Macworld articles from October 2004

Macworld archives from October 2004

The ratings game.(From the Editor's Desk)
October 1, 2004... When you bill yourself as "The Mac Product Experts," you'd best be prepared to prove it--every month, in our case. Or, to paraphrase the mission statement of occasional photojournalist Peter Parker, with great claims comes great responsibility....

Mail call.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... You might think that putting a topic like home networking on the cover of your magazine--as we did with our July 2004 issue--would earn you nothing but glassy-eyed stares and an empty mailbox. But we weren't worried. We know that Macworld...

Network news.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... PAUL ROTHROCK * I enjoyed "Get Connected" (July 2004), but, having just completed a similar project, I think you omitted a couple of potentially useful points. You didn't show users how to make their own Ethernet cables. This is much less...

Assaulting batteries.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... MD ZUTECK * Thanks for including some comparative battery run times in Henry Norr's PowerBook review (July 2004). Sadly, the data shows that Apple just doesn't get the real needs of road warriors. If you can't get to a power source, how...

Missing notes.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... SCOTT YOHO (FINALE PRODUCT SPECIALIST, MAKEMUSIC) * Thank you for your review of Finale 2004 (VERY GOOD; July 2004). While Peter Kirn mentioned that you can specify a pulse after you record a MIDI performance in Finale, it may be helpful to...

Quiet quicken?(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... DUANE BUSCH * The letter from Quicken Mac Product Manager Aruna Harder rubbed me the wrong way (Feedback, July 2004). I'm glad to see that Intuit followed up on the bug that Macworld brought to its attention. But what about the bugs--the...

The driving's the thing.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... ROY GILKIN * Regarding the Rally Shift review in The Game Room (FLAWED1/2; July 2004): It appears that Peter Cohen has failed to grasp that driving games are for driving. In this, Rally Shift is exemplary. I am a former racer and can vouch...

Volunteering thanks.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... JOHN PARASCAK * Since being volunteered as the network administrator/computer guy at our small company, I've been looking for good information about networking, server setup, configuring firewalls, and so forth, but I hadn't found...

I want my MP3s!(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... RANDY HAMPTON * "Not the Same Old Song-and-Dance" (Mac Beat, July 2004) listed iTunes 4.5's supposed improvements. But like Apple, the article failed to mention that the principal change is iTunes 4.5's inability to convert...

Print shop in business.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... JOE PALLAVICINI * The Print Shop is a nice program (VERY GOOD; June 2004), but it does have one problem. I installed it in OS X, and when I tried to make Name Tags, I couldn't bring up the Name List. In desperation I installed The Print...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
October 1, 2004... The screenshot on page 89 of the August issue ("Hasta la Vista, Aqua," Geek Factor) was improperly credited. Ryan Bliss of Digital Blasphemy (www.digitalblasphemy.com) created the shot.

Apple has to walk a fine line with OS updates: developer two-step.(Mac Beat)
October 1, 2004... The whispers began practically the moment Steve Jobs wrapped up his preview of Tiger at June's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Dashboard, one of the new features Jobs showed off during this look at the upcoming OS X update, is a...

Virtual PC update adds G5 support.(Mac Beat)
October 1, 2004... Virtual PC didn't exactly get off to an auspicious start as part of Microsoft's product line. A few months after buying the emulation program from Connectix, Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) announced that the software, which allows the Mac to...

BMW, Alpine integrate Apple music player into cars: the iPod's open road.(Mac Beat)
October 1, 2004... The way carmakers are acting these days, you'd think iPods were as essential to your ride as four tires and a full tank of gas. Sound like an exaggeration? Consider all the carmakers and parts suppliers jumping on the iPod bandwagon. BMW...

Dialing for iTunes.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Carmakers may be clamoring to find ways for you to hit the road with your iTunes library. But if Apple and Motorola have their way, sometime in 2005, iTunes music will be just a cell phone away. Apple is teaming up with the cell-phone maker...

Internet beat.(Mac Beat)(MacEase)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Contribute 3, from Macromedia (www.macromedia.com): Updated Web-page--publishing program adopts the Dreamweaver MX 2004 engine, adding support for CSS rendering and rules-based administrative controls ($149; upgrade, $79). Safari Magic...

Productivity beat.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Near-Time Flow, from Near-Time (www.near-time.com): Peer-to-peer collaborative content and knowledge manager helps individuals and groups create, collect, store, and share information (single-user license, $100; 10-user license, $900). ...

