Macworld articles from September 2007

Macworld archives from September 2007

After 25 years of shooting, Bill Frakes needs more than a good memory to find his photos.(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Bill Frakes has shot millions of images over his career. His life's work is his most valuable asset. Decades of Sports Illustrated cover shots, over 20 Kentucky Derbies, photos from the Tour de France and the more than 10,000 shots he's taken...

Not just a phone: why you need to know about Apple's iPhone--even if you won't be buying one.(FROM THE EDITOR's DESK)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... For the second time this year, we have put a phone on the cover of Macworld. We know that this will lead many of you to wonder what the heck is wrong with us. After all, the letters will point out, this isn't Phoneworld, is it? No, it's...

How reliable is your mac? Plus: spam, green computing, and cleaning your laptop.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2007... Smiles for Service Your article "State of the Mac" (June 2007) confirms my experience with the excellent service you can get from Apple and its authorized service providers. I was in Australia with my 17-inch PowerBook (bought, with...

Correction.(Correction notice)
September 1, 2007... Due to a typographical error, the maker of SMART Reporter was misidentified in the"4 Things You Can Do before a Hardware Disaster Strikes" sidebar of "State of the Mac" (June 2007). Julian Mayer is its maker.

Maintain your Mac like a Pro.: the complete Macintosh problem solving utility. Now for both Intel and PowerPC Macs.(Micromat TechTool Pro)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Why throw away your money on a multitude of utilities that force you to learn different interfaces and deal with a variety of companies and/or different products? Micromat gives you everything you need in one box-for far less money. TechTool...

The iPhone hits shelves: launch brings out crowds all over the country.(SMART PHONES)
September 1, 2007... Pete Jensen came to the Apple Store in Arlington, Virginia, with an iPod, a PDA, and a cell phone. He was hoping to leave with just an iPhone. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Today, I've got three things in my pocket," Jensen said while...

Hardware.(PRODUCT WATCH)
September 1, 2007... Ci70 Wireless Desktop Set, from Kensington (us.kensington.com): Wrieless multimedia keyboard and mouse set features a foldable keyboard with a built-in mouse-docking station ($80). MFC-9440CN, from Brother International...

Apple releases OS X 10.4.10.(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... While we wait for Leopard, Apple has released OSX 10.4.10 to address outstanding problems in Tiger Among the changes is a fix for a problem in which a Bluetooth headset would sometimes show up in the Sound preference pane as an available device...

iTunes store gains ground.
September 1, 2007... Apple's iTunes Store is continuing its rise in popularity as it moves up the list of the most common places for consumers to purchase music. A recent report from market research firm The NPD Group for the first quarter of 2007 places iTunes in...

The Apple TV gains YouTube support; Update adds new streaming capabilities and more.(VIDEO)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... In its first software update for the Apple TV, Apple delivered promised support for playing YouTube videos, as well as several other enhancements. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With the version 1.1 update, the Apple TV displays a new YouTube...

Scenario Poker.(WIDGET OF THE MONTH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... If you're a fan of Texas Hold'em, check out Scenario Poker from Scenario Software, the developer of the excellent iPoker game. The $10 Dashboard version helps you learn the game by providing tips via on-screen odds and Scenario's patent-pending...

Hardware.(PRODUCT WATCH)
September 1, 2007... OWC 4GB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz DIMM Upgrade kit, from OWC (www.macsales.com): Four-gigabyte memory kit is compatible with the 22GHz and 2.4GHz MacBook Pro laptops that Apple released in June 2007 ($219). Perfection V200 Photo Scanner, from...

No virtualization for Vista home--again: Microsoft still won't change OS license.(OPERATING SYSTEM)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... When Microsoft released its new Vista operating system, sharp-eyed customers noticed that Vista's End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) stated that Microsoft wouldn't let users run the Home and Home Premium editions--the entry-level versions--of...

Cell phone frustrations.(TECH TRENDS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The strongly positive reaction to the simply designed iPhone appears to stem from a big frustration of mobile phone users: handsets are just too complicated. A new survey of 15,000 mobile phone users in 37 countries finds that although the cell...

GameTap brings free games to the Mac; Service offers classic arcade and console titles.(GAMES)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Looking for a free, legal way to play classic arcade and console games on your Mac? Then head over to GameTap (www.gametap.com), which recently gave Intel-based Mac users the ability to play dozens of games on demand--classics such as Robotron...

Age of Empires III: the WarChiefs.(GAME BUZZ)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... MacSoft Games has released a Mac conversion of Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs.The $30 WarChiefs is the first expansion pack developed for Age of Empires III, a real-time strategy game in which players follow Morgan Black and his descendants...

Parallels previews server for Mac: product runs many server OS versions.(SOFTWARE)
September 1, 2007... Parallels recently upgraded its software for letting Intel-based Macs run Windows and other operating systems, but during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, the virtualization specialist demonstrated an early build of a new product called...

