When I badly needed to get my small business website up and running, I didn’t have the time, patience, or the bucks for the granddaddy of web programs like Dreamweaver. But when I cried for help, a fellow videographer turned me on to what could be considered the great grandson of Dreamweaver, RapidWeaver (RW). While not a Macromedia product, this little web development program, created by RealMac, should be something like the iWeb in the iLife suite.
Like most all Apple’s programs, especially Pages and Keynote, RW is based on simplicity and elegance. For $34.95 (and so for free updates for licensed users), this program – if you have all your media resources developed–can help you build your website in less than a hour. I’m not kidding.
Recently updated, RW comes installed with thirty professionally built and simple themes in which you can drag and drop media into various types of pages to produce your site. You don’t have to mess around with tables, tags, layers, or HTML or CSS codes–that is, unless you want to.
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PhoneValet 3.0
Company: Parliant
Price: $199.95 and up – $49.95 Podcast add-on
http://www.parliant.com
When I first saw the advertisements and reviews of PhoneValet, I thought it looked like a cool product, but probably not one I would have much need or desire for. Then almost a year ago, when we started the MyMac.com Podcast, suddenly the ability to record telephone conversations became something I was very much interested in. PhoneValet does much more than simple telephone recordings; in fact that is one of the lesser features of this program / hardware package.
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Time for another edition of the Download Drawer.
As an art teacher, I am always looking for free art programs that my students can use on the eMacs in my classroom. This week I am going to talk about three of them on the computers right now: “Palette 2.0” by HaranBanjo, “Tux Paint” by New Breed Software, and “ArtRage” by Ambient Design.
Let’s start with “Palette 2.0.” “Palette” is a very simple paint program, great for the very young computer user. It has your basic tools: drawing, square, circle, fill, erase, and typing. It also has a couple of special effects like mirror and rotate. Like I said, a very basic paint program, with a very small learning curve.
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Tim and Chad talk the latest in the MyMac Universe, and finally all is reveled about the Macworld Expo Article from last week.
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Links
The Dashboard Minute from Guy Serle
Email us at mymacpodcast@gmail.com
Bridget Davies Handmade iPod Covers
Price: £32 ($55 US), including postage and packing to UK
Sizes: Currently the classic iPod and iPod mini, other sizes available soon
Web site: http://www.bridgetdavies.co.uk
There was an article in a recent issue of Cosmopolitan that indicated that the majority of British women would spend any little windfall they came into on an iPod. The iPod has certainly become an essential fashion accessory, combining amazing functionality with dazzling good looks. But as any iPod owner knows, the iPod needs some protection from the outside world if you want to keep it all sleek and shiny, and to fill that market dozens of different companies have produced a huge variety of iPod covers. Most of the cheaper ones are fashioned from synthetic fabrics, and while they might do the job, they totally ruin the look of the iPod.
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Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW 20.1″ Widescreen Monitor
Company: Dell, Inc.
Price: $ $434.00 USD
http://www.dell.com
What’s the best thing about going into an Apple store? The hordes of black-shirted dudes with gleaming iPods round their necks? The Genius Bar answering any and every question that might come up in the Apple universe? Well, in my book it’s the rows of Macs with those killer large TFT screens. Even if a lowly Mac Mini is out on display, it will be connected to a gleaming Apple Cinema Display, and even the iMac G5s seem to favour the 20″ models. As for the Power Macs, a pair of 24″ or 30″ screens seems to be the only way to truly show off Final Cut Pro or Logic.
Cinema Displays are killer cool, with their gleaming aluminium cases and fabulous industrial design. They are priced as a premium product, and they look like they are worth every penny but that doesn’t make it any easier to afford one. I’d always thought that I would never be able to aspire to such a fine window to OS X. However, I have recently discovered that this is not the case. This technology is now available to us mere mortals, for little more than half the price that Apple charges.