Dual-layer DVD burners hit the shelves: twice as nice.(Mac Beat)(Digital Versatile Disc)
October 1, 2004... Mac users who want to squeeze more content onto their DVDs didn't have to wait long for dual-layer burning to arrive. The first external drives supporting the dual-layer DVD technology began shipping in June--earlier than expected. ...

Handheld maker creates Mac-specific Web resource: PalmOne's Mac home page.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Mac-using owners of PalmOne handhelds have a place online to call their own. PalmOne, which makes Zire and Tungsten PDAs and Treo smart phones, has launched a Web site, at www.palmone.com/us/macintosh, to help Mac users get the most out of...

Twenty years of Mac missteps: (un)happy days.(Mac Beat)
October 1, 2004... Sure, Apple is basking in well-deserved kudos as part of the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh. But not everything touched by the company in the past two decades has turned to gold. In fact, Apple's history is littered with products or ideas...

The readers speak; Tiger: first thoughts.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Details about Tiger are still emerging, but a majority of the participants in the Macworld Reader Panel like what they've seen so far of the next major update to OS X. Three weeks after Apple offered a first look at Tiger during its Worldwide...

Storage beat.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Bigger Disk Extreme, from LaCie (www.lacie.com): New addition to line of external hard drives features up to 1.6TB of capacity (1TB model, $1,199; 1.6TB model, $2,199). Integrity, from Avail Solutions (www.availsolutions.com); Backup and...

Utility beat.(Mac Beat)(BeLight Software)(You Software)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Mail Factory, from BeLight Software (www.belightsoft.com): Utility takes data from Apple's Address Book, Microsoft's Entourage, Qualcomm's Eudora, and Now Software's Now Up-to-Date & Contact to produce address labels and envelopes ($30). ...

Best of show winners take center stage at Expo: leaders of the Mac pack hit Boston.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... July's Macworld Expo in Boston may have lacked the crowds that flock to the San Francisco edition of the trade show each year, as well as the presence of a certain Cupertino-based computer maker. But the people who attended the first Macworld...

Sketchup 4.0.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The latest update to @Last Software's $475 3-D--design program adds several new capabilities: Follow Me, for pushing or pulling a surface along a path; Texture Tweaker, for applying textures or photos across continuous surfaces; Face Me, for...

JBL On Stage.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Harman Multimedia's donut-shaped portable music system gives iPod owners another way to share their music. Just plug in any iPod with a dock connector (including the newest models and the mini), and the $200 JBL On Stage sends out crisp, clean...

Guitar Rig.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Native Instrument's $499 guitar simulator emulates classic and modern amplifiers, cabinets, microphones, and effects. The included Rig Kontrol foot controller (pictured) lets guitarists activate effects through assignable switches and a pedal...

Phonevalet messenger center.(Mac Beat)(Parliant)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... This $200 program from Parliant transforms your Mac into a telephone answering service, offering voice mail, caller ID, call recording, and fax support. It comes with a USB telephone adapter, features AppleScript support, and integrates with...

Slick volumes 7 and 8.(Mac Beat)(Gee Three)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The latest collection of Slick Transitions and Effects, from Gee Three--$50 for volume 7, and $70 for volume 8--includes an image-stabilization plug-in for eliminating shaking from handheld camera work, a tool that applies morph effects to home...

Imaging beat.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... AutoSmooth, from HumanSoftware (www.humansoftware.com): Photoshop plug-in smoothes skin and other surfaces while cutting down on harsh shadows and highlights ($79). CanoScan 3000ex, from Canon (www.usa.canon.com); Scanner offers maximum...

Multimedia beat.(Mac Beat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Ambient FX HD, from Reel-house (www.reelhouse.com): Compilation of royalty-free high-definition video clips contains 27 30-second background clips for seamless looping into Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro projects ($399). Audio Hijack...

FileMaker Pro 7: database application includes revolutionary changes but retains ease of use.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... Version 7 of FileMaker's popular flagship product, FileMaker Pro, has something for everyone, including end users who have never defined a field or tweaked a layout, managers who make purchasing decisions, and IT types who support networks and...

Xserve G5: nearly miraculous design squeezes tons of functionality into 1U space.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... A little more than a year ago, I sat in San Francisco's Moscone West convention hall as Steve Jobs pulled the wraps off the Power Mac G5 desktop, and I tried to figure out how Apple's engineers would shoehorn two small furnaces into the...

3.5TB (SFP) Xserve RAID: capacity growth, compatibility changes mark next-generation storage product.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... The original (2.52TB) Xserve RAID (VERY GOOD; September 2003) was an impressive first try for Apple's entry to the mass-storage market. The enhancements in the second go-around are pretty easy to sum up, but they still make the Xserve RAID an...

