...

Overheard on the forums.(FEEDBACK)
April 1, 2008... Considering how ugly Office 2008 looks, I will never upgrade. Office 2004 works just fine. hillstones macworld.com/3343 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A lot of people who bag the Apple TV just look at the feature set and say it's...

Reader poll.(FEEDBACK)(Survey)
April 1, 2008... What do you think of the glossy screens on Apple's laptops and the new iMac? Like them 45% Don't like them 25% Haven't seen one 17% Don't feel one way or the other 13% ...

OS X 10.5.2 comes as welcome news: Leopard update shows that Apple listens to users.(OPERATING SYSTEM)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... Apple periodically comes under fire for not listening to its customers--specifically, for deciding on particular features (or omitting others) and then sticking to its guns regardless of the reaction. Although some of this criticism is off...

Amazon.com to buy Audible.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
April 1, 2008... Web retailer Amazon.com announced plans to acquire audiobook publisher Audible in a transaction valued at $300 million. Audible offers over 80,000 programs, including audiobooks from best-sellingauthors and spoken-word content from news sources...

Apple market share to double by 2011?(NEWS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Apple's iPod and iPhone momentum seems to be translating into increased market share for Macs. In a report, "Key Predictions for IT Organizations and Users in 2008 and Beyond," market research firm Gartner predicted that Apple will double its...

Is the iPod slipping? Slow growth doesn't tell the whole story.(iPOD)(Apple Inc.)
April 1, 2008... From October to December 2007, Apple sold more iPods than in any quarter since the introduction of the mobile music player six years earlier. Record quarterly sales of 22.1 million iPods helped Apple tally $9.6 billion in revenue and a $1.5...

Happy with Leopard.(TECH TRENDS)(Survey)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... In a January 2008 survey of people who had bought a home computer in the previous 90 days, four-fifths of those who bought Macs said they are "very satisfied" with the Leopard operating system. That's significantly higher than Microsoft's...

First look: Aperture 2; Apple photo software gains new tools, gets lower price.(PHOTOGRAPHY)(Column)
April 1, 2008... With the release of Aperture 2, Apple has reaffirmed its commitment to an important segment of the creative-professional market by rolling out a welcome--and many would say overdue--product that can really benefit pro photographers. Apple has...

User discovers office 2008 problems: Microsoft promises fixes for installation issues.(SOFTWARE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... As if a four-year delay between releases wasn't enough, one user has discovered a pair of installation-related problems with Microsoft Office 2008 that pose potential security and administrative headaches. Microsoft has vowed to provide fixes...

Dialog box.(Mac Beat)(Quotation)
April 1, 2008... "This will be the first time since I was 17 that I won't have my full- time Microsoft job." Bill Gates, during his final Consumer Electronics Snow keynote [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "The attacks used against [Xserves] are designed for...

Vista home cleared for virtualization: Microsoft lifts restriction on entry-level version.(OPERATING SYSTEM)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... People who need to run Windows on their Macs through Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion got a bit of good news recently--Microsoft has made it less expensive for Mac users to run Windows Vista. Users who purchase the Home Basic and Home...

CurrencyConverter 0.8.2.(WIDGET OF THE MONTH)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Apple's Unit Converter widget can convert from one currency to another, but if you deal in multiple currencies, you'll want to check out Paolo Grifantini's CurrencyConverter 0.8.2 (payment requested). This handy widget lets you simultaneously...

Viveza.(CREATIVE NOTES)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2008... If I had to choose the best of show from the 2008 PMA photo conference and trade show in Las Vegas, the top spot would go to Nik Software's Viveza--a new Adobe Photoshop plug-in that performs selective color and tone correction on your images...

TubeStick hybrid.(What we're raving about this month)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2008... I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be watching television on my Mac. After all, my computer is for serious stuff--work, sending e-mail, and the like. But as it turns out, I do a fair amount of TV viewing on my Mac, and now the TubeStick...