Dialog box.
September 1, 2007... "We are not in a visual age... and it's producing badly dressed people. They have no interest in mass or line or things like that." Painter David Hockney, deploring the iPod for contributing to a decline in visual awareness "There...

Photoshop Action Pack 3.5 released.(CREATIVE NOTES)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Macworld contributor Ben Long has released version 3.5 of his popular Photoshop Action Pack, a collection of 86 Automator actions for scripting Adobe Photoshop. The update adds Photoshop CS[3] support, a new Auto Color action, improved...

Software.(PRODUCT WATCH)
September 1, 2007... Captain FTP 5.0, from Xnet Communications (captainftp.xdsnet.de): FTP client adds support for WebDav, file ID in Get Info, and Growl Notification, and now includes a preview drawer ($25; upgrade, contact Xnet for pricing). Cocktail 3.8,...

Hot stuff: what we're raving about this month.(MAC BEAT)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... Skitch Creating and distributing an image in a hurry is what plasq's Skitch (currently a public beta) is all about. You use Skitch to grab an image of something on your screen or within view of your iSight camera, and then modify it with...

Making the cut: Apple's Final Cut Pro 6 offers powerful new tricks.(Apple Final Cut Pro 6)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... HOW WE RATE OUTSTANDING: ***** VERY GOOD: **** GOOD: *** FLAWED: ** UNACCEPTABLE:* Over the years, Final Cut Pro (FCP) has evolved into a workhorse application that handles everything from basic digital video editing to uncompressed HD...

Color 1.0: Apple unleashes Final Cut Studio grading and finishing tool.(Apple Color 1.0.1)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... Color 1.0.1, a new component introduced in Final Cut Studio 2.0.1, brings professional color correcting and finishing to the suite. Far more powerful than the basic color-correction tools found in the previous version of Final Cut Pro, Color...

Soundtrack Pro 2: improved editing and new features help you sync audio with video.(Apple Soundtrack Pro 2)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... Sound editors and video editors--the humans, not the software--often seem to live in different worlds. The latest version of Apple's Soundtrack Pro (2.0.1), part of Final Cut Studio 2.0.1, continues to bridge the gap between video-and...

Motion 3: 3-D, paint, and motion-tracking add depth to graphics tool.(Apple Motion 3.0.1)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... Motion, Apple's motion-graphics and video-processing software, has always stood apart--not so much for what it does, but for the way it does it. Motion's workflow is built around real-time adjustment and experimentation. With Motion 3.0.1,...

The MacBook Pro's progress: Apple unveils advances in graphics and displays.(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... For more than a year, Intel has been touting a new mobile platform code-named Santa Rosa. Combining the latest Core 2 Duo processors with a package of new support chips, the platform was supposed to deliver the biggest advance in notebook...

macworld.com/reviews: what we're reviewing online this month.(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... Coda 1. 0 RATING: GOOD1/2 price: $99 company: Panic URL: www.panic.com If you're a Mac-based Web developer, you probably have a regular set of working tools: a text editor, an FTP client, a CSS editor, a Web browser, and the Apple...

Top products: your guide to the best hardware we've tested. See more at macworld.com/reviews.
September 1, 2007... PRINTERS LASER PRINTER C6100dn RATING: VERY GOOD1/2 PRICE: $1,102 COMPANY: Oki Data URL: www.okidata.com The C6100dn, from Oki Data, produces great-looking prints, and it includes built-in duplexing. It has easy...

Mac Gems: get more and expanded reviews at macworld.com/macgems.(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... UTILITY CocoThumbX 3.1 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RATING: VERY GOOD1/2 price: payment requested COMPANY:Sven Janssen URL:macworld.com/2882 If you ever have to create thumbnail icons for image files on your hard drive, Sven...

Meet the iPhone; How good is Apple's new do-it-all mobile device? We make call.(Cover story)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... * For the first half of 2007, the mere mention of the word iPhone was certain to produce an outpouring of pontification about the capabilities of Apple's mobile device, debate over its features, and speculation on how it would stack up to other...

Phone features: Apple packed a lot into the (phone's 4,S-by-2.4-by-o46-inch frame. But first and foremost, it's a phone. And if it's to be a successful one, the iPhone needs to make connecting with your contacts as simple as pressing a button.(Meet the iPhone)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... CONTACTS At the heart of the device's phone features is Contacts, the collection of phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and other personal data about anyone you'll ever want to talk to. To truly take advantage of the iPhone's features, you'll...

Multimedia Features: Steve Jobs calls the iPhone "the best iPod we've ever made." And in many ways, the phone's music and video features are exactly what you've come to expect from Apple's portable music player. Still, there are key differences. Here's a lock what the iPhone at what the iPhone adds, as well as the iPod-like features it's missing.(Meet the iPhone)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... PLAYING MUSIC The iPhone is very much integrated with iTunes, starting with the fact that you'll need the latest version of the program--7.3, as of this writing--in order to activate the phone and fill it with music and videos. ...