Toon Boom Studio 2.5: 2-D Pro animation package delivers new tools for 'toons.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... Thanks to the runaway success of 3-D computer-animated feature films, led by Pixar (Steve Jobs's other company), traditional, hand-drawn animation is in a slump. Animation studios are tossing aside their pencils to jump on the 3-D bandwagon,...

Midsize flat-panel displays: seven new models brighten the landscape.(Reviews)
October 1, 2004... Where did all the CRT monitors go? Slowly but steadily, those big, heavy displays that used to swallow up almost everyone's desk are going the way of the dodo, giving way to slim, trim LCDs. The reasons for choosing an LCD over a CRT monitor...

Digital-audio mixer-controllers: three FireWire-based multifunction devices that ease Mac music production.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... Digidesign's Digi 002, Tascam's FW-1884, and Yamaha's 01X are FireWire-based devices that serve two main purposes: each works as a stand-alone mixing console that you can operate away from your computer, and each functions as a mixing console...

Dr. Frame3D: 3-D CAD program determines structural strength.(Reviews)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... You could design an A-frame ski lodge with a standard CAD program, but a CAD program can't predict how much snow would cause the roof to collapse. For that, and for other load-capacity structural prediction, you need Dr. Frame3D, a spectacular...

1.25GHz eMac: faster low-end Mac holds its own.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... Though it was once reserved for the education market, the all-in-one eMac has become a great choice for anyone who needs an inexpensive desktop Mac. Apple's latest eMacs are no exception: they feature more processing power, faster RAM and bus...

CopyWrite 2.1: a simple system for organizing and editing manuscripts.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... Writing a novel is hard enough without having to keep track of all the chapters, versions, outlines, and notes floating around in your Documents folder. CopyWrite 2.1.1, from Bartas Technologies, makes the creative process a little less messy...

VectorWorks 11: a panoply of productivity and drafting improvements boosts popular CAD program's value.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... VectorWorks, a 2-D and 3-D CAD (computer-aided design) staple for architecture, design, and engineering pros, is proof that you don't have to run Autodesk's AutoCAD on a PC to be taken seriously as a designer. VectorWorks 11 sports a wealth of...

Portfolio 7: new version brings ease and flexibility to image management.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... Whether you're a photographer, an illustrator, or another type of creative pro, managing a multitude of images, comps, and other client files can be a real challenge. For years, Extensis's Portfolio has offered a powerful, flexible tool for...

Digital Camera Link for iPod: device transfers your photos.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... If you've ever been on a photo shoot and despaired at the prospect of keeping multiple CompactFlash cards in order, conserving space on a card, or lugging your laptop around for storing images, Belkin's Digital Camera Link for iPod has your...

Magic Bullet Editors 1.0: Final Cut Pro plug-in creates magical film effects.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... If you want to impart a filmlike quality to your digital video, Red Giant Software's Magic Bullet Editors, a special-effects plug-in for Final Cut Pro, may help you realize your vision. Magic Bullet Editors includes Look Suite, the...

The game room.(Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... Boy, running your own space colony sure is a lot of work. There are aliens to fend off, minerals to collect, and grumpy employees who'd rather sleep than repair the force field. For detail-oriented gamers, Aspyr Media's Space Colony--a new...

Mac gems.(Reviews)
October 1, 2004... I occasionally cover hardware products in this column, but this month I'm dedicating the entire two pages to some of my favorite Mac hardware gems. We'll start with a supercharged battery for the iPod. There's been a lot of talk about the...

Rock and scroll: the new Click Wheel iPod rules the digital music world.(Cover Story)
October 1, 2004... Since its introduction nearly three years ago, the iPod has pulled off an amazing feat that goes beyond squeezing the contents of several shelves of CDs into your pocket. The portable music player has helped transform Apple--from a computer...

Fourth-generation iPods: music player adopts Click Wheel, extends battery life.(Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... With controls borrowed from the iPod mini, a simplified interface, and a reduced price, the latest generation of iPods is the appropriate next step in Apple's stunningly popular line of digital-audio players. On the Outside As always,...

Pick the perfect program, manage your mail, and zap spam.(E-Mail Survival Guide)(Macworld's E-mail Survival Guide)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... DO YOU DREAD OPENING YOUR E-MAIL PROGRAM in the morning? Are you overwhelmed by the endless busywork of checking, sorting, and replying to a constant onslaught of mail? Do you practically need a private detective to track down legitimate...