Jolt.(What we're raving about this month)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... You're watching a YouTube video, when the screen suddenly dims or switches off completely as OS X's Energy Saver kicks in. Don't you wish your Mac would cut you some slack already? Bryan Hansen's Jolt is a utility that stops Energy Saver from...

Hydra.(What we're raving about this month)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... While your eyes can distinguish details in both the bright and dark areas of a room, your camera has a far more limited range. To work around this problem, you can take multiple exposures and combine them into a single High Dynamic Range--or...

Bird-Electron EZ17-B iPod Recycling Speaker.(What we're raving about this month)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... If you're looking for a way to turn those empty iPod boxes into something useful, consider Audio Cubes' $40 Bird-Electron EZ17-B iPod Recycling Speaker. These unpowered speakers fit into the box of a second-generation iPod nano or shuffle,...

PowerDock.(What we're raving about this month)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Apple has sold so many iPods and iPhones that it's not uncommon for a family--or even a person--to have more than one. Unless you've got a computer or power adapter for each, your i devices have to take turns charging. And if you forget to swap...

D60.(HARDWARE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... D60, from Nikon (www.nikonusa.com): The 10.2-megapixel digital SLR camera features a new digital image processor and offers the ability to optimize shadow and highlight detail (pricing not yet announced).

EOS Digital Rebel XSi.(HARDWARE)(Canon U.S.A. Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... EOS Digital Rebel XSi, from Canon (www.usa.canon.com): This 12.2-megapixel digital SLR camera features improved autofocus compared to previous Rebel models, enhanced 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion, and enhanced Live View for the 3-inch LCD...

Lumix DMC-TZ4 and Lumix DMC-TZ5.(HARDWARE)
April 1, 2008... Lumix DMC-TZ4 and Lumix DMC-TZ5, from Panasonic (www.panasonic.com): 8.1- and 9.1-megapixel point-and-shoot cameras feature 28mm wide-angle 10x optical zoom lenses (DMC-TZ4, $300; DMC-TZ5, $350).

MobileStor Performance.(HARDWARE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... MobileStor Performance, from MCE Technologies (www.mcetech.com): This 320GB hard-drive upgrade for MacBook and MacBook Pro models comes with installation instructions and a toolkit for opening up the laptop ($349).

Optio E50, M50 and S12.(HARDWARE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Optio E50, M50, and S12, from Pentax Imaging (www.pentaximaging.com): The 8-megapixel Optio E50 has a 3x optical zoom; the 8-megapixel Optio M50 has a 5x optical zoom; and the 12-megapixel Optio S12 has a 3x optical zoom (E50, $150; M50, $230;...

TV Switcher.(HARDWARE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... TV Switcher, from Gefen (www.gefen.com): This HDTV accessory lets you use one display HDMI port with up to four different HDMI-equipped devices, including video-game consoles, DVD players, and the Apple TV ($199).

1Password 2.5.10.(SOFTWARE)(Agile Software Corp.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... 1Password 2.5.10, from Agile Web Solutions (www.1password.com): This password manager adds a password-strength meter to find weak Web passwords, as well as a new Generic Text Import feature that lets you add information from any formatted text...

Jade.(SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2008... Jade, from DataMind (jade.datamind.biz): Digital-image-processing software offers one-button automatic image-adjustment and batch-processing features (Jade Home, $40; Jade Pro, $200).

MemoryMiner 1.8.(SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2008... MemoryMiner 1.8, from GroupSmarts (www.memoryminer.com): Digital storytelling program adds a Flickr upload plug-in and Media Browser support for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom libraries ($45; upgrade, free).

ProjectForum 6.(SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2008... ProjectForum 6, from CourseForum Technologies (www.projectforum.com): Collaboration application adds Wiki-oriented visual Web page editor and a sitewide user-account option (free; advanced licenses start at $79).

SuperSync 2.2.(SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2008... SuperSync 2.2, from SuperSync (www.supersync.com): Music library synchronization software lets users retrieve songs and playlists from their iPods ($29; upgrade, free).

