Macworld articles from November 2008

Macworld archives from November 2008

The expectations game: Apple's new products can't always be earth-shattering--nor should they be.(Editorial)
November 1, 2008... You've got to hand it to Apple: the company has convinced us that at any product-launch event, it's entirely possible the world will have changed irrevocably by the time Steve Jobs strides off the stage to tumultuous applause. ...

Immobile me.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... I am among the 1 percent of MobileMe users who have been without e-mail for over a week. The lack of customer service from Apple has been incredibly distressing. I have convinced many people to switch to Apple because of the Mac's ease of use...

Is Apple green?(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... On the subject of whether Apple is a green company ("Apple Dinged on the Environment Again," Mac User, August 2008), the environmental organization's raters are oblivious to the fact that the Apple TV and its almost waste-free, paperless, and...

Overheard on the forums.(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Hands-free dialing is safer than hand-dialing, but not talking on the phone while driving is safer than both. Not reading, applying makeup, shaving, eating, or talking to passengers is also safer. It's all a matter of degree. [ILLUSTRATION...

Apple TV wish list.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... John Siracusa hit the mark with his assessment of the Apple TV's shortcomings (Spotlight, August 2008)--namely, its lack of DVR functionally. I thought if anyone could give the TiVo a run for its money, it would be Apple. If Apple had built...

Underwater photos.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... A wide-angle lens is almost necessary for underwater photography ("Extreme Vacation Shots," Digital Photo, August 2008). You usually need to get close to your subject as silt in the water degrades a photo quickly, especially when you use a...

Guifyi.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... The author of "OS X's Other GUI" (Geek Factor, August 2008) missed a main difference about the different ways X11 handles copy and paste. X11 uses two copy buffers: a selection buffer, in which anything you highlight is automatically copied;...

Printer math.(FEEDBACK)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Your printer comparison included a table that showed the cost to replace ink or toner cartridges ("Jack of all Trades," August 2008). This information doesn't help in estimating the cost per page. Several years ago Macworld had a very useful...

Keep it simple.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Macworld should be pushing Apple for tighter code and a more frugal use of disc capacity rather than more glitz. I have seen Apple add many front-end features and increase software speed, but at the cost of an exponential skyrocketing in...

Google docs praise.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Like many small businesses ("The Portable Office," August 2008), we rely on teams located in different places because we're not big enough to warrant an office or bringing everyone on-site. Most standard collaboration tools assume that a team...

Apple updates iPod line: redesigned nano and tweaked touch models highlight changes.(iPOD)
November 1, 2008... Apple likes to overhaul its iPod lineup to jump-start the holiday shopping season. So it wasn't a big surprise when Steve Jobs took the stage in early September to introduce colorful new iPod nanos, an updated iPod touch, and a less-expensive...

The iMac turns ten.(HARDWARE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... In 1998, the first iMacs began shipping into customers' hands. In his introduction (macworld.com/3880), Steve Jobs bragged about the iMac's 32MB of memory, IrDA port, and "great, great keyboard and mouse." A lot has happened in the past decade:...

Intel does laptop drives a solid.(STORAGE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Solid-state drives (SSDs) made a splash on the Mac scene when Apple included one as an option in the MacBook Air. The promise of SSDs is that they are faster, use less energy, and last longer since they have no moving parts (they are made of...

Pandora to pull the plug?(MUSIC)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Pandora (www.pandora.com), one of the Web's most popular radio services, may be nearing an untimely end. Despite the fact that it serves nearly 1 million listeners daily, is one of the ten most popular applications for the iPhone, and is...

Hardware.(WATCH)(briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... S-Air Play, from Sony (www.sonystyle.com): Wireless multiroom iPod music system includes a transmitting dock and two speakers ($400). Epson Perfection V300 Photo, from Epson (www.epson.com): 48-bit color photo scanner features a high-rise...

iPod nanos combust--apple blames battery.(iPod News)(Apple Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... In response to reports that Japan is investigating incidents of iPod nanos getting hot enough to scorch paper, Apple acknowledged that "in very rare cases," first-generation iPod nanos sold between September 2005 and December 2006 can overheat....

