Sleevz and ScreenSavrz for MacBook and MacBook Pro
Radtech
http://www.radtech.us
Keeping your MacBook or MacBook Pro looking shiny and new isn’t easy. As amazing as Apple’s laptops look when new, the speed with which they get marked and scratched can be equally amazing. Part of the problem is the materials used. The paint finish used on the Titanium-series PowerBooks simply didn’t stick to the underlying metal and plastic, with the inevitable result that paint would scratch or flake away remarkably quickly. Later PowerBooks were better, and the current MacBook Pro series is relatively scratch-resistant, but they can still get marked and dinged if carried about in a rucksack or briefcase. More serious perhaps is damage to the LCD. Again, design is a factor as much as misuse. The sheer thinness of the modern portable computer means that (when closed at least) the gap between the LCD and the keyboard is minimal. Accidental bumps cause the keys to touch the screen, at the least letting grease from your fingers get onto the LCD and at worst actually causing unsightly scratches. Apple is usually reticent about replacing screens that are scratched this way, regardless of whether or not the design of the machine is the cause of the problem, and unfortunately for the owner, removing the scratches is basically impossible short of replacing the screen itself.
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Airplay Boost
Company: XtremeMac
Price: $49.95 (iPod Video model or 2nd Gen Nano Model)
www.xtrememac.com
“WOW!”
That was the first thing out of my mouth after I tried the XtremeMac Airplay Boost FM transmitter for the 5th generation iPods. I later tried the second generation Nano Airplay Boost. I was equally as impressed. Both models “hijacked” the radio station I had them tuned too, and gave a clear, static free sound.
This is going to be the shortest column ever.
Traveling with your laptop and iPod in Europe is a non-issue.
The End.
The rest of the article is HOW I made sure it would be a non-issue.
Power to the People!
There are two types of power plugs in the countries I would visit. The standard continental in Europe and the “GOST 7396″ in Russia. Some are recessed so I bought the extended prongs. Although there are minor variations in Switzerland and Denmark, the standard continental plug fits.
Manga Studio EX 3.0
Company: e frontier
Price: $299.99 (a slimmed down version called Debut is $49.99)
www.e-frontier.com
If you haven’t heard of Manga Studio before reading this review, you probably aren’t the only one. I hadn’t heard of it either, until I was asked to review it. Manga Studio is a program designed to help you make comic books or comic book pages on your computer from scratch. It basically takes all of the steps and tools of making a professional comic page (sketch, inking, shading, lettering, etc.) and combines it all into one program. Being an art teacher and an artist, it looked interesting. I’m always up for another art tool. Did it live up to my expectations? Read on.
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Many Macspirations ago I wrote about alternatives to using Safari for surfing the web. In this Macspiration I’m going to discuss some alternative email programs you might want to try. All of these programs have their differences. Some are free, some are shareware.
This is my favorite alternative to using Mail. Thunderbird is based on the email part of Mozilla, and could be considered the email partner to Firefox. I use Mail for my personal email and Thunderbird for all of my other accounts. I find it easier to organize these accounts in Thunderbird. It is free, so give it a try.
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Lifehacker: 88 tech tricks to turbocharge your day,
By Gina Trapani
ISBN 0-470-05065-9
300 pages
US $24.99 CAN $29.99 UK £15.99
http://wiley.com
If most of your productive day-to-day activities revolve around your Mac and related software, you probably keep current on as many strategies, tips, and ideas that help you not only be more productive at the keyboard, but also provide you ways to better organize your daily routines, projects, and – heck – your entire life if need be. And if you’re Mac power user, you no doubt seek out and learn numerous plug-ins, third-party applications, keyboard shortcuts, Applescripts and automations, and even some Unix command that boosts your productivity and technical wizardry.
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Attendance was by invitation only at the top-secret Adobe Media Event held in an undisclosed location within San Francisco’s Moscone Center during January’s Macworld Expo. Select editors of online and print publications were given a high-energy preview of the comprehensive group of applications within Adobe’s new Creative Suite 3, or CS3.
Product managers for each software component had a brief time allotment to show and tell us what’s new and wonderful in powerful graphics, publishing, and audio applications that have undergone substantial upgrades since their prior versions. Adobe had purchased Macromedia, and the absorption of this former competitor into the family was impressive in both cohesion and compatibility with the Adobe look and feel.
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Pocket Card Reader for Micro SD and Trans-Flash Cards
Company: IOGEAR
Price: $14.95
iogear.com
If you’ve ever had the “pleasure” of using the new micro SD cards, then you know just how small these cards are, and also how difficult they can be to handle.
You can buy these micro cards with a regular size SD card “shell” that has a little door on them, that once opened, allows you to stick the micro card inside the larger card, which you can stick in any USB port. Continue reading »
These Micro SD card slots are popping up in all of the latest cell phones and in some cameras, and they have a surprising amount of memory. For instance, the card in the picture was a 1GB card.