You Control 1.6.(SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2008... You Control 1.6, from You Software (www.yousoftware.com): Custom menu software fixes various bugs and adds Leopard compatibility ($30; upgrade, free).

Microsoft Word 2008: word processor adds new layout mode but loses Visual Basic.(Reviews)
April 1, 2008... Microsoft Word has been around almost as long as the Mac itself, and it's been four years since the program's last major upgrade. At this late date, how much more can Microsoft do to tweak its venerable word processor? Quite a bit, as it turns...

Excel 2008: spreadsheet program gains minor additions but eliminates macro support.(Reviews)
April 1, 2008... It's been more than three years since the last update to Excel (VERY GOOD; macworld.com/3409). Even after all this time, you'll see what appears to be only a slightly re-skinned version of Excel 2004 when you launch the 2008 version. The menus...

PowerPoint 2008: presentation software edges closer to the competition.(Reviewsw)
April 1, 2008... Few products enjoy the market dominance that PowerPoint does. But Mac presenters have had an alternative since January of 2003, when Apple unveiled Keynote (VERY GOOD 1/2; macworld.com/3043). Sporting an improved interface and beefed-up...

Entourage 2008: bests Apple competitor with superior depth of features.(Reviews)
April 1, 2008... Since the last major version of Microsoft Office, Entourage has probably come under more attack from Apple's applications than any other Office program. OS X's Mail (GOOD 1/2; macworld.com/0652), Address Book, and iCal all offer credible...

CSSEdit 2.6.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $30 COMPANY: MacRabbit URL: www.macrabbit.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The best Web design programs are pricey packages with difficult learning curves (think Dreamweaver). Cheaper, simpler...

Eschalon: Book I.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $28 COMPANY: Basilisk Games URL: www.basiliskgames.com Basilisk Games' new single-player role-playing game, Eschalon: Book I, is the first installment of a planned trilogy. It's an old-school RPG, and...

Flock 1.0.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: free COMPANY: Flock URL: www.flock.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Billed as a "social Web browser," Flock 1.0.3 makes it easy to track blogs and social networks, and to create your own content....

Guitar Hero III: legends of rock.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $80 COMPANY: Aspyr Media URL: www.aspyr.com Guitar Hero has been a phenomenon ever since it appeared on the PlayStation 2 game console in 2005. Here's the deal: You're a guitar player in a...

Virtual TimeClock Pro 5.6.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $195 COMPANY: Redcort Software URL: www.redcort.com Virtual TimeClock Pro 5.6.1 does away with the need for a mechanical time clock and punch cards, replacing them with either a computer that acts as a...

Audioengine 2.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $199 COMPANY: Audioengine URL: www.audioengineusa.com For the money, the Audioengine 2--a smaller version of the company's excellent Audioengine 5 system--is a remarkably good-sounding set of...

HL-4070CDW.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $499 COMPANY: Brother URL: www.brother.com If you're looking to purchase a printer for a small to medium-size workgroup, the HL-4070CDW is an excellent choice. Brother's color laser packs a...

ScanSnap S510M.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $495 COMPANY: Fujitsu URL: scansnap.fujitsu.com Unlike flatbed scanners, which are designed primarily for scanning images, Fujitsu's ScanSnap S510M has a compact, upright design that's more...

2.8GHz eight-core Mac Pro.(What we're reviewing online this month)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... RATING; VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $2,799 COMPANY: Apple URL: www.apple.com Apple's new Mac Pro has been pumped up with faster, more-efficient processors, as well as a speedier system bus and faster memory designed to give the...

Laser printer.(PRINTERS)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... C6100dn RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $799 COMPANY: Oki Data URL: www.okidata.com The C6100dn, from Oki Data, produces great-looking prints and includes built-in duplexing. It also offers easy network connectivity and...

