Macworld articles from May 2003

Macworld archives from May 2003

On further review: product evaluation is our mission, as this issue makes clear. (From the Editor's Desk).(Editorial)
May 1, 2003... PRODUCT REVIEWS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF A PUBLICAtion such as Macworld. On average, we review and rate 35 new Mac-related products each month. Each review is thoroughly evaluated by our editorial staff. Our reviewers know that they need to put...

All together now. (Special Advertising Supplement).(Advertisement)
May 1, 2003... For many years, businesses have dreamed of finding easy and affordable ways of integrating the many applications they have developed. Most businesses have a multitude of applications running, whether on desktops or on servers. But methods of...

Feed back.(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... Bugging Out Most readers couldn't have been happier with our February 2003 cover story. But a few others saw the phrase "Jaguar Bugs" in bold, eye-catching type on the cover and found themselves, well, bugged by the idea of a Mac magazine...

Corrections.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
May 1, 2003... Our review of BBEdit 7.0 (Reviews, March 2003) listed an incorrect upgrade price for owners of version 6.1 or later. The $49 upgrade price is only for version 6.5 or later; the upgrade price for previous versions is $59. "Exterminate OS X...

Pulling back the curtain: with Safari, Apple takes a more open approach to product development. (Macbeat).
May 1, 2003... To most Web surfers, Dave Hyatt's Weblog probably doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary. But to Mac users, Hyatt's Web page, which chronicles his work on Apple's Safari Web browser, offers a rare glimpse into product development at a...

Emulation sensation: Microsoft buys Virtual PC from Connectix. (Mac Beat).
May 1, 2003... The leading Windows-emulation software for the Mac is now in the hands of the leading Windows developer. And news of Microsoft's February purchase of Connectix's Virtual PC product line has caused a stir among Mac users, leaving some wondering...

Hardware beat. (Mac Beat).
May 1, 2003... Displays An 18-inch LCD monitor from Princeton Graphic Systems (800/747-6249, www.prgr.com):The VL1821 ($599) is an 18.1-inch TFT Active Matrix LCD with a native resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels. Printers Two multifunction...

Selling points: where to shop; with Apple stores expanding, Mac shoppers face more choices. (Mac Beat).
May 1, 2003... Just a few years ago, buying a Mac meant either ordering directly from Apple (over the phone or via the Web) or paying a visit to an Apple-authorized reseller. But that all changed in 2001, when Apple opened its first brick-and-mortar stores in...

Focus on digital cameras: new models hit the market after photography trade show. (Mac Beat).
May 1, 2003... It happens every spring--the weather warms up, the flowers bloom, and digital-camera enthusiasts have a whole new crop of devices to sort through after leading manufacturers unveil their new models at the annual Photo Marketing Association...

A home for your hub: Bretford bases desk design on Apple's digital-hub concept. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Furniture maker Bretford (800/521-9614, www.digitalhubworkspace.com) thinks the Mac's unique ability to get the most out of electronic devices deserves a unique setup. So it designed a desk, the Digital Hub Workspace, based on Apple's...

Security at your fingertips: USB scanner reads fingerprints to provide Mac access. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Passwords and permissions certainly provide plenty of protection when it comes to safeguarding your Mac against unwanted users. But if you want another way to keep your computer from falling into the wrong hands, Sony hopes you'll let your...

Multimedia beat. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Hardware Video A 10-bit uncompressed video board from Blackmagic Design (www.decklink.com): The DeckLink 2 ($995) is an SDI.video card designed for connecting a Mac workstation to digital broadcast decks. A high-definition video...

Internet beat. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Software Connectivity QuickLink Mobile for Mac OS X, from Smith Micro (949/362-5800, www.smithmicro.com): The application configures both mobile phones end Macs to permit connectivity between the two via wireless Internet access, so...

Burton Amp: smokin' jacket; hitting the slopes with the iPod-friendly snowboarding jacket. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The crowds at January's Macworld Conference & Expo may have drooled over Apple's $499 Burton Amp jacket, the skiing and snowboarding jacket that features soft buttons on the sleeve for controlling your iPod when you're out on the slopes. But...

Dress up your iPod with add-ons. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... If Burton's iPod snowboarding jacket isn't your thing, you can choose from an entire parade of iPod-friendly paraphernalia that add substance and style. Here are a few recently released devices that will make your iPod as eclectic as your...

