Macworld articles from October 2003

Macworld archives from October 2003

The filmless present: high-resolution, low-cost cameras make it easy to go digital.(From the Editor's Desk)
October 1, 2003... THOSE OF US IN THE COMPUTER-MAGAZINE BUSINESS HAVE been trumpeting the coming digital-photography revolution for longer than most revolutions last. Why, on my bookshelf right now is a November 1995 copy of MacUser that declares, "Digital...

Changing our tune.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... After our July 2003 cover story on the iTunes Music Store, we have something in common with a Top 40 FM station: our request line is open. Readers have been flooding us with suggestions on how to improve some of the online music service's false...

Any requests?(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... MARK KIPPERMAN * Since "Behind the Music" (July 2003) made downloading music from the iTunes Music Store look so simple, I signed right up. You forgot to mention, though, that a high-speed Internet connection is almost mandatory. I...

iTunes tune-up.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... DUANE WILLIAMS * In his iTunes 4 review ("Behind the Music," July 2003), Jonathan Seff lists as a con that iTunes 4 has "no visible differentiation of file types in library." That is not true. Select View Options in the Edit menu, and...

Blog in, blog on, blog out.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... AARON GARETH PEABODY * I greatly enjoyed Scot Hacker's "Put Weblogs to Work" (July 2003), but I felt that many features that set LiveJournal apart from the other blog packages were left out. No mention was made of the fact that you can...

Rendezvous with TiVo.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... SANDER FEINBERG * I enjoyed "All Roads Lead to Rendezvous" (July 2003). One clarification: although TiVo Desktop Software is a free download, it will work only if you buy the TiVo Media Option, which is a $99 one-time charge. I've been...

Real complaints.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... MARK DAVIS * Andy Ihnatko's RealBasic 5.0 review (July 2003) was very good, but I would like to point out a mistake. Ihnatko writes, "Experienced programmers who are comfortable with modern BASIC will discover that they can build Cocoa or...

Bouncing falls flat.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... RICK LAW * Regarding reader Will Herrmann's suggestion of using Apple Mail's Bounce To Sender feature for stopping spam (Feedback, July 2003), that feature works only if the spammer has used a legitimate reply-to address. If not, then all...

Editors made easy.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... MARK V. PARIS # I can't argue with Jason Snell's GOOD 1/2 rating of TextWrangler (Reviews, July 2003). After all, it's an opinion. But my opinion differs. I looked at several text editors, free and otherwise, before deciding on...

One-trick wonders.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... KENNETH B. POVODATOR * As a longtime Spell Catcher user, I eagerly awaited the release of Spell Catcher X. There are indeed shortcomings in the program, such as the need to use International preferences to activate it. However, I find...

State of stats.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... BARRY FASS-HOLMES * With all due respect to Charles Seiter, his VERY GOOD 1/2 rating of SPSS 11 (Reviews, June 2003) was far too generous. This product's feature set may be broad, but it's slower to launch than any other program I've...

ColdFusion getting warmer?(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... LARRY C. LYONS * Tony Cervo's letter bemoaning the absence of ColdFusion MX for the Mac (Feedback, July 2003) is simply incorrect. A developer's version of ColdFusion MX for J2EE Servers has been available for OS X since early this year....

Fax checking.( experiencing with Faxstf X Pro )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... PHILIP BALL * The problem of the cutoff pages on received faxes referred to in Jeffery Battersby's review of Faxstf X Pro (July 2003) can be eliminated with a simple download from Smith Micro. A reception problem I've been experiencing...

Hang the DJ.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... JASON ROSS * Gil Kaupp's review of Native Instruments' Traktor DJ Studio 2.03 is a bit weak (June 2003). How about addressing the application's break from Mac OS interface guidelines or the file browser's clunkiness? Kaupp touches on this...

Tipped over.(Feedback)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... ALAN BENEDICT * In the Tip of the Month (Mac 911, July 2003), we are taught how to customize our calculators to display only the results field by editing the preference file in a text editor. This seems like a hard way to achieve a simple...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
October 1, 2003... The price of RealBasic 5.0 (Reviews, July 2003) changed after our issue went to press. The Professional edition now costs $400.

Web-design tools get an overhaul for Macromedia Studio MX 2004: suite dreams.(Mac Beat)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... Macromedia (800/470-7211, www.macromedia.com) isn't one to rest on its laurels. After spending 2002 bringing the bulk of its Web-design and -development programs to Mac OS X, under the new MX label, the software giant is at it again. Studio MX...