Ink-jet photo printer.(PRINTERS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Stylus Photo 1400 RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $260 COMPANY: Epson URL: www.epson.com Epson's Stylus Photo 1400 prints photos that are rich in both color and detail. Capable of outputting images as large as 13 by 19 inches,...

Compact photo printer.(PRINTERS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... PictureMate Zoom PM 290 RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $200 COMPANY: Epson URL: www.epson.com Affordable, problem-free, and enjoyable to use, the PictureMate Zoom is the best and speediest portable photo printer currently...

Multifunction laser.(PRINTERS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... X500N RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $396 COMPANY: Lexmark URL: www.lexmark.com Don't let the Lexmark X500N's low price tag fool you. This all-in-one color laser printer, scanner, and copier is an impressive overall performer...

Perfection V700 Photo.(FLATBED SCANNER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $492 COMPANY: Epson URL: www.epson.com The Epson Perfection V700 Photo is an excellent midrange scanner for people who need to scan both reflective media and transparencies, especially at high...

Digital SLR.(DIGITAL CAMERAS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... D40 RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $455 COMPANY: Nikon URL: www.nikonusa.com The Nikon D40 is a great value. This 6.1-megapixel camera comes with every feature you'd desire in a DSLR, such as adjustable ISO, Raw mode, and a...

Compact digital camera.(DIGITAL CAMERAS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... NV11 RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $263 COMPANY: Samsung URL: www.samsung.com An excellent all-around digital camera, the 10.1-megapixel Samsung NV11 is equally accommodating of beginners and advanced shutterbugs...

PV-GS320.(MINIDV CAMCORDER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $338 COMPANY: Panasonic URL: www.panasonic.com Compared with other 3-CCD MiniDV camcorders, the Panasonic PV-GS320 is a bargain. And it's a good choice for people who want a camcorder that shoots...

Large display.(LCD MONITORS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... LP2465 RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $624 COMPANY: Hewlett-Packard URL: www.hp.com The HP LP2465 is an affordable and extremely adjustable 24-inch desktop LCD panel with a 16:10 wide-screen aspect ratio that immediately calls...

Medium display.(LCD MONITORS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... MultiSync 2190UXi RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $977 COMPANY: NEC URL: www.necdisplay.com The 21-inch NEC MultiSync 2190UXi does not come cheap, but it offers vivid and accurate colors, as well as a wide viewing angle...

d2 DVD+/-RW with LightScribe.(DUAL-LAYER DVD BURNER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $130 COMPANY: LaCie URL: www.lacie.com Speedy and versatile, the LaCie d2 external rewritable drive has the added bonus of being able to burn Light-Scribe images--a cool disc-labeling technology...

Desktop drive.(FIREWIRE HARD DRIVES)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... My Book Studio Edition RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $330 COMPANY: Western Digital URL: www.westerndigital.com NEW The My Book Studio Edition's features, design, and fast speed add up to a superb 1TB drive...

Portable drive.(FIREWIRE HARD DRIVES)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Rocbit 2B RATING: OUTSTANDING PRICE: $192 COMPANY: Rocsecure URL: www.rocsecure.com The portable Rocbit 2B is a fast, quiet hard drive featuring real-time encryption. It's well worth its cost if security is a concern...

Macs.(Top Products)
April 1, 2008... PRODUCT PROCESSOR RATING PRICE (A) DESKTOP iMac Intel Core 2 VERY GOOD $1,100 Duo/2GHz Intel Core 2 VERY GOOD $1,469 Duo/2.4GHz Intel Core 2 ...

iPods.(Top Products)
April 1, 2008... PRODUCT CAPACITY RATING PRICE (A) DISPLAY iPod classic 80GB VERY GOOD $230 2.5-inch color iPod classic 160GB VERY GOOD $329 2.5-inch color iPod touch 8GB GOOD 1/2 $280 ...

Productivity: Anxiety 1.0.(Mac Gems)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: payment requeted COMPANY: Model Concept URL: www.anxietyapp.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To-do lists aren't new, but lately, keeping track of tasks has become a hot topic--witness the popularity of...

