Macworld articles from December 2003

Macworld archives from December 2003

Processor showdown.(From the Editor's Desk)(computer products comparison)
December 1, 2003... I'VE BEEN WRITING ABOUT THE MAC FOR TEN YEARS, AND the hardest story to write is the one that tries to compare Apple's products with those from the other side of the fence--computers made by companies such as Dell or Gateway, powered by...

Agreeing to disagree.(Feedback)(QuarkXPress 6.0)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Readers shared some strong opinions about September's Macworld, which was packed with controversial content. They had complaints about QuarkXPress 6.0 (and the way Quark does business). They shared their disappointment with OS X's Panther...

Little things mean a lot.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... RAY HORTON # I've read nothing about Panther ("Take a Peek at Panther," September 2003) that indicates whether Apple will bring back the Print Window option. Can someone please tell Apple that graphic designers (at least) need this feature...

G5: gee whiz!(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... BRIAN CAPUTO # Apple has done it again. With the Power Mac G5, it has created another of the "insanely great" machines that only Apple has been known for ("The Next Generation," September 2003). Yet even with this powerhouse on the market,...

Acrobat tumbles.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... DENNIS McELROY # After reading Jim Felici's Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Standard review (VERY GOOD 1/2; September 2003), I simply had to write. He comments only on what he considers to be good features and overlooks glaringly bad aspects. ...

Lies, damn lies, and chart art.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... DR. JAMES CASEBOLT # As a professor of statistics, I must disagree with Helen Bradley's recommendations for making "chart art" with Microsoft Excel X (Secrets, September 2003). A chart, or a graph, is not art--it's a means of...

Fond O' fonts.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... MIKE DAWSON # I just read "A Font-Management Free-for-All?" (Mac Beat, October 2003), and I have to say that I can see this ultimately being a good thing for Mac users and for third-party font-manager developers. Right now Font Book is a...

Judged by our cover.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... PATRICK VALELLA * September's cover is very nicely designed--I love the art. It's a beauty, even down to the spot metallics. Macworld's art department is cookin'! As a student of design, I can rest assured that you're in good hands. ...

Get the balance right.(cameras usage)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... MICHAEL WILHELM # I read your review of the Canon EOS 10D (September 2003) with genuine interest since one of the cons you cited was one of my primary reasons for purchasing this camera. No white-balance fine-tuning? You'd better have...

XPressing opinions.(Feedback)
December 1, 2003... MATT BLITZ # I'd hoped that the emergence of Adobe InDesign might knock the folks at Quark off their pedestal of arrogance. While I've been using InDesign as much as possible, it still has some production-based limitations that force me to...

Just drop it.(Feedback)(drag and drop operating system)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... LOUIS DEAETT # In September's Mac Gems, Rob Griffiths laments that Mac OS doesn't offer a way to interrupt a drag-and-drop operation. This surprised me a bit since the mechanism for aborting a drag and drop is the same as it's always been:...

Second-class mail.(Feedback)(Apple's mail)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... JOHN FORSAYETH # Normally, I'm a big fan of Apple software, but I just have to say that Apple's Mail isn't very good. And "Take a Peek at Panther" (September 2003) didn't encourage me to hope for better. Far easier to use is the...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2003... In our review of iListen 1.6.1 (Reviews, October 2003), we implied that previous versions of iListen included a select-by-saying capability. In fact, 1.6.1 is the first version of iListen to include this feature.

Listen up--it's Macworld's audio gift guide: headphone heaven.(Mac Beat)
December 1, 2003... The Year of the Laptop? Try the Year of Music. Apple may have rolled out a steady stream of laptop releases in 2003, but its musical maneuvers--redesigned iPods and a popular online music store--have made an equally significant splash (see page...

FileMaker expands software offerings: databases at work.(FileMaker Meetings, FileMaker Recruiter launched)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... FileMaker Pro (www.filemaker.com) is all about storing information. But when it comes to putting that information to use, users of the database program have been pretty much on their own. "There is a class of users who may recognize...

Low-power chips aimed at portables: wireless becomes less power hungry.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Bigger isn't necessarily better, especially when it comes to wireless networking. The smaller a set of wireless chips is, the less heat it produces, the less power it consumes, and the easier it is to add to a portable device. For that reason,...