Michael Phelps's iPod packed with hip-hop.(iPod News)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... If you watched the Olympics games from Beijing, you probably noticed the distinctive iPod ear-buds planted firmly in both ears of uber-swimmer Michael Phelps. So what exactly does a record-smashing Olympian listen to in order to get pumped? ...

iTunes download coming to a radio near you.(iPod News)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... It's hardly news that iTunes has become a fixture in mainstream music, for better or worse. iTunes Download is the new Premiere Radio Networks show centered around the idea of reviewing iTunes' top 30 downloads. The host is Alex Luke,...

Software.(WATCH)(Realmac Software)(Axamblis)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RapidWeaver 4.1, from Realmac Software (www.realmacsoftware.com): Update to Web site-builder adds the ability to resize images dragged into styled text areas and improves support for publishing to MobileMe ($79; upgrade, free). Imprint...

Smashing magazine praises OS X.(OPERATING SYSTEM)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Regular Mac users know that the usability of the Mac's operating system is second to none--but it's always nice to get validation from outside sources. It's especially nice to hear about the greatness of OS X from a former Windows power user,...

Apple releases OSX 10.5.5.(OPERATING SYSTEM)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The latest update to Leopard addresses stability issues with video playback, processor-core idling, and remote disc sharing for the MacBook Air; improves Back to My Mac reliability; enhances Spotlight indexing performance; updates iCal to...

David G, we hardly knew you.(INTERNET)(Apple Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Apple surprised longtime followers by launching the MobileMe status blog amid that service's rocky introduction. Starting with the second entry, we even got a name attached to the problems: the mysterious David G. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Activity monitor.(briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... InfoWorld reports that 35 percent of enterprise-class Windows users downgrade their Vista systems to XP macworld.com/3882 Adam Engst looks at how Apple handles MobileMe problems, compared with how Google and Netflix deal with issues...

Software.(WATCH)(briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... MacJournal 5.1, from Mariner Software (www.marinersoftware.com): Journal and blogging software adds a three-pane view and more ($40; update, free). Funtastic Photos, from Ohanaware (www.ohanaware.com): Nondestructive photo-editing utility...

One Infinite Loop spotted on Google Street View.(INTERNET)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Vice President Dick Cheney may have the kind of pull necessary to get his house removed from Google Maps (utter the words national security and you can pretty much get away with anything). But as much as Steve Jobs likes to keep every aspect of...

By the numbers.
November 1, 2008... 60 Days that Apple is extending MobileMe accounts to make up for problems with the service. 8% Rise in Apple's rating since the American Customer Satisfaction Index's last report. $10 million Amount Jerry Seinfeld is being paid to...

Open-source software scores a victory.(LEGAL)(United States. Circuit Court of Appeals)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... We're all familiar with software licenses for commercial software. But you may not know that open-source software is also governed by a license. Instead of requiring payment, however, the open-source license imposes terms: for example, the GNU...

Lawsuit: "twice as fast" is false advertising.(iPHONE)(Apple Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Apple's ads suggest that the new iPhone 3G is twice as fast as the original iPhone when it comes to data-transfer speeds. An Alabama woman thinks the company is pulling a fast one and has filed suit against Apple. Apple introduces the...

The Apple-Blackberry pie.(Tech Trends)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The iPhone's share of the U.S. smart-phone market during the first half of 2008 was about one-third that of Research In Motion's BlackBerry. But rocketing to 15 percent market share (before the release of the iPhone 3G) is no small feat. ...

Wii Transfer.(Hot Stuff)(Riverfold Software)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... If you're one of the lucky people who has actually managed to get your hands on an elusive Nintendo Wii, you might wonder if there's some way to get your console and your Mac to work together. Riverfold Software's $19 Wii Transfer is the...

ISH2 Waterproof Headset.(Hot Stuff)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The local indoor pool is a popular cold-weather refuge for the fitness-minded. Thanks to H2O Audio's $80 1SH2 Waterproof Headset, a waterproof case for the second- and third-generation iPod shuffle, you don't have to leave your workout tunes...

[re]drive.(Hot Stuff)(SimpleTech Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Giving your hard drive a bamboo chassis will either make it more eco-friendly or more tempting as panda food--perhaps both. The $159 500GB Simple-Tech [re]drive features a chassis made from locally grown bamboo and recycled aluminum, as well as...