Utility: Winclone 1.6.3.(Mac Gems)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: free COMPANY: TwoCanoes Software URL: www.twocanoes.com Many Mac users need to run Windows once in a while, and for some of us, that means using Apple's Boot Camp technology to boot into Windows....

Leopard plug-in: Ziplight 1.2.(Mac Gems)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: free COMPANY: Bartas Technologies URL: www.bartastechnologies.com Mac OS X's Spotlight technology supports plug-ins, which let you expand the range of file types Spotlight can search. One of my...

Leopard plug-ins.(Mac Gems)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... You can make Leopard's Quick Look work with more types of files by installing third-party plug-ins (a good source is QLPlugins.com). Here's a look at a few favorites. If you've ever tried to use Quick Look on a folder, you know it shows...

Your Leopard survival guide: we track down the best shortcuts, hidden features, and power tips in Mac OS X 10.5.(FEATURE)(Apple Inc.)
April 1, 2008... Sometimes it takes a while to really get to know someone. What at first seems to be a charming quirk can, after prolonged exposure, become an irritating tic. And what at first seems puzzling can start to make sense. If the relationship is to...

Weighting the MacBook Air: is Apple's new ultraslim laptop worth the compromises? We put it to the test.(FEATURE)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... Laptop design has always been about compromise. Though they've come a long way in the past few years, laptops have never been able to offer the features available in desktop computers, and certainly not at comparable prices. In order to squeeze...

Preview's hidden powers: 8 things you didn't know you could do with this built-in tool.(Working Mac)(Apple Inc.)
April 1, 2008... Apple's Preview is more than just a fast and efficient program for reading PDFs, viewing graphics, and running slide shows. The version that comes with Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) has some powerful features stashed away in its menus. Now you can...

Make iMovie '08 work your way: regain lost iMovie HD 6 features.(Digital Video)(Apple Inc.)
April 1, 2008... When Apple introduced iMovie '08, the program received more attention for what it was missing than for what it offered. It represented a complete rewrite of the iLife suite's previous video-editing component, iMovie HD 6. The new version...

Take advantage of face detection: even older cameras can put these photo principles to work.(Digital Photo)
April 1, 2008... We love photographing people. But our cameras aren't always cooperative. They focus on the bricks in the background instead of on handsome Uncle Ted, or they set off a blinding flash that washes out playful party pictures. This sad situation...

Close the ports: how to configure Leopard's firewall.(Connect)
April 1, 2008... There are two schools of thought when it comes to the software firewall built into OS X. One school says that it's not necessary. Firewalls prevent unapproved connections from opening ports on a computer's network interface. (Ports are how...

Leopard's Unix tricks: the handy new command-line programs in Leopard.(Geek Factor)(Apple Inc.)
April 1, 2008... Mac OS X 10.5 includes a number of changes to its Unix core, perhaps more than in any prior OS X release. Many of the changes are routine--updated versions of key Unix programs such as the bash shell (from 2.0.5b to 3.2), the vi text editor...

Mac 911: solutions to your most vexing Mac problems.(Help Desk)
April 1, 2008... One-Sided iMovie Audio Q: The Radio Shack lapel microphone attached to my camcorder produces left-channel-only audio. Do you know how to turn that into a standard mono audio track that plays through both of the channels? Via the...

Developer showcase.
April 1, 2008... As seen in the Mac Developer Boulevard at Macworld Conference & Expo MacQuisition CF MacQuisition CF is a forensic acquisition tool used to safely and easily image Mac drives using the source system. Government and Educational...

What's in a name? Even Apple's branding just plain works.(SPOTLIGHT)
April 1, 2008... Imagine for a moment that you know nothing about Apple's notebook lineup. Perhaps you suffered a concussion when your previous notebook fell on your head, or--more likely--you're a fed-up-with-Windows would-be switcher. Whatever the...