Macworld articles from August 2008

Macworld archives from August 2008

Back to Basics: why I like Apple's strategy for the next OSX.(FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK)(Editorial)(Product/service evaluation)
August 1, 2008... At Steve Jobs's keynote for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, the media focused on the announcement of the new iPhone 3G (see MacUser, page 20). But for OS X users there was another huge story that day, one that took up less than...

Suites and sour.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2008... I was disappointed that "The Office Suite Smackdown" (May 2008) didn't cover PC compatibility. I don't work in isolation, and I don't know droves of other Mac users, so a dedicated switch to iWork without some sharing of output is not...

Correction.(Correction notice)
August 1, 2008... There was an incorrect math formula in May's Find Files Fast feature. To find the area of a circle with a diameter of iofeet,usepi*pow(10/2, 2).

Just browsing.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2008... I am surprised at the rating you gave Safari in your browser roundup OUTSTANDING; May 2008). In the same issue you state that PayPal does not recommend Safari, since it doesn't offer sufficient security against online fraud ("News in Brief,"...

Spotlight helpers.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2008... "Find Files Fast"(May 2008) was valuable, but omitted mention of a common convention that has developed among a number of third-party file-tagging apps, including TagBot, FileSpot, and Leap. These programs precede keywords stored in Spotlight...

Take Three?(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2008... Christopher Breen compares the Apple TV's main menu interface favorably to its predecessor's ("Apple TV, Take Two," May 2008). However, I find the new interface to be a step backward, as the previous iPod-style menu was more attractive and more...

Do you now or would you ever consider using a laptop as your only Mac?(READER POLL)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... These are just some of the reasons Macworld readers gave for choosing a laptop, desktop, or both. As a video editor, I'd never be able to give up the storage, speed, video cards, multiple monitors, and general expandability of my Mac Pro...

Apple introduces the iPhone 3G: second-generation phone brings GPS, faster data speeds, and lower price.(iPHONE)(Product/service evaluation)
August 1, 2008... It may have been the worst-kept secret in the tech world, but Apple CEO Steve Jobs managed to wow the crowd at the recent Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) when he showed off the next-generation iPhone at the end of his keynote speech. The...

A rare word from lve.(PEOPLE)(Jonathan lve gets two Black Pencil awards)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... While Jonathan lve, Apple's senior vice president.of industrial design, may be well known for his creative prowess, he's also notable for his retiring nature: he doesn't give many interviews or do public appearances. But that reticence belies...

Napster reinvents itself, MP3 style.(MUSIC)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Sit back, and I'll spin for you a wondrous tale from the heady days of 1999-an era in which you could get pretty much any song your heart desired just by using a program called Napster, whipped up by Northeastern University student Shawn...

Hardware.(PRODUCT WATCH)(E-520, from Olympus)(Jawbone Bluetooth headset, from Aliph)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... E-520, from Olympus (www.olympusamerica.com): A10.1-megapixel digital SLR, the E-520 comes with in-body image stabilization, face-detection technology, and a Live View feature on the 2.7-inch LCD (body only, $600; $700, with an ED 14-42mm...

Times reader coming to a Mac near you.(WEB)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... One of the cooler innovations of the online New York Times (www.nytimes.com) is Times Reader, software that displays the last seven days of stories. This is great for commuters who like reading the news while they're away from the Internet,...

Apple number one in tech support.(BUSINESS)(customer satisfaction survey report)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... We love lists--this time, it's Consumer Reports surveying users on the quality of tech support. Among all the computer manufacturers, Apple came in first in both desktops (81 percent satisfaction) and laptops (83 percent). In desktops, Dell was...

Back to my Mac helps get Mac back.(SECURITY)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Who says a .Mac (now MobileMe) account is a waste of money? For one White Plains, New York, woman whose Mac laptop disappeared in an apartment burglary, .Mac's Back to My Mac feature actually led to the identification of the culprit and...

Apple's brand on the rise.(Tech Trends)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Marketers love to talk about "brand value," but what is a recognizable brand really worth? For Apple, a new study says it's $55 billion. The company's brand ranked as the seventh most powerful in the world, up 123 percent in the past year--the...