Nikon D90.(Hot Stuff)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... In the tech world, advanced features usually trickle their way down to consumers via professional market. But in the case of digital cameras, the opposite is also true. With the Nikon D90, the first digital SLR to support video recording. The...

I2i Stream.(Hot Stuff)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... You're in your usual cafe, and you see a person across the way wearing an unusual, blinking device jacked into both an iPod and a set of earbuds. The izi Stream is a short-range transmitter-receiver about the size of a box of Tic Tacs. To...

Tapeless in high def: are today's HD camcorders Mac ready?(Reviews)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2008... It happened with audio recordings, and it's now happening with camcorders--tape as a recording medium is becoming passe. The latest high definition camcorders use hard drives, flash memory, recordable DVDs, memory cards, or a combination of...

CrossOver Mac Professional 7.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: GOOD PRICE: $70 COMPANY: CodeWeavers URL: www.codeweavers.com Virtualization software such as Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion lets you run the Windows operating system and Windows-only programs on a Mac, but the installation...

Firefox 3.0.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: free COMPANY: Mozilla Foundation URL: www.mozilla.org As powerful as ever and considerably more polished, Firefox 3.0 is an improvement over its useful but somewhat clunky predecessor in nearly every respect....

QuarkXPress 8.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $799 COMPANY: Quark URL: www.quark.com QuarkXPress 8 heralds a major change to the user interface of the venerable page-layout and design program for the Mac. The familiar interface that QuarkXPress has held to for...

netTrekker.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: per month, $5; per year, $50 COMPANY: Thinkronize URL: www.nettrekker.com Wouldn't it be great if someone took the time to vet the informational Web sites children are likely to use? Thinkronize has, and the result...

PersonalBrain Pro 4.5 *.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $250 COMPANY: TheBrain Technologies URL: www.thebrain.com Mirroring the way a human thinks is a tough job for software, but PersonalBrain 4.5, a powerful brainstorming and knowledge-management tool, falls just...

Photoshop Lightroom 2.0.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $299 COMPANY: Adobe URL: www.adobe.com Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe's first attempt at a photo-management and-editing tool specifically for photographers, was a solid application when it was first released in...

ArmorSkin for iPhone.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $30 COMPANY: Speck URL: www.speckproducts.com If your friends have nicknamed you Drops McGee, you're probably on the lookout for an iPhone case designed to minimize the damage caused by your clumsiness. Speck's...

Ci70 Wireless Desktop Set.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $80 COMPANY: Kensington URL: www.knesington.com There are two main reasons to buy a new mouse-and-keyboard set: either you're dissatisfied with the Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse that shipped with your iMac or...

TubeStick hybrid.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $129 COMPANY: Equinux URL: www.equinux.com If you want to watch TV on your Mac, the TubeStick hybrid, Equinux's USB TV Tuner, coupled with the Tube 2.7 TV-viewing software, may just be the ticket. The hardware has...

VerticalMouse 3 Wireless.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $120 COMPANY: Evoluent URL: www.evoluent.com If you're going to spend $120 for a mouse, it had better be a mighty fine one--but after spending a few weeks getting comfortable with a new breed of ergo-rodent,...

LaCie Portable DVD[+ or -]RW with LightScribe, Design by Sam Hecht.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $99 COMPANY: LaCie URL: www.lacie.com LaCie's Portable DVD[+ or -]RW with LightScribe, Design by Sam Hecht, is one product in which style and light weight trump speed and, to a certain extent, sturdiness. LivenEven...

MotionX poker 1.12.(GAMES)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $5 COMPANY: Fullpower Technologies URL: macworld.com/3820 Mix Yahtzee and poker, and you get MotionX Poker, a beguilingly addictive dice poker game in which you match skills with a computer-controlled opponent. The...

Jaadu VNC 1.2.(NETWORKING)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $25 COMPANY: Jugaari URL: macworld.com/3830 Like Mocha VNC (GOOD 1/2; macworld.com/3829), Jaadu VNC--formerly Teleport--allows you to see and control Macs and PCs on your network. But Jaadu stands out with a...

Todo1.2.(PRODUCTIVITY)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $10 COMPANY: Appigo URL: macworld.com/3827 Plenty of simple to-do apps have emerged for the iPhone (see our roundup at macworld.com/3826). If you're looking for something with a lot of functionality that...