Creative beat.(Mac Beat)(applications software)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Design MacDraft 5.5 Quartz Edition, from Microspot (www.microspot.com): This 2-D CAD application has been developed for OS X and features Quartz graphics. Other additions include Import Picture, which allows users to import PICT, TIFF,...

Productivity beat.(Mac Beat)(Readiris Pro 9, from IRIS)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... OCR Readiris Pro 9, from IRIS (www.irisusa.com): This updated optical character recognition program has a new OCR engine, new autoformat technology, and a new interface. The scanning software is compatible with OS 9 and OS X (Standard...

Cube upgrade options abound: building the perfect Cube.(Mac Beat)
December 1, 2003... The star that shines the brightest burns out the quickest, and few stars burned as brightly as Apple's Power Mac G4 Cube. Introduced in July 2000, the Cube won praise for its stylish good looks and amassed a small but devoted legion of...

Chronopath's software-scanner bundle: book smart.(Mac Beat)(product information)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A lifetime of impulse buys at used-book stores and Amazon.com has left me with enough paperbacks and hardcovers to fill a two-room apartment. That's not a problem--I love books. What I don't love is not knowing exactly what titles I own and...

E-mail client, browser get lean: birds on the wing.(Mac Beat)(merges)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The idea of merging an e-mail client with a Web browser probably looked good on paper. But when Netscape did it in the late 1990s, with Netscape Communicator, the finished product was like two cars bolted together at impossible angles--all the...

Multimedia beat.(Mac Beat)(product information)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Education mPower 5, from Multimedia Design (www.mmdesigncorp.com): This multimedia-authoring tool aimed at K-12 and higher education adds native OS X support, full-screen authoring and playback, and enhanced image editing (individual...

Internet beat.(Mac Beat)(software )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... E-mail Eudora 6.0, from Qualcomm (www.eudora.com): This e-mail client for OS 9 and OS X adds spam filtering and contextual filing ($50; upgrade from version 4.3 and later, $40; upgrade for users who registered in the last 12 months, free)....

Music store, iPods highlight musical moves: Windows in tune.(Mac Beat)(Apple Computer Inc.)
December 1, 2003... Apple delivered on its promise to offer a Windows version of its iTunes Music Store. And the company did so just as this issue went to press. Announcing Windows compatibility with a version of iTunes that runs on Windows 2000 and XP, Steve Jobs...

Game theory.(Pro File Q & A)(Glenda Adams interview)(Brief Article)(Interview)
December 1, 2003... Glenda Adams's Mac experience has been mostly fun and games--after all, she first began developing Mac games 15 years ago. The founder and former president of Mac game-conversion developer Westlake Interactive, Adams now works as the director...

G4 chips added to iBooks: four score.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Say goodbye to the G3 chip. Now all Apple desktops and laptops run on at least a PowerPC G4, after the company added G4 processors to its iBook product line. But the G4 processors--which range in speed from 800MHz to 1GHz--aren't the only...

15-inch PowerBook G4s: Apple hits the sweet spot, but machines have inconsistent quality.(Reviews)(Apple Computer Inc.)
December 1, 2003... Eight months after Apple announced its smallest and largest PowerBook G4s--the 12-inch and 17-inch PowerBook G4s, in aluminum, not Titanium--Apple released the laptop many professional Mac users had been waiting for--the aluminum 15-inch...

FireWire Web cams: Apple's iSight goes up against established products.(Reviews)
December 1, 2003... Apple's iChat AV software (in beta at press time) has made videoconferencing as easy as plugging in a cable and turning on your smile. To make chatting even easier, Apple released its own camera, the iSight, to work with iChat AV. But the...

After Effects 6.0 professional: titling and keying tools provide terrific new core capabilities.(Reviews)
December 1, 2003... Adobe After Effects is an all-in-one animation, compositing, and postprocessing tool kit that has long been deservedly popular with multimedia professionals, videographers, and filmmakers. And version 6.0 is the most important upgrade we've...

DVD Studio Pro 2.0: elegant new interface, feature refinement streamline authoring.(Reviews)(Apple Computer Inc.)
December 1, 2003... Those sounds you've been hearing are professional DVD developers popping champagne corks to celebrate the arrival of DVD Studio Pro 2.0, a major upgrade to Apple's high-end DVD-authoring software. Like iDVD, DVD Studio Pro lets you create...