Apple dinged on the environment again.(BUSINESS)
August 1, 2008... Despite Apple's big push last year on environmental issues, it seems that the green community still isn't impressed. While Greenpeace marginally raised Apple's ranking in its latest scorecard, nonprofit Climate Counts has a few choice words to...

Forrester makes wild predictions about Apple in 2013.(BUSINESS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The next five years are going to be very interesting for Apple, if a new report from market research firm Forrester is correct. The company predicts that Apple will rule the digital home by 2013. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Using Apple's...

By the numbers.
August 1, 2008... $19.4 billion Apple's cash balance at the end of the March 2008 fiscal quarter. 11 Steve Jobs's place on Forbes's most recent "Tech's Top-Paid CEOs" list. 1,000 The number of people the Genius Bar can serve per day at the new...

The Zune hits 2 million sold--Apple yawns.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Microsoft revealed that it has sold 2 million of its funny little Zune players since their launch in November 2006. This makes for relatively flat growth, and a small gain in overall U.S. market share from 3 percent to a whopping 4 percent....

Sell unauthorized iPod accessories, get sued.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Apple may often find itself under the gavel, but that doesn't mean the company doesn't have cause to launch its own fair share of legal action. Take, for example, the complaint Apple filed against Atico International USA, a "global sourcing and...

Air new zealand installs iPOD docking stations.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The love affair between iPods and airplanes is nothing new--heck, iPods have even traveled to space. According to a report on England's Times Online Web site, Air New Zealand is now preparing to expand this relationship even more with the...

Product watch.(SOFTWARE)(Web Assist)(Freeridecoding)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... BurnAgain FS,from freeridecoding (www.freeridecoding.com): CD- and DVD-burning utility enables multisession disc burning using the Finder ([euro]15), Checkout2.1, from MYOB (www.checkoutapp.com): Updated point-of-sale software bolsters...

Next Mac OSX version dubbed Snow Leopard.(OPERATING SYSTEM)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... In a WWDC keynote dominated by iPhone news, Steve Jobs did offer a bit of OSX-centric news: the next version of OSX is code-named Snow Leopard. In a statement released after the keynote's aftermath, Apple confirmed that Snow Leopard would focus...

iTunes movies available the same day as DVDs.(iTUNES)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... With Apple's movie selection recently crossing the 1,000-title mark, the iTunes Store has increasingly become a good place to go for your film fix. But with a 30-day lag time between DVD releases of new movies and iTunes Store availability,...

Activity Monitor.
August 1, 2008... Lifehacker's "Top 10 Things You Forgot Your | Mac Can Do" macworld.com/3632 BusinessWeek ponders whether there's still room for Google's CEO on Apple's board of directors macworld.com/3634 John Gruber on why Apple won't buy...

Easy iWeb Publisher.(What we're raving about this month)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... iLife is tightly integrated with Apple's $100-a-year .Mac Internet service. The problem is, what if you don't want to use .Mac? If you're an iWeb user, you can take advantage of most (but not all) of the program's features while using your own...

Duo-i.(What we're raving about this month)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Thanks to its simple design, intuitive interface, and great sound quality, Boston Acoustics' Recepter Radio has been on my nightstand for several years. The company has recently beefed up the Recepter's basic design to include stereo speakers,...

Tenori-on.(What we're raving about this month)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Remember the Lite-Brite, the toy dating from the 1960s that let you create colorful pictures with light bulbs and plastic pegs? It's undergone a radical makeover! Well, sort of. Yamaha has launched the $1,200 Tenori-on, an innovative music...

TapeDeck.(What we're raving about this month)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... When I was a wee lad, creating a radio show meant lugging around a bulky tape recorder. You can now recapture those days (minus the bulk) with the $25 TapeDeck for Leopard, from Super-MegaUltraGroovy and toastycode. The interface is a...

SeeThru Hard Shell for iMac20-lnch.(What we're raving about this month)(Speck Systems Limited )(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... In a purely practical world, all M&M's would be a dingy white, jewelry would be restricted to medical ID bracelets, and we'd be encased in clothing the color of raw hemp. But people enjoy colorful adornments, and that's exactly what Speck...