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XtremeMac iPod nano Tuffwrap 3-pack
Company: XtremeMac
Price: $24.95
http://www.xtrememac.com
I have an Apple iPod nano and while I’ve heard all the crying and moaning about screen scratches, it hasn’t affected me. My nano (a white 4GB) came with a protective clear plastic covering and I left it on. This protected the nano’s front from all sorts of bad possibly scratch inducing stuff but it was hardly a permanent solution. I knew it was simply a matter of time before the third party companies making a mint of the popularity of the iPod would come up with a better way. I was not to be disappointed. Do a google-search on “iPod nano covers”, and a plethora of products will soon be on its webby way. The problem with selecting a device like this is that you have no way of knowing if this is the answer you’re looking for. I rarely select covers for electronic gear via the net because I like to look at it first. So it was off to my local Apple Store to see what is available.
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When people in the Mac world use the term “Switcher” they usually are referring to those switching from a Windows computer to the Mac. Well, there is another, lesser talked about, group of “Switchers” out there. These are those who are just now making the change to Mac OSX. Whether it is Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, or earlier, there are a few changes to be aware of. OK more than a few, but that would be an entire book. I’m going to cover some of the more obvious and everyday tasks that might be different. Consider this a jump-start for OSX.
First there is the Apple Menu. It is still in the left hand corner, but more than just the color of the Apple logo has changed. The Apple Menu is no longer a customizable menu that can be loaded with applications and folders. Now the menu is for basic functions of the computer: Logout, Restart, Shutdown, System Preferences, About This Mac, etc.
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Since I’ve started writing for MyMac, I’ve been keeping my eye for computer tips, programs, and plug-ins that might smooth out my workflow for research and writing. Finding a way to organize and quickly access web pages and their links for articles I’m writing was a problem I faced. I tried creating temporary bookmark folders, but my Safari menu bar and collection of bookmarks are already overflowing. Plus, as I come across websites and documents for future articles and projects, I need a way to file them somewhere for future reference.
Well in researching this problem, I came across PimpMySafari, a kinky resource site devoted to making Apple’s web browser ten times better. Within a few clicks inside the site, I came across Concierge, a deft little bookmarking assistant similar to what you’d find in Firefox and Opera web browsers. Now you may ask, why don’t you just make the rebel Firefox your main web browser? Well, it doesn’t solve my problem the way Concierge does.
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This week, Chad and Tim look at the latest happenings in the Mac world.
Get the show
(Mp3) Direct Download
(iTunes) Our iTMS listing
(RSS Feed)
(YaHoo) Vote for us at Yahoo
(Podcast Alley) Vote for us at Podcast Alley
SmallDog.com Check out all the iPod gear!
Links
MacMinute.com
Not Mac News with Chris Seibold
Email us at mymacpodcast@gmail.com
It is almost time for that annual gathering of the Apple and Macintosh faithful in San Francisco, what we all have come to know as the Macworld Conference and Expo held during the second week of January at the Moscone Center. This is THE event of the year, more so in 2006 after Macworld Expo Conference organizers IDG World Expo has pulled the plug on the summer Mac Expo in Boston.
While everyone is finalizing their plans on attending the show, IDG has up and changed a policy that could potentially have an adverse effect on how the show is covered this year. So unless you plan on attending the event in person, you may be curious on what this new policy will mean to you, the Mac users of the world, as well as the Mac (and iPod) vendors who plan on showing off their wares at the show.
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Did you know MyMac.com is in the apparel and accessory business? Our friends at CafePress.com helped us design exciting shirts, baseball caps, shoulder bags, and other practical goodies with the MyMac.com logo. Order yours today. Mine just arrived (see photos below) and it’s a very attractive, high quality t-shirt.
1. While connected to the Internet, open your favorite Web browser, and go to this site.
2. All the MyMac.com logo items are there, on a single Web page. Scroll down and up to see every product.
3. Click on a small image or description underneath it to see additional photos and complete details on any item.
4. Click on “View Larger” to see every photo at a larger size, which especially helps you decide how the shirts will look, including a “Zoom In” feature on our MyMac.com logo, plus color swatches and a sizing guide.