Toast 6 Titanium: a good program gets even better.(Reviews)
December 1, 2003... The Mac's built-in CD- and DVD-burning capabilities are great, but they may not be sufficient for burning a lot of CDs or DVDs. For people who demand powerful burning software, there's Roxio's Toast. Toast 5 Titanium (VERY GOOD 1/2; July...

Pixels 3D 5.0: 3-D-modeling and -rendering app blends function and low price.(Reviews)(Pixels Digital new product)
December 1, 2003... As a general rule, you have two choices when you're choosing a 3-D-modeling and-rendering program: a rich set of features or a pauper's price (less than $400). But at $399, version 5.0 of Pixels Digital's Pixels 3D breaks that rule. Similar to...

Soundtrack 1.0: Apple's flexible music-creation application is fun and easy to use.(Apple Computer Inc.)
December 1, 2003... Apple's Soundtrack made its debut last June, as part of the massive video-editing bundle Final Cut Pro 4. But now the same Soundtrack software is available as a stand-alone product. This puts Soundtrack within reach of video editors, Web...

Chartsmith 1.2: innovative OS X charting program has a few rough edges.(Reviews )(new product from Blacksmith Technologies)
December 1, 2003... Whether you're explaining scientific research or discussing a PTA fundraiser, charts can help your audience quickly grasp complex numerical relationships. Chartsmith 1.2.3, from Blacksmith Technologies, lets you turn raw data into spiffy...

24U Email OSAX 2.2.(Reviews in Brief)(new software)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... 9X VERY GOOD; 24U, info@24usoftware.com, www.24usoftware.com; $17 Every so often, we run across a widget that makes us fall in love with our Macs all over again. A good example of this is 24U Email OSAX 2.2, a simple AppleScript tool...

Cookie Muncher 1.0.6.(Reviews in Brief)(new product)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... X GOOD; dot software, www.dotsw.com; $8 If you delete all Web-browser cookies from your work machine to protect your privacy (or to cover your tracks at the office), Cookie Muncher is a handy tool. It generates a list of all the...

JumpDrive Secure.(Reviews in Brief)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... X GOOD 1/2; Lexar Media, 510/413-1200, www.lexarmedia.com; 128MB, $60; 256MB, $90; 512MB, $180 No matter how perilous the situation, James Bond never compromises the secret files by losing his lighter-sized drive. Less-debonair folks...

KidzMail 1.1.2.(KidzCan new product)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... 9X VERY GOOD; KidzCan, www.kidzcan.net; $10 For kids who are just getting started with the Internet, or even just getting started reading, e-mail programs such as Mail, Eudora, or Outlook can be overwhelming and confusing. KidzMail...

MacAstronomica 2.0.2.(Easy Creations new product)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... X VERY GOOD; EasySoft Creations, alexandre.trottier@videotron.ca, http://pages.infinit.net/trottier; $25 Need a map to the stars? MacAstronomica 2.0.2 is a simple but powerful tool that can turn any iBook or PowerBook into a portable...

MacResponder 1.02.(Bruno Blondeau new product)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... VERY GOOD 1/2; Bruno Blondeau, contact@brunoblondeau.com, www.brunoblondeau.com; $20 If setting up your e-mail program to send an automated reply while you're out is the one task standing between you and your next vacation, you can give...

Mystical Lighting.(new product from Auto FX Software)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... 9X VERY GOOD 1/2; Auto FX Software, 800/839-2008, www.autofx.com; $179 The photo-editing tool Mystical Lighting comes with 16 creative lighting and shading effects and hundreds of preset variations, all designed to impart a dramatic...

PodQuest 1.0.1.(new product from MibaSoft)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... X VERY GOOD 1/2; MibaSoft, www.mibasoft.dk; $10 I rarely get lost--thanks to online driving directions. However, it isn't always practical to read directions from a printout perched on the dashboard while you're driving. Enter...

TimeCache 5.1.5.(new product from PandaWare)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... X GOOD; PandaWare, www.pandaware.com; $50 PandaWare's TimeCache 5.1.5 is a program designed for consultants and other professionals who need to account and bill for time spent on specific projects; this makes it similar to Modesitt...

WorkStrip 3.0.(new product from Softchaos)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... X VERY GOOD; Softchaos; www.softchaos.com; $38 When we last reviewed WorkStrip (GOOD; November 2002), we felt that the program's excellent features weren't well organized and that it had too onerous a learning curve. Version 3 brings a...