Jacks of all trades; MFPs: one-stop shops for prints, scans, copies, and faxes.(Product/service evaluation)
August 1, 2008... A multifunction printer (MFP) combines a printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine into one space-friendly device. Some MFPs specialize in the tasks of the creative professional, like photo printing and scanning. Other MFPs meet the needs of a...

Chronosync3.3.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Technologies URL: econtechnologies.com ChronoSync 3.3.6 is about as full featured as synchronization programs get. It's easy enough for a novice to use immediately, but has enough geeky options to satisfy the most demanding propeller-head. The...

Contactizer Pro 3.6.(macworld.com/reviews)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Decision url: objective-decision.com Contactizer Pro 3.6.1 is a single application that includes integrated features for managing contacts, tasks, calendars, e-mail communication, syncing, and projects. The program is nice-looking and largely...

FoldersSynchronizer X 3.6.(macworld.com/reviews)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... FoldersSynchronizer X 3.6.3 has a small and unassuming, though some what unintuitive, single-window interface that belies a full-featured and reasonably capable file-synchronization utility. Once you learn your way around, you can get...

Google calendar.(macworld.com/reviews)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... In the increasingly connected world we live in, it makes sense for many people to manage their calendars online so that they can access their information wherever they are and whenever they want--provided, of course, that they have an Internet...

Papers 1.8.(macworld.com/reviews)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Academic life has evolved from one of piles of papers on a desk to folders chock-full of PDF files on a hard drive. On the Mac, Spotlight can help you locate specific documents, but serious organization requires even more structure: enter...

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords *.(macworld.com/reviews)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $20 COMPANY: TransGaming URL: transgaming.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mixing elements of role-playing games with match-three puzzle games seems like an unlikely combination, but Puzzle Quest makes the mashup...

Orbit-MP3.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... RATING: GOOD PRICE:$30 COMPANY: Altec Lansing URL: www.alteclansing.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Altec Lansing's Orbit-MP3 is a portable speaker measuring just 3.63 inches in diameter, but its sound quality is surprisingly good....

Super.fi 4vi.(macworld.com/reviews)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $150 COMPANY: Ultimate Ears URL:www.ultimateears.com The super.fi 4vi is an iPhone headset: a set of stereo in-ear headphones with an in-line microphone for talking on the phone and an in-line controller for...

ViewSonic VP2250wb.(macworld.com/reviews)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... ViewSonic's VP225owb is a 22-inch LCD monitor with 1,68o-by-1,o5o-pixel wide-screen resolution. It has a DVI port for connecting to almost any modern Mac, and an analog VGA port for connecting older Macs or PCs. It features a fast...

Photosmart Pro B8850.(Printer Power)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The entry level of the archival-quality photo-printer market is heating up, in part due to the release of Hewlett-Packard's PhotoSmart Pro B8850. This model produces high-quality color and great black-and-white photos that are rich and...

Stylus Photo R1900.(Printer Power)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Epson's Stylus Photo R1900 uses pigment inks to produce long-lasting, borderless photographic prints at sizes up to 13 by 19 inches. It's one of the lowest-priced pigment printers available, and for glossy photos, you'll find that there's-no...

C61oodn.(LASER PRINTER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The C61oodn, from Oki Data, produces great-looking prints and includes built-in duplexing. It also offers easy network connectivity and quick printing speeds (macworld.com/1670). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RATING: OUTSTANDING PRICE: $799...

Stylus Photo 1400.(INK-JET PHOTO PRINTER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... 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, this printer is surprisingly well priced, without compromising on quality (macworld.com/2924). ...

PictureMate Zoom PM 290.(COMPACT PHOTO PRINTER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Affordable, problem-free, and enjoyable to use, the PictureMate Zoom is the speediest and best overall portable photo printer on the market (macworld.com/3102) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RATING: OUTSTANDING PRICE: $230 COMPANY: Epson URL:...