Font-software makers react to Panther's built-in program: a font-management free-for-all?(Mac Beat)
October 1, 2003... When Apple unleashes Panther later this year, the OS X 10.3 update will introduce a built-in font-management application called Font Book. If the addition of font-management capabilities to OS X surprises you, you're not alone. ...

Multimedia beat.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Hardware Audio A high-end multimedia loudspeaker system from Xhifi (267/288-0199, www.xhifi.com): The Xducer 2.1 ($795) is a wood-and-metal speaker set comprising two tall, slim satellite speakers with a frequency response up to...

Storage beat.(Mac Beat)(disk drives)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Hardware Hard Drives A dual USB 2.0/FireWire 800 desktop hard drive from FirewireDirect.com (512/302-0012, www.firewiredirect.com): The StingRay 800 comes in 80GB ($235), 120GB ($255), 160GB ($315), 200GB ($365), and 250GB ($475)...

Imaging beat.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Software Image Processing Pheon, from Apago (www.apago.com): This image-conversion software, for OS X 10.2 and later, converts back and forth between file formats used for digital ad delivery. Features include the ability to set bleed,...

Handheld device detects nearby wireless networks: finding Wi-Fi.(Mac Beat)(WiFi Finder's hardware searches)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Someday, connecting to the Internet when you're out and about may be as easy as flicking on an FM radio, thanks to a seamless network of wireless hotspots. But these days, finding an available network remains a hit-or-miss affair. The only way...

Ethical questions arise over surfing on someone else's network: whose bandwidth is it, anyway?(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... You've whipped out your WiFi Finder and discovered that a neighbor's wireless network is readily available, and you're tempted to surf on someone else's DSL line. Do you sidle onto the network unannounced, or do you keep your PowerBook asleep...

Best of show.(Macworld CreativePro)
October 1, 2003... Editors of Macworld and MacCentral.com selected the top products that debuted at July's Macworld CreativePro Conference & Expo in New York: * Master Juggler 3 and DiskWarrior 3, from Alsoft (800/257-6381, www.alsoft.com): Font-management...

Enclosures offer networking equipment protection from a rainy day; Outdoor networks: gimme shelter.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Many wireless networkers already bypass telephone and cable connections, opting to span the air with long-distance wireless links that connect homes, offices, and neighborhoods as far as 30 miles apart. All you need is a fair amount of...

ISP encourages subscribers to share wireless connections: wireless networking's fair share.(Mac Beat)(internet service providers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Maybe it's the ease of setting up an AirPort network, but something about wireless networking brings out a person's generous side. You want to share your Internet connection with others, whether it's your next-door neighbor or anyone who...

Toast update adds DVD-creation features, rendezvous support: burning sensation.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... When it comes to CD and DVD burning, Roxio's Toast (866/280-7694, www.roxio.com) is the reigning champ. And the venerable disc-burning application figures to tighten its hold on that title: Toast 6 Titanium, which runs on OS X 10.2 and later,...

Windows multimedia-authoring app comes to the Mac: director competition.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... For Mac users, there's little debate about where to turn for multimedia authoring--Macromedia's Director, which arrived on OS X last December. But a newcomer to the Mac platform hopes to change that, with an OS X-compatible authoring tool of...

Creative pro.(Q & A)(Interview)
October 1, 2003... Russell Brown takes design and publishing software seriously. But that doesn't mean Adobe's senior creative director takes himself seriously. He, after all, is an executive who attended an Adobe meeting on enterprise software dressed as Star...

Productivity beat.(Mac Beat)(Metrowerks new products)(Jumsoft's new products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Software Business Way 1.0, from Jumsoft (www.jumsoft.com): This OS X-native business-document application includes templates for memos, letters, faxes, agendas, and other reports ($30). Development CodeWarrior Development...

Updated money-management program adds iCal integration: a new day for Quicken.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Since Quicken's 1988 Mac debut, the financial software from Intuit (800/952-2558, www.quicken2004.com) has focused on helping users manage their money. With this year's update, Intuit wants to help Mac users manage their time, too. It has...

Microsoft adds pro, student versions to Office offerings: three for all.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Students and teachers are getting a back-to-school break, courtesy of Microsoft (800/642-7676, www.microsoft.com). The software giant has released an academic version of its Office productivity suite; it's priced at a third of the standard...