Change e-mail clients: dissatisfied with your current software? Now is the perfect time to switch.(E-Mail Survival Guide)
October 1, 2004... Do you find it increasingly difficult to deal with the daily flood of e-mail? Do you wish your e-mail client could share information with other Mac programs? If so, it may be time for you to choose a new e-mail program. [ILLUSTRATION...

Get organized: you've got mail, mail, and more mail. Here are 7 quick ways to maintain order.(E-Mail Survival Guide)
October 1, 2004... E-mail was supposed to be a timesaver. But hand-sorting an in-box overflowing with personal messages, business correspondence, mailing-list deliveries, and jokes from clueless cousins (not to mention the load of unsolicited e-mail you receive...

Win the spam war: spammers get more devious every day. We'll show you how to stay two steps ahead.(E-Mail Survival Guide)
October 1, 2004... Imagine going to your mailbox every day, pulling out hundreds of flyers, and then sorting through them to find the one bill or personal letter you were expecting. For many of us, this is exactly what the spam epidemic has become: a frustrating...

7 PDF power moves.(Working Mac)(Portable Document Format)
October 1, 2004... Apple has made the process of creating PDF files downright easy. Whereas you used to need a separate application to distill large, graphically complex documents into this handy format, you can now do it right from the OS X Print window just by...

Photograph the invisible.(Digital Hub)
October 1, 2004... Just as our ears can't hear an ultrasonic dog whistle, our eyes can't detect short wavelengths of infrared (IR) light. Most digital cameras, however, can. And the results can turn an ordinary landscape into an extraordinary vision--with fluffy...

Make workflow flow.(Create)(metadata)
October 1, 2004... Writing on the backs of photographs with a soft pencil used to be an everyday practice in the graphic arts. How else would the page designer know what caption to give a photograph? Sharing information about pictures and documents is essential...

Inside AirPort Express.(Mobile Mac)
October 1, 2004... In true Apple fashion, the $129 AirPort Express is about a half dozen ideas rolled into one small, white widget. The size of a power adapter for an iBook or a PowerBook, it can act as the center of a wireless network, an extension to an...

Automate your home.(Geek Factor)(intelligent buildings)
October 1, 2004... Lights that go on and off, dim, and brighten, all by themselves. Appliances that respond to the time of day and the presence or lack of daylight. Coffeemakers that turn themselves on and off. You still can't order an Earl Grey (as Star Trek's...

Mac OS X hints.(Help Desk)
October 1, 2004... Find out how to use Expose to work on a single window, modify tab behavior on Web forms in Mozilla and Firefox, use Terminal to test for corrupted preference files, disable certain iChat AV emoticons, and route Terminal Unix command output to...

Mac 911.(Help Desk)
October 1, 2004... This Mac 911 tackles the five Ws of journalism: Who needs to be concerned about the size of an OS X installation? What can you do to edit the images and fonts within PDF files "printed" from Safari? When is it appropriate to install Panther...

Dual licensing.(The Month's Coolest Developments)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
October 1, 2004... QuarkXPress 6 users haven't had too many kind things to say about the licensing policies for the desktop publishing application (as Macworld reported in "Activation Nation" [Mac Beat, June 2004]). But Quark has responded to some of the...

i9900 photo printer.(The Month's Coolest Developments)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The photo-printing landscape just got more colorful, thanks to Canon's latest offering, which handles borderless printing at up to 13 by 19 inches. The $500 i9900 adds red and green inks to the standard six-color ink set, and each ink is housed...

Pod2Go.(The Month's Coolest Developments)(utility software)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Lately, Apple's been stingy about adding PDA-like features to the iPod. Fortunately, third-party developers like Kevin Wojniak are up to the challenge. Wojniak's free Pod2Go application makes downloading movie listings, RSS feeds, stock quotes,...

Word 2004's: Notebook Layout view.(The Month's Coolest Developments)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... It's not easy giving a new look to a program that's been around for nearly as long as the Mac. But if you've used Microsoft Word 2004, you've likely noticed the new Notebook Layout view. The new view adds more than just a different look to...

What's hot: a quick look at the world of Macs.(The Month's Coolest Developments)
October 1, 2004... 1 Steve Jobs calls up the student who won Apple's 100 millionth song contest. At the same time, the RIAA places a congratulatory phone call to the 100 millionth recipient of one of its cease and desist orders. 2 Apple introduces Click...

A closer look: Maya Unlimited.(The Month's Coolest Developments)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Once you've developed for the Mac, you never go back. Just ask 3-D-animation specialist Alias, which is following its 2001 Mac debut of Maya Complete by releasing a Mac version of the more feature-rich Maya Unlimited. (Mac users accounted for...