5. Click “Add to Cart” on the page for the item(s) you are ordering, making sure you indicate your quantity, size, and color choice(s)
6. Click on “Keep Shopping” to order additional item(s), or “Proceed to Checkout” to complete the order process.
7. Call the USA toll-free number, if desired, or click on “Continue” in the New Customer area, upper right.
8. Provide all necessary billing, shipping, credit card, and new password info, as requested, and then click “Continue” lower right.
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For my tenth Macspiration article (wow, is it ten already?) I decided I would make a list of ten tips that could be useful to any Mac user. Some of these might be obvious to the advanced user, but hopefully you’ll find something to help you out.
1. New Folders: Want a new folder for files or applications? Go to the “File” menu in the finder, click “New Folder,” and it will appear on the desktop or in the folder you are in at the time. Just type the what you want to name the folder after it appears. You can also, from the finder, use the keyboard shortcut of Command-Shift-N.
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OtterBox for iPod Shuffle
Company: Otter Products, LLC
http://www.otterbox.com
I’ve been spending a fair amount of time enjoying my iPod Shuffle, as in running with it, exercising with it, working around the house and yard with it, really giving it a workout. Doing all of this can have an impact upon the iPod, as in running/exercising and sweating all over the place or getting a bit wet when the summer thunderstorms pass through the area in the late afternoon or early evening.
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MyMac.com Interview with Martin Taylor, Photoblogger
NEMO: What is a photoblog, and how is yours focused?
MARTIN: A blog is a way of self-publishing to the web in journal form. The blogs you usually encounter on the web are text based. Photoblogs are based around photographs, although they sometimes contain text, too. Photoblogs are not static like a gallery, as most photobloggers post new images regularly — somewhere between weekly and daily. Readers usually navigate through pictures in chronological order and photoblogs usually allow readers to add comments to a photograph that can develop into a community of readers.
The unofficial photoblog headquarters is photoblogs.org where you can learn more and find links to thousands of examples of photoblogs.
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On Saturday, 11/5 Tim Robertson sent out an email to the staff of writers at MyMac.com requesting a MyMac.com widget. I had never made a widget, and had no clue how to do it. I had read it was easy and I recalled seeing several programs for making widgets. So I decided to give it a try.
I found a widget-making program on the Internet called Wcode (or Widget Code) by Bryan Goldstein and Jeremy Bilien. The program has a 15-day demo, so I figured I’d start there.
It seemed pretty straightforward. You answer a few of questions about the widget and the program builds it for you.
After about a minute I had a widget with default graphics sitting on my desktop. I thought if it was that easy, I’d have a widget done in no time. Was I wrong.
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The Non-Designer’s Design Book
by Robin Williams
Peachpit Press
ISBN 0-321-19385-7
191 pages
Price: US $19.99 US, CN $30.99
When I started my wedding and event videography business, I quickly noticed my marketing material looked liked ransom notes compared to the professional brochures, newsletters, websites, and business forms that I received from other businesses. But I couldn’t afford to pay professional designers to lay out the material I needed. And even if I could afford them, I realized that as a videographer, I needed to know something about effective elements of design for my multimedia work.
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Managing Your Personal Finances with Quicken
by Tom Negrino
Peachpit Press
147 pages
ISBN 0-321-29365-7
US $12.99 CN $18.99
When I purchased my Mac mini several months ago, I was surprised to see a copy of Intuit’s Quicken 2005 personal finance software fully installed. I had been shopping around for such a program, but didn’t want shell a lot of money for one. So I decided that even it didn’t have all the features I wanted or needed, I’d make it work because I didn’t have to spend extra money for it.
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MyMac Podcast #385
MyMac Podcast #384