What's hot: a quick look at the world of Macs.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... 1. BuyMusic.com challenges the iTunes Music Store, but the service features inconsistent pricing and licensing limits. Another catch: the "songs" for sale are actually karaoke versions performed by drunken businessmen. 2. Michael Jackson...

Networking beat.(Mac Beat)
October 1, 2003... Hardware Hubs A seven-port hub from D-Link (949/788-0805, www.dlink.com): The DFB-H7 QuickMedia USB 2.0/Firewire 7-Port Combo Hub ($50) combines four USB 2.0 and three FireWire ports, allowing users to connect to multiple peripherals....

Retractable cables keep mobile users connected without tangles: retraction in action.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Having spent far too much time untangling modem, Ethernet, and other cables that have formed large knots in my laptop bag, I appreciate retractable cables aimed at mobile computer users. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's not exactly...

DiskWarrior 3.0: repair utility does no harm.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... Even a modern, memory-protected, and preemptively multitasking operating system such as Mac OS X can't prevent bad things from happening to the data on your hard drive. And when an unfortunate event occurs--such as a kernel panic that forces...

QuicKeys X2: powerful utility rewards effort with timesaving macros.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... Ever since the OS X-native QuicKeys X appeared almost two years ago, we've longed for the feature set of QuicKeys 5, which let us automate almost any task on a Mac running OS 8.5 or 9. The Jaguar-compatible QuicKeys X 1.5.4 update brought a few...

G4 processor upgrades: four 1.4GHz cards offer a timely stopgap measure.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2003... Your old Mac is sitting there getting older and, if your mind isn't deceiving you, slower. Apple's Power Mac G5 has arrived on the scene, but that doesn't mean you can't get more life out of your G4. If you have a Power Mac G4 (AGP graphics and...

iTools 7: front end simplifies access to open-source internet services.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... Mac OS X's success proves that Mac folks love their Unix but want to keep it tastefully hidden under a handsome Aqua quilt. With the release of iTools 7, Tenon Intersystems is betting that Mac folks will also love powerful Unix Internet...

Image-scaling plug-ins: Genuine Fractals PrintPro 3.0 and pxl SmartScale prove that you can get big results from small packages.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... The rather inelegant adage "garbage in, garbage out" is not always true. LizardTech's Genuine Fractals PrintPro 3.0 and Extensis's new pxl SmartScale--plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop--rework this old equation. Both let you take images previously...

This month in digital cameras.(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2003... In years past, digital-camera manufacturers seemed to take a summer vacation. But this year, that wasn't the case; they came out with more and more models every few weeks (or so it seemed). Here's a look at the wide range of cameras that...

Apogee Mini-Me: analog-to-digital converter performs well--for a price.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... No matter how great a song you've written, you need a high-quality analog-to-digital converter to get the richest-sounding tracks into your Mac. And if you need to record in rehearsal, concert, or outdoor settings, you'll also want a unit...

Hewlett-Packard DesignJet 120nr: flexible new Ink-Jet printer is off-color for graphic arts.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... Hewlett-Packard's new DesignJet 120nr has a lot going for it. It's a networkable, Rendezvous-enabled printer that handles a wide range of papers, including roll-fed papers that can produce prints 24 inches wide and 50 feet long. It uses six...

Bravo Disc Publisher: disc production speeds along with personal DVD/CD duplicator and printer.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... If you frequently burn, label, and distribute your own CDs or DVDs, you now have an alternative to sending a master disc to a disc-duplication service. The Bravo Disc Publisher, from Primera Technology, has everything you need to perform...

DeltaGraph 5.0: visually rich charting application makes belated jump to OS X.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... Over the years, we've repeatedly praised DeltaGraph for its ability to transform rows of mind-numbing figures into compelling charts (VERY GOOD 1/2; May 1999). The OS X-only DeltaGraph 5.0.2 is part of Red Rock Software's first release cycle...

iListen 1.6: dictation and editing anywhere that you can type.(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... For Mac users who talk to their computers, there's a glimmer of hope--a speech-recognition program with select-by-saying capabilities anywhere they can type. MacSpeech's iListen 1.5.2 was a bit of a disappointment (FLAWED; January 2003), but...

Clone'X.(Reviews in Brief)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... 9X 0 mice; Tri/Edre, www.tri-edre.com; $50 According to its documentation, Clone'X is a utility that "allows you to easily clone the System [Folder] (Mac OS X, Mac OS 9, or Mac OS 8.6) that runs your computer." The reality is...