Moshi Codex Macbook Shellcase
Designed by Aevoe
Price: $65 US (MacBook); $70 US (MacBook Pro)
aevoe.com
The very first thing I noticed about the Codex MacBook Protective Shellcase – you can call it a cover or a carrying case but the name given it by Moshi is appropriate – was the packaging. The box’s silver color tells of advanced technology, and the design is as sleek as it is practical. The embossed “moshi” name along with the built-in handles say it all. “You’ve just spent your money on something worth having.”
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The AppleTV is finally here, and you just know Tim and the gang want one. Who is Mr. X, and what does he have to say? Answers in BookBytes Live. David C. talks about VisualBasic, or the lack thereof, on this weeks Fenestration. Finally, Robert H. reviews the AltecLansing iM7 iPod speaker system.
Be sure to Digg our podcast. (If Digg ever gets the feed working right.)
We would love to hear from you. Please email any comments to mymacpodcast@gmail.com, or better still, call us at 801-938-5559 and leave your feedback there so we can share your thoughts on a future episode.
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Soundslides
Company: Soundslides, LLC.
Price: $39.95 USD
soundslides.com
For the last several months I’ve been looking for a slide show application that would enable me to quickly post Flash Player slide shows to my website. Yes, Apple provides Quicktime slide show features in iPhoto and iDVD, but I’ve found Flash Player formats to be seriously smoother and easier to download than Quicktime movies.
After searching and trying out three or four different solutions that would work with my .mac website/account, someone recommended Soundslides. I downloaded the trial version and immediately liked the the layout and simplicity of the application.
I use iPhoto as my primary photo editing program. Most of the photos I take just need some minor adjustments and cropping. However, there are those occasions when the editing tools in iPhoto don’t cut it. That is when I call in the big guns, i.e.. Photoshop. There is the quick method for doing this, and one that is a little longer. I’ll cover both in this article.
The Quick Method
You need Photoshop (or another image editor) in your dock for this method to work. It does not have to be open, but if it is not in your dock the easiest way to get it there is to open it. Of course, you need iPhoto open, too.
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Torq Computer Backpack plus Boot and Dart Laptop Sleeves
Company: Spire USA
Price: $160, $30, and $50, respectively (US)
http://www.spireusa.com
SpireUSA had a substantial booth at January’s Macworld Expo in San Francisco. This company was new to the staff of MyMac.com. I was mostly interested in rolling computer backpacks, so I didn’t do a detailed examination of Spire’s computer cases. Their newest high-end model, Torq, recently delivered to our ultra-tech testing facility (Nemo’s shoulders and back), is spacious, expensive, and designed for every possible carrying condition.
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iPod Video Aluminum Hardcase
Company: RhinkSkin
Price: $34.95
www.rhinoskin.com
I have never been a fan of hard shell iPod cases until I got my hands on the iPod Video Aluminum Hardcase by RhinoSkin. This has to be one of the nicest iPod cases I have had the opportunity to try.
The case itself has a brushed metal aluminum back and a clear plastic front. The area of the iPod screen is raised a little, making it stand out on the case. I don’t see any protection benefit to this, but it is a nice look. As a matter of fact the entire case looks great, especially when the iPod is inserted. The sides have black rubberized grips to help you hold onto the case. My only complaint about the look of the case is the RhinoSkin logo is plastered under the screen in a white application. This is something that should be on the back of the case, or smaller and out of the way on the front.
Back2Pak Carrying System
Company: bbp (formally BumBakPacks)
Price: $95.00 in several sizes and colors
http://www.bbpbags.com
Many of you may still recall my search for the perfect shoulder or messenger style bag for my PowerBook. As I reported in the past, I kept trying bag after bag looking for the one that had the right combination of features, fit, comfort, and protected my PowerBook as well as possible. I finally chose two clear winners, the Timbuk2 Commute XL bag, and the Brenthaven Professional. These two bags did a great job in almost every category.
But, to my surprise, Timbuk2 was nowhere to be seen at this year’s Macworld, and I do not recall seeing Brenthaven either. And neither company returned calls to meet and discuss their new products for the Mac market. In fact, a quick look at Timbuk2’s website shows no mention of Macintosh at all now. Seems these companies have chosen to ignore the Mac market, so perhaps, we can ignore them too because there are some great new bags taking their place. The bbp bag discussed here easily takes their place, and will save you some cash too.
ezView
Company : ezGear
Price: 39.98
http://www.ezgear.com
I recently had the chance two try out two similar, yet different products by EZGear. One is an iPod stand, and the other is an iPod case that doubles as a stand. I’ll start with the stand.
The EZL is basically an easel for you iPod. It is designed to work with the iPod with Video so that you can rest your iPod on the stand and watch something on the display. It will work will other iPods and devices, as well.
The unit is made of heavy duty plastic, and it has rubberized feet and padding to hold the iPod in place. I was really surprised at how well the padding keeps the iPod from moving on the EZL. It really does a good job.
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This week, Nemo interviews author Mitch Ratcliffe, while David Cohen returns with Fenestration. Robert reviews Gelaskins, The Laptop Desk, and the Slanket. And Tim, Guy