U.S. Digital Creators receive global recognition in international Contest. (Profile on: Canon Digital Creators).
May 1, 2003... It was the simplicity and sensitive handling of the subject that won Brad Trost the Bronze award in the Digital Graphics/Illustration (Print) Division of the 2002 Canon Digital Creators Contest. "It started as a study. I was interested in...

Imaging beat. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Hardware Scanners A flatbed scanner from Canon (800/652-2666, www.usa.canon.com): The CanoScan 9900F ($400) features a 3,200-by-6,400-dpi resolution with 48-bit color depth. The scanner includes film guides to support batch scanning...

Input-device beat. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Hardware Mice A wireless mouse from Belkin (800/223-5546, www.belkin .com): The MiniWireless Optical Mouse ($50) uses radio frequency, operating at 27MHz and working as far as three feet away from your computers. The mouse is targeted...

Cutting through the tape: recorders store digital video for playback, editing. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Forget celluloid and videotape. Thanks to advances in digital-recording devices, pure data could eliminate both from video production-and sooner than you might think. Take the compact DV Bank FireWire, from Datavideo Technologies...

The silence of the Power Macs: cabinets could lessen sound from last year's noisy models. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... When Apple rolled out an upgraded line of dual-processor Power Macs last summer, the company was hoping to make some noise in the computer world. But the grumbling about the noise generated by the mirrored--drive-door machines probably wasn't...

Productivity beat. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Software Layout RagTime 5.6.3 for OS X, from ComGrafix (800/448-6277, www.comgrafix.com): The latest version of the business publishing application has been updated to run natively in OS X 10.2. RagTime lets users create spreadsheets,...

Storage beat. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Hardware Hard Drives An external hard drive from Western Digital (949/672-7000, www.westerndigital.com): The Fire Wire/USB 2.0 Combo external hard drive features a WD Caviar 7,200rpm drive in 120GB ($300) or 200GB ($400) capacities....

Hitting the road with OSX: Macs at work. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... OS X brought symmetric multiprocessing and protected memory to the Mac, but how about the ability to get 25 miles to the gallon? While that capability may be missing from most of the Macs shipping these days, it's part of the OS X-powered...

Flash MX takes a Central stage: new Macromedia product brings Flash-driven internet apps offline. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... When Macromedia rolled out its first version of Flash in 1997, developers quickly recognized the file format as a great way to add complex, interactive animations with bandwidth-pleasing file sizes. But even with the advent of more-complex,...

What's hot: a quick look at the World of Macs. (Mac Beat).(Calendar)
May 1, 2003... 1. The actor who played the Dell Dude in TV commercials is busted for marijuana possession. You'd turn to mind-altering substances, too, if you had to use Windows all the time. 2. Microsoft buys Virtual PC from Connectix. Analyst say the...

Designer labels for Discs: Primera's Bravo duplicator also prints labels onto CDS, DVDS. (Mac Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Maybe people shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but a plain CD-ROM isn't likely to make much of an impression on customers. While several products design labels for CDs and DVDs, Mac users can pick from a growing number of options that print...

Game beat. (Mac Beat).
May 1, 2003... Software Armored Assault, from Entertainment Network (www.totalsims,com): The 3-0-action game with a strong online component puts you in control of World War II-era tanks facing off against each other in the European Theater ($30). ...

1GHZ and Dual-1.25GHZ Power Mac G4S: new ports and low prices distinguish latest Power Macs. (Reviews).
May 1, 2003... Although Apple claims to be innovating its way out of the current economic malaise, the company also clearly recognizes the benefits of good old-fashioned price-slashing. That's how we account for the latest batch of Power Mac G4s--models that...

1GHz iMac G4, 17-inch: improvements provide pro-level power at a non-pro price. (Reviews).(Apple iMac G4 )
May 1, 2003... The iMac G4 just keeps getting better--the latest addition to the iMac G4 line is a S 1,799 model that is armed with several welcome new features. There are now just two iMac models. At the low end is the $1,299, 15-inch, 800MHz iMac. At...

Final Cut Express 1.0: Final Cut Pro sibling offers simplified professional video editing for the budget-minded user. (Reviews).
May 1, 2003... Apple has successfully covered the extreme ends of the video-editing market: iMovie introduces novices to the world of nonlinear editing, while Final Cut Pro caters to professionals whose dreams are neatly marked with In and Out edit points....

Palm OS-based Handheld devices: four portables offer a variety of enticing powers to users away from their Macs. (Reviews).(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2003... When you're on the go, sometimes even the smallest laptop can weigh you down. Handheld computers, which offer more capabilities every year, might seem more appealing. We tried out four of the latest Mac-compatible handhelds that ran Palm OS:...