Pixma MX850.(MULTIFUNCTION INK-JET)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... NEW The MX850 prints crisp, legible text that's comparable to laser quality. Add to that speedy performance, solid print results, and extra perks, and you have a superb multifunction printer (macworld.com/3593). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Macs.(Top Products)(Product/service evaluation)
August 1, 2008... PRODUCT PROCESSOR RATING PRICE (A) DISPLAY DESKTOP iMac Intel Core 2 **** $1,194 20 inches Duo/2.4GHz Intel Core 2 **** $1,494 20 inches Duo/2.8GHz ...

MFC-9840CDW.(MULTIFUNCTION LASER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The MFC-9840CDW is not only a great all-in-one color laser printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine, but also has bonus features, such as a duplexer and wireless connectivity, that make it an outstanding value (macworld.com/3566) ...

Perfection V700 Photo.(FLATBED SCANNER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Epson Perfection V700 Photo is an excellent and very speedy midrange scanner with two lenses for people who need to scan reflective media and transparencies, especially at high resolutions (macworld.com/1519). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

D40.(DIGITAL SLR)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... 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 variety of image-processing features (macworld.com/2498). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

NV11.(COMPACT DIGITAL CAMERA)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... An excellent point-and-shoot digital camera, the 10.1-megapixel Samsung NV(11) produces detailed and well-exposed images. Its versatile feature set accommodates beginners and advanced shutterbugs (macworld.com/2984). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

PV-GS320.(MINIDV CAMCORDER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... 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 high-quality video and still images for half the cost of a high definition device...

Large display.(LCD MONITORS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... LP2465 RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $617 COMPANY: Hewlett-Packward URL:www.hp.com The HP LP2465 is an extremelyadjustable 24-inch desktop LCD panel with a 16:10 wide-screen aspect ratio that immediately calls to mind the...

Multisync 2190UXi.(MEDIUM DISPLAY)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... RATING: OUTSTANDING PRICE: $977 COMPANY: NEC URL: www.necdisplay.com The NEC MultiSync 2190UXi monitor is designed--and priced--for professional users. This 21-inch display doesn't come cheap, but it offers vivid, accurate colors;...

iPODS.(Product/service evaluation)
August 1, 2008... PRODUCT CAPACITY RATING PRICE * DISPLAY ipod classic 80GB **** $230 2.5-nch color 160GB **** $320 2.5-inch color ipod touch 8GB *** 1/2 $284 3.5-inch color ...

My Book Studio Edition.(Desktop drive)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The My Book Studio Edition's affordability, versatile connection options, compact design, and good performance add up to a superb 1TB drive (macworld.com/3295). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RATING:VERY GOOD1/2 PRICE: $24O COMPANY: Western...

Rocbit 2B.(PORTABLE DRIVE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The portable Rocbit 2B is priced a bit higher than similar portable drives that lack encryption, but it's well worth its cost if security is a concern. In our tests, the Rocbit 2B was 6 to 31 percent faster than three comparable drives from...

Pastor 1.8.(SECURITY)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... I've covered several for-fee ways to store personal data securely, but if you're looking for something simpler--an easy-to-use utility for storing passwords, software licenses, and similar information--Pastor 1.8 is a good alternative. It's...

Semulov 1.3.(UTILITY)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: free COMPANY: Kevin Wojniak URL: www.kainjow.com -- I have quite a few internal and external storage devices connected to my Mac, and to test Mac Gems programs. I download and mount many disk images each day....

Breakaway 1.6.(Mac Gems)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... You're jamming away to iTunes on your MacBook--at work, at a coffee shop, in the library, or on a plane-- but you're using headphones. The headphone cable gets yanked out, and suddenly your laptop is blaring your audio to everyone. ...

ProShutdown 1.1.(UTILITY.)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: free COMPANY: KennettNet Software URL: macworld.com/3668 Pressing control-eject brings up Mac OSX's "Are you sure you want to shut down your computer now?" dialog box. On older Mac desktop keyboards, the control...

MailCM 1.0.4.(E-MAIL)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... MailCM 1.0.4 is a contextual-menu plug-in for Apple's Mail that lets you quickly copy any of various message attributes. You just control-click (or right-click) on a message--either in a list or anywhere in the message itself--and then choose...