Internet Features: many phones can access the Internet; few do it well. And no phone has come close to approximating the experience you get on your computer. But that's the iPhone's lofty goal. Here's a look at the programs that aim to deliver that experience.(Meet the iPhone)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... SAFARI If you've ever browsed the Web on a PDA or a mobile phone, Safari on the iPhone will be a joy to use, although it's not without some minor limitations. General Browsing Tap on the Safari icon on the Home screen, and a miniature...

The iPhone: groundbreaking wireless communicator really lives up to the hype.(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... Apple has been working on the iPhone for years, and the Web has been buzzing about it for at least that long. Six months after its introduction at Macworld Conference & Expo, the iPhone has finally arrived. Although it's not without its quirks,...

Smart money: 33 ways your Mac can help you save more and spend less.(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... No matter how much money you have, you certainly want to be sure you're managing it in the best way possible. And it just so happens that--thanks to financial software and the Web--your Mac is one of the best tools for doing so. For many...

Top 10 Quicken tricks: Quicken has been the default personal finance manager of Mac users for years. But despite its ubiquity, I still run across many Quicken users who aren't getting the most out of the program, because they don't know some simple tricks that can make it easier to use. Here's my top-ten list of tricks every Quicken user--from novices to experts--should know.(Smart Money)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... 1 Customize the Keyboard If you don't like Quicken's default keyboard shortcuts, change them or add your own. Just hold down the [??] key and choose the item you want to customize from the menu bar. In the Edit Command Key dialog box, you...

8 great quicken alternatives.(Smart Money)(personal finance software)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... Quicken may be the most popular finance manager on the Mac, but because it has many features that a lot of us never use, it can be overkill. Fortunately, there are several options that are simpler to use, less expensive, and/or more focused...

6 tips for savvier shopping.(Smart Money)
September 1, 2007... I made my first online purchase--a pound of coffee beans--almost 20 years ago, on a now-defunct online service called Prodigy. Since then, I've bought tens of thousands of dollars' worth of products online. The Web is a marvelous place to shop,...

Cooke's tour: 5 top travel sites.
September 1, 2007... Jay Cooke is an editor for the guidebook publisher Lonely Planet and a former editor for the travel magazine Via. Here are five of his favorite Web sites for planing and saving money on travel. You can find more of his travel tips at...

Flex TextEdit's powers: inside eight of this program's most overlooked abilities.(Working Mac)
September 1, 2007... Everyone writes. Whether you draft reports, make grocery lists, or author scholarly works, the tool you use for text may be the most important program on your Mac. Some people need a full-featured word processor, such as Microsoft Word ($239;...

Create perfect playlists: take your mixes to the next level with these tips.(Playlist)
September 1, 2007... In the 1980s, the cassette tape ruled. And while the medium had its share of problems--underwhelming sound quality, constant rewinding and fast-forwarding, and the inevitable snag--it did pave the way for an entire generation of personalized...

Release your inner artist: turn digital photos into paintings with Photoshop.(Digital Photo)(Excerpt)(Reprint)
September 1, 2007... Adobe Photoshop (www.adobe.com) offers a far greater range of artistic potential than most users realize. Not only can the program help you subtly enhance your digital photos, it also lets you step away from realism altogether and give your...

GPS for the Mac: let your Mac know where it is, anywhere on the globe.(Mobile Mac)
September 1, 2007... Over the past ten years, GPS technology has gone from the military to the mainstream. It's now a fixture in cars, many folks carry portable GPS units with them on outdoor adventures, and we're no longer wowed by the fact that you can precisely...

At Home in Google Earth; Build a 3-D model in SketchUp and add it to Google's world map.(Geek Factor)
September 1, 2007... Chances are you already know about Google Earth (VERY GOOD macworld.com/2379): it's the program that lets you zoom in on almost any spot on the planet, with a remarkable level of detail. But it can do a lot more than simply let you see what...

Mac OS X Hints The insider tips you won't get from Apple.(Help Desk)
September 1, 2007... Hidden Quick Time Frame Numbers Mac OS X is full of unexpected touches. Hold down the shift key before you minimize something to the Dock or activate Dashboard, for example, to see the graphical effect in supercool ultraslow motion....

Mac 911: solutions to your most vexing Mac problems.(HELP DESK)
September 1, 2007... Converting Unprotected DVDs Q: Over the past 18 months, I've taken about 15 hours of video of my baby. I loaded the videos into Apple's iMovie and then burned DVDs in iDVD. (I didn't have the hard-drive space to keep the videos on my Mac.)...

Bugs Fixes.
September 1, 2007... Zinio Reader Rejection If you use the Zinio reader (www.zinio.com) to subscribe to digital versions of magazines, you may find that it refuses to open or download your issues after you transfer your data to a new Mac or restore a hard drive. To...

The New Frontier: Mac OSX is a mature technology; the iPhone is anything but.(SPOTLIGHT)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... Anyone hoping that Steve Jobs would make some sort of bombshell announcement during his keynote at the 2007 World-wide Developers Conference came away disappointed. The news about the upcoming Mac OS X (Leopard) was mostly a refinement and...