Zoom & Pan 3.0.(new product from Virtix)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... 9X FLAWED; Virtix, support@virtix.com, www.virtix.com; $30 The Ken Burns Effect, a signature feature of iMovie 3, lets you add movement to still photographs by simulating the pan and zoom of a motion picture camera. As great as that...

Survival of the fittest.(The Game Room)(video games ratings)
December 1, 2003... MY FIRST MISTAKE WAS TURNING OUT THE LIGHTS IN MY office. My second mistake was leaving the door open. As a battle-hardened Colonial Marine, I was creeping down a dark hallway lit only by a flickering strobe light--my finger poised on the...

More fully functional.(Manfred Schubert RadTech products)
December 1, 2003... SOME OF THE BEST GEMS ARE THOSE THAT LET YOU DO what you should have been able to do in the first place. For example, PDF files have become a common way to exchange information--even Web sites often provide information via PDF. But clicking on...

The race is on: Macworld lab tests Apple's Power Mac G5 against high-performance PCs.(Cover Story)
December 1, 2003... UNTIL A FEW MONTHS AGO, a race between a Mac and a PC wasn't much of a race at all. Macs were fast--but PCs were usually faster. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The megahertz gap--the difference between the clock speeds of the PowerPC chips...

Panther by the numbers: 40 Mac OS X 10.3 features, tips, and tricks.(Apple Computer Inc.)
December 1, 2003... Trying to add up the new features and enhancements you'll find in Panther? Prepare for a long count. For every feature Apple has highlighted since it unveiled OS X 10.3 this summer, there are even more additions and improvements that have...

Hands on: easy Mac maintenance.(repairing methods)
December 1, 2003... JUST LIKE YOUR CAR, YOUR MAC NEEDS ROUTINE MAINTE-nance in order to run smoothly. Unlike your car, your Mac can perform some of this maintenance on its own. Two important tasks to perform regularly are Disk Utility's Repair Permissions and OS...

Working Mac: OS X's overlooked shortcut.(Secrets)
December 1, 2003... IF YOU'RE LIKE MOST MAC USERS, YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER taken advantage of OS X's services--systemwide shortcuts that let you use one application's abilities from within another. If this is the case, you're missing out on a great productivity...

Digital Hub: sweeten your sound.(Secrets)
December 1, 2003... SOUND IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF ANY MOVIE, AND NOTHing more clearly identifies the work of fledgling filmmakers than bad sound. It can turn indoor shots into a cacophony of unintelligible voices, unwanted noise, and room echoes. And it can make...

Create: tighter, firmer Web pages.(Secrets)(technical methods)
December 1, 2003... TRIM UNWANTED FAT FROM YOUR WEB SITE! THAT MAY sound like an infomercial, but it really is easy to write logical, compact markup. You can lower your site's bandwidth demands by 50 percent or more, restoring pep and vigor to loading times while...

Mobile Mac: it's in the bag.(laptops)(Buyers Guide)
December 1, 2003... YOU'VE SEEN THOSE BLACK PLEATHER LAPTOP BRIEFCASES, the ones that seem to spring up like weeds at big computer stores. It's a crime to put your beautiful Mac in one of those cheaply made things. You didn't settle for the computer everyone else...

Geek factor: X11 marks the spot.(Secrets)
December 1, 2003... IF THE IDEA OF RUNNING UNIX APPLICATIONS ON YOUR Mac excites you but using Terminal drives you crazy, you may be wishing for some sort of middle ground between OS X's polished Aqua interface and its raw command line. Your wish has already been...

Help desk: Mac OS X hints.(Secrets)
December 1, 2003... TAKE A LOOK AT SOME WAYS TO SEE MORE IN FINDER windows, tweak your iChat messages so they contain multiple lines, print pages to PDF, assign multiple genres to iTunes tracks, know how much is in your Trash, take advantage of Unix's redirection...

Help desk: Mac 911.(information about few products)
December 1, 2003... DO YOU RUE THE RANGE OF YOUR GRAPHITE BASE STATION, seek softer cell-phone ring tones, find PC viruses vexing, or loathe the limitations of your iTunes music library? There's no need to feel hemmed in by transitory travails when help is at...