ContentBarrier 10.0.(Reviews in Brief)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... 9X GOOD 1/2; Intego, 512/637-0700, www.intego.com; $60 Internet-filtering tool Content-Barrier 10.0.1 helps concerned parents set up custom filters that prevent their children from surfing certain parts of the Web. The program ships...

EarthDesk 2.0.(Reviews in Brief)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... 9X GOOD; Trygve H. Inda, www.timepalette.com; $20 It's one thing to know in the abstract that people in other parts of the world are heading out to happy hour as you're waking up with the sun; it's quite another to see it happening....

iView Media.(Reviews in Brief)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2003... 9X VERY GOOD; iView Multimedia, www.iview-multimedia.com; $30 If you find that iPhoto is too sluggish when it's dealing with a large catalog of images, or if you want an inexpensive mediacataloging application that handles a wide...

SketchUp 3.0.(Reviews in Brief)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... X OUTSTANDING; @Last Software, 303/245-0086, www.sketchup.com; $495; upgrade, free if you bought SketchUp in 2003. We thought that the 3-D-drawing program SketchUp 2.2 (VERY GOOD1/2; June 2003) was great because it made 3-D modeling...

To the Trash 1.1.(Reviews in Brief)(Mireth Technology)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... X FLAWED 1/2; Mireth Technology, www.mireth.com; $20 If you tremble at the thought of emptying your Mac's Trash, To the Trash can be your security blanket. To the Trash automatically deletes specific files, from one day to several...

Macworld's top 5.(Hot Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... 1 VERY GOOD QuarkXPress 6.0 ($1,045), from Quark (www.quark.com): The enhancements in this OS X-native version of QuarkXPress are worthwhile for any XPress-based production shop, and the upgrade pricing is easy to stomach (September 2003). ...

Eye of the Tiger.(The Game Room)
October 1, 2003... TIGER WOODS HAS PULLED OFF ONE OF THE UNLIKELIEST feats of our time--making the competitive world of pro golf interesting. So it's fitting that he has lent his name to Aspyr's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003, a game that redefines the virtual-golf...

Hot Shots: tips from the pros; take your digital photos; from drab to FAB.(Cover Story)
October 1, 2003... DESPITE THE POINT-AND-SHOOT EASE of most digital cameras, getting a perfect shot is hardly a simple process. Hey, even professional photographers don't always get it right. So why do their pictures look so much better than ours? True, the pros...

Tame your brain: four programs help you organize your ideas in surprising ways.
October 1, 2003... Your report's deadline is looming, and you have lots of ideas but no structure. Or you've finally traced your ancestors all the way back to the Mayflower, but you don't know how to organize the names, dates, and pictures you've gathered. Or...

Hardware: make your Mac faster.(Secrets)(Processors upgradation)
October 1, 2003... It's sad. The Power Mac you bought just a few years ago is nearly obsolete. Want to use RT Extreme in Apple's Final Cut Pro 4? You'll need a 500MHz G4 for that. Want to play Unreal Tournament 2003? It requires 700MHz. But you don't have to buy...

Productivity: Supercharge Safari.(Secrets)
October 1, 2003... Since Apple released its Web browser, in January 2003, safari has come to mean not only a guided trek through the African plains but also navigating the wilds of the Web in Mac OS X. And Safari 1.0's brushed-metal boundaries hold plenty of...

Print publishing: fix those fonts.(Secrets)
October 1, 2003... A lot has changed in the Mac world since Apple introduced OS X, but one thing hasn't: fonts can still give you headaches. And you may not always know that fonts are at fault. It could take several rounds of troubleshooting before you discover...

Mac 911: academic aggravation.(Secrets)
October 1, 2003... In this nation's institutions of higher learning, it seems you can't throw a brick without hitting a Mac. This month's questions--the bulk of which were submitted by academics--underscore how prevalent Macs are in our colleges and universities,...

Monsters of metal.(MAC OS X 10.3)(Apple's NetInfo Manager)
October 1, 2003... I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT MAC OS X 10.3--OR PANTHER--for a good two weeks now. And I'm looking at it the way I suddenly freeze in the middle of turning a page in a book and look really hard at the gas grill on my deck--because I've just heard a...

Simple shortcuts.(Mac Gems)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... AS MAC OS X BECOMES MORE WIDELY USED, MORE INEXPENsive software for the platform--freeware, shareware, and even inexpensive commercial products--is released on a daily basis. Some programs provide extensive functionality; others do simple...