Google Mobile App.(PRODUCTIVITY)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: free COMPANY: Google URL: macworld .com/3822 Searching is Google's bread and butter, and its Google Mobile App simultaneously searches your contacts and Web sites, as well as businesses near your current location...

Facebook 1.1.(SOCIAL NETWORKING)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: free COMPANY: Facebook URL: macworld.com/3824 The mobile version of Facebook allows you to track the status of your friends on the social networking site, as well as update your own status with text or photos...

MoreReviews.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... See more iPhone and iPod touch apps we've tested at iPhone Central (macworld.com/3850) APPLICATION DESCRIPTION PRICE RATING FIND CODE (A) Labyrinth 1.3.1 game $7 VERY GOOD 3833 Meal...

Laser printer.(PRINTERS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... C6100dn RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $990 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)
November 1, 2008... Stylus Photo 1400 RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $269 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)
November 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 speediest and best overall portable photo printer on...

Multifunction ink-jet.(PRINTERS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Pixmxa MX850 RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $170 COMPANY: Canon URL: www.canon.com The MX850 prints crisp, legible text that's comparable in quality to laser output. Add to that speedy performance, solid print results, and...

Multifunction laser.(PRINTERS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... MFC-9840CDW RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $554 COMPANY: Brother URL: www.brother-usa.com The MFC-9840CDW is not only a terrific all-in-one color laser printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine, but also an outstanding value...

MACS.(PRINTERS)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2008... MACS PRODUCT PROCESSOR RATING PRICE DISPLAY SOEEDMARKS FIND (A) SCORE (B) DESKTOP iMac Intel Core 2 VERY $1,135 20 inches 230 3597 ...

Flatbed scanner.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Perfection V700 Photo RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $495 COMPANY: Epson URL: www.epson.com The Epson Perfection V700 Photo is an excellent, speedy midrange scanner with two lenses for people who need to scan reflective media...

Digital SLR.(DIGITAL CAMERAS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... D40 RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $425 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 variety...

Compact digital camera.(DIGITAL CAMERAS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... NV11 RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $239 COMPANY: Samsung URL: www.samsung.com An excellent point-and-shoot digital camera, the 10.1-megapixel Samsung NV11 produces detailed and well-exposed images. Its versatile feature...

Vixia HV30.(MINIDV CAMCORDER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $649 COMPANY: Canon UEL: www.canon.com Canon's Vixia HV30 is a fine choice for die-hard MiniDV users, offering superb video quality and a bunch of nifty features. MiniDV is gradually becoming a...

Large display.(LCD MONITORS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... 324 LCD Monitor RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $940 COMPANY: LaCie URL: www.lacie. com NEW This 24-inch display targets creative pros, but with two HDMI inputs, the monitor is both a multimedia display and an art...

Medium display.(LCD MONITORS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... MultiSync 2190UXi RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $890 COMPANY: NEC URL: www.necdisplay.com The NEC MultiSync 2190 UXi monitor is designed--and priced--for professional users. This 21-inch display doesn't come cheap, but it offers vivid,...

iPODS.(LCD MONITORS)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2008... iPODS PRODUCT CAPACITY RATING PRICE DISPLAY BATTERY MEDIA FIND (A) LIFE SUPPORTED CODE (B) iPod ...

Desktop drive.(FIREWIRE HARD DRIVES)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... My Book Studio Edition RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $215 COMPANY: Western Digital URL: www.westerndigital.com The My Book Studio Edition's affordability, versatile connection options, compact design, and good performance add up to a...

Portable drive.(FIREWIRE HARD DRIVES)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Rocbit 2B RATING: OUTSTANDING PRICE: $143 COMPANY: Rocsecure URL: www.rocsecure.com 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...

Timeline 2.1.3.(PRODUCTIVITY)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2008... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $40;3-D version, $65 COMPANY: Bee Documents URL: www.beedocuments.com If you ever need to make a visual timeline--say, for a presentation or as a teaching aid--check out Bee Documents' Timeline, which makes...

AudialHub 1.07.(AUDIO)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $19; owners of VisualHub, $14 COMPANY: Techspansion URL: www.techspansion.com You can use iTunes to convert audio files from one format to another, but iTunes' supported formats--for both input files and...