Firewire DVD-R drives: external SuperDrives boost speed and expand options. (Reviews).(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2003... Apple's digital-hub strategy has made the DVD burner--with its ability to play movies, back up more than 4.5GB of data, and create movies that your friends can play on their home DVD players--a highly sought-after system component. But if you...

Education software: 17 programs that will send students to the head of the class. (Reviews).(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2003... Fun may not be the first word that comes to mind when you mention algebra practice. But education-software makers are working to change that, with games and activities that blend interactive entertainment with critical thinking and...

Film scanners: slide scanning becomes affordable. (Reviews).
May 1, 2003... To make high-quality scans from 35mm film, you need a dedicated film scanner. But while flatbed-scanner prices have been in free fall for several years, film-scanner prices have remained in the realm of pros and very dedicated amateurs--until...

Fax software: one application proves to be a shining light in a field dominated by dim products. (Reviews).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Fax software offers the perfect solution if you want to send faxes without buying an expensive, bulky fax machine. But in recent years decent fax applications for the Mac have been tough to find. Smith Micro's FaxstfX (##1/2; May 2002) has been...

Expression: illustration program combines vectors, rasters, and something that has been missing--fun. (Reviews).(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2003... The current crop of illustration programs is an array of mature, complex applications able to produce incredible works of print and Web art. But as these programs became more complex, users had to concentrate on technical mastery rather than on...

Cinema 4D R8 core: low-cost modular animation system clears the way for 3-D neophytes, provides excellent upgrade. (Reviews).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Things are about to get a much needed shake-up in the low-to-midrange 3-D market, thanks to Maxon. The new version of the company's 3-D-animation system, Cinema 4D, dubbed R8 and without the usual XL suffix, is being offered for less than half...

Monacodccolor: color-profiling software for digital cameras tries to solve color problems. (Reviews).
May 1, 2003... Monaco Systems says that MonacoDCcolor is "the ideal digital camera profiling solution." After profiling different cameras under different lighting conditions, we believe that although DCcolor is a great tool for building digital-camera...

Easy Card Creator 1.1: greeting-card app has promise but needs polish. (Reviews).
May 1, 2003... With so many good, inexpensive printers and digital cameras available, Mac users can crank out greeting cards faster than Hallmark can. You can make such cards with a wide range of software, but Script Software's OS X-only Easy Card Creator 1.1...

Canon EOS 1Ds: a breakthrough digital SLR camera rivals 35mm. (Reviews).(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2003... Canon's new EOS-1Ds digital SLR represents a breakthrough in digital cameras, not only in terms of its resolution--it produces a 4,074-by-2,704-pixel image--but also in terms of its chip: this is the first digital SLR whose chip covers the same...

The quill: ergonomic mouse may reduce risk of injury. (Reviews).(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2003... Every time you reach for your mouse, you force your body into an unnatural posture that might cause pain--or even permanent damage. Designer Appliances' The Quill aims to relieve this physical stress by letting you point and click with your...

On track and online. (The Game Room).
May 1, 2003... WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FIRST GAME ON THIS month's The Game Room list, every game we discuss here is available via online purchase and download. Now you can satisfy your need for Mac-based entertainment without leaving your keyboard. And...

More Mac Software Bargains: 75 essential utilities.
May 1, 2003... That Won't Break the Bank Last year, Macworld served up 60 of the best low-cost programs available for the Mac ("Mac Software Bargains," July 2002). This time around, we've tipped the scales with 75 more great apps that will help you get...

Secrets: Laptop of luxury. (Mac 911).
May 1, 2003... Despite some traditions of Chinese culture--which claim that this year the 4,700th, belongs to the sheep--Steve Jobs has declared 2003 "the Year of the Notebook." Given my occidental roots, I've chosen to eschew questions related to cud...

The lunch-lady laptop: the 17-inch powerbook is hot! no, I mean literally.
May 1, 2003... SO NOW WE HAVE A NEW TOP-OF-THE-LINE POWERBOOK, a hugely stylish--and stylishly huge--hunk of aluminum that competes with the rest of the line in terms of the ability to inspire sensations of deep longing. And that's really saying something,...

The web in a window: Apple Resurrects Sherlock--and does it the right way. (The Big Picture).
May 1, 2003... KARELIA'S WATSON ($29; WWW.KARELIA.COM) WAS THE FIRST Mac OS X application to transform Web services from a toy on the playground of nerd recess into something useful for real people. Watson's clean and powerful presentation immediately earned...