The portable office: Stay connected, get your work done, and avoid disaster anywhere you go.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... These days, many of us are spending less time at the office. It's not that we're working less; in fact, it's just the opposite. Thanks to laptops, e-mail, and ubiquitous Internet access, we can stay on the job 24-7 no matter where we happen...

The best way to get online: connect almost anywhere--fast, wirelessly, and without hotspots.
August 1, 2008... For many of us who travel and want to get online from the road, Wi-Fi hotspots alone just don't cut it. There aren't enough of them, they aren't always available where you want them, and they can be a security nightmare. There is a better...

Work anywhere: with web applications, you can collaborate no matter where you are.
August 1, 2008... The key to our placeless office: Web applications that let us chat, collaborate, and do all the other things that regular, in-the-same-place work teams do, and that let us do it from our home offices, hotel rooms, and Internet cafes. Even...

Stay in sync; how to keep data and files on multiple Macs in step.(synchronization)
August 1, 2008... For people who use more than one Mac--perhaps a laptop and a desktop, or a Mac at home and another at work--keepingfiles, photos, music, and other data in sync between the computers can be a real challenge. When syncing two or more Macs, most...

Return of the clones! You can run OSX on an Intel PC. But should you?
August 1, 2008... For a few years in the mid-'90s, there were Mac clones, computers that ran the Mac operating system but weren't made by Apple. Shortly after Steve Jobs's return, Apple shut down official Mac cloning for good. But today's Macs are really...

Save time and type less: tricks to help you become an efficiency expert.(Working Mac)
August 1, 2008... Until Apple starts rolling thought-controlled Macs off the assembly line, we'll still depend on keyboards, mice, and trackpads to tell our computers what to do. But some of the ways we control our Macs take more time than others. Here's how to...

Headphone buyer's guide: improve your iPod experience with a smart upgrade.(Playlist)
August 1, 2008... Apple's white earbuds, included with every iPod, are pretty good as far as earbuds go. The iPhone version even features a microphone for phone calls, and a button for basic playback control. But if you're still using those earbuds, you're not...

Pick your perfect audio interface: how to choose the best hardware for your needs.(Recording Studio)
August 1, 2008... An audio interface is the go-between for your Mac and your instruments and microphones, and there are a lot of things to consider when purchasing one for your home studio. For example, will you be recording vocals, guitars, and/or bass? What...

Extreme vacation shots; Get a new perspective on your travel photos.(Digital Photo)(Column)
August 1, 2008... Are your vacation snapshots stuck in a rut, with photo after photo of someone standing in front of a landmark? For pictures you can proudly show off, try shaking up your routine. For example, doing something as simple as changing your camera...

OS X'S other GUI: run Unix apps from the comfort of X11's graphical interface.(Geek Factor)
August 1, 2008... If you've ever thought about running Unix programs on your Mac, you might have assumed that meant you were stuck with the command-line interface. But you aren't. Go to Leopard's Applications: Utilities folder and double-click on X11.app....

Mac OS X Hints: The insider tips you won't get from Apple.(Help Desk)
August 1, 2008... Control the New iTunes Visualizers Visualizers are iTunes' eye candy--they're a mix of strange, flowing, glowing, morphing, hypnotic shapes and colors that move and sway on screen as you listen to music. Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) adds three...

Mac 911; Solutions to your most vexing Mac problems.(HELP DESK)
August 1, 2008... Adjust Program Volumes Q: Is there a way to adjust iChat's alert volume separately from my Mac's main volume? For example, if I'm watching a movie, how can I get the movie to play at full volume while iChat alerts play audibly, but softly?...

Bugs & fixes.(Product/service evaluation)
August 1, 2008... Can't Stop Spotlight Is one of your hard drives clicking incessantly, gradually slowing down your work? Spotlight may be indexing the drive, but never finishing the job. If the drive doesn't contain anything you search--say it's your backup...

The elephant in the living room: how Apple should turn the Apple TV into a TiVo-killer.(SPOTLIGHT)
August 1, 2008... As long as there have been TV set-top boxes, users have clamored for Apple to create one. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Almost 15 years ago, Apple did design an Apple Interactive Television Box, but it never emerged from the prototype stage....