TapDex 3.3.2.(PRODUCTIVITY)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2008... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: basic version, free; Proversion, $5 COMPANY: Yellow Mug Software URL: www.yellowmug.com Apple's Address Book utility is a handy place to store information about your contacts, especially since it integrates so well...

Conquer the office: 39 Time-saving tips for Office, iWork, iLife, and more.(Work smarter)
November 1, 2008... Tick. Tick. Tick. If you're caught up in creating a complicated spreadsheet or trying to perfect a presentation for tomorrow's looming board meeting, time can seem like a far too precious commodity. And for most of us, the struggle to get...

The Kid-Safe MAC A parent's guide to setting up OS X.
November 1, 2008... Like puppies, children can be adorable even as they create chaos-splashing about in mud puddles or shrieking on the playground. But, also like their canine companions, kids at play can be unintentionally destructive and heedless of the dangers...

A database for the rest of US: if your data has outgrown your spreadsheet, try Bento.(Secrets)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2008... Are you a list fiend? If so, your hard drive is probably littered with tables and spreadsheets--from Little League rosters and wedding guest lists, to information about your personal assets. Sure, lists lend themselves to the linear and...

Play almost any audio file: listen to music formats that iTunes doesn't support.(SECRETS Playlist)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2008... iTunes is a powerful audio player that supports a variety of formats, including the space-saving MP3 and AAC, the uncompressed AIFF and WAV, and the proprietary Apple Lossless. But as you explore the Internet, you'll come across other file...

Essential audio plug-ins: perfect your sound with the right signal-processing software.(SECRETS)
November 1, 2008... Writing music and lyrics for a song is a huge step for musicians, but that's not the end of the process when you're creating music. There's another important stage that influences the final songs we hear on iTunes or CDs, and makes them sound...

Slim down your PDFs: compress large files without compromising on image quality.(SECRETS Create)(portable document file)
November 1, 2008... You can never be too rich or too thin, the old saying goes, but when it comes to Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF), adding richness in the form of images and fonts causes otherwise svelte PDFs to start pining for elastic waistbands....

Surf safer with OpenDNS: worried about phishing scams? Tweak your network settings.(SECRETS)
November 1, 2008... Consumer Reports recently advised Mac users to dump Safari in favor of Firefox or another Web browser. The main reason: Safari doesn't have the built-in protection against phishing scams that Firefox, Opera, and some other browsers do. ...

Beyond front row: If Apple's own media center isn't enough for you, try Plex.(SECRETS)
November 1, 2008... OS X's Front Row interface is a fine choice for watching movies or TV episodes you've purchased at the iTunes Store. But if you want to play media from sources other than the iTunes Store, Front Row isn't much use. There's an alternative...

Mac OS X Hints: the insider tips you won't get from apple.(Help Desk)
November 1, 2008... Annotate Images in Preview Leopard's version of Preview has some nice improvements, including more annotation capabilities for PDFs. But you can also annotate JPEGs, TIFFs, and other non-PDF images--useful for adding call-outs to a...

Mac 911: solutions to your most vexing Mac problems.(HELP DESK)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2008... SynciCal with MobileMe Q: I've been trying to sync iCal with MobileMe, but the two calendars never agree--iCal shows three calendars, and MobileMe shows a dozen. How can I make them show the same information? Dale Henderson A: I...

MobileMe-to-iPhone Sync Problems.(Bugs & Fixes)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... MobileMe-to-iPhone Sync Problems If, after you set up MobileMe, none of your calendar changes on the MobileMe Web site are being pushed to your iPhone, try this fix: delete and reinstate your MobileMe account on the iPhone (go to Settings:...

Frozen iChat.(Bugs & Fixes)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Frozen iChat A few iSight users may experience issues with their iChat freezing suddenly. To find out what's causing the problem, launch Console and see if there's a message reporting a missing item named iSightAudio .plugin, usually located in...

Not-So-Smart Drives.(Bugs & Fixes)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Not-So-Smart Drives When you insert a U3 Smart flash drive into a Windows machine, it temporarily takes over the PC, allowing you to open documents you've stored on the drive using the included Windows-only software. Unfortunately, this feature...

Keep the kids busy and happy.(TOOLS OF THE TRADE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Parents with young children understand that there comes a point when you'll do anything--anything--to occupy a child's time while you tackle a task that you can't possibly accomplish with a four-year-old clinging to your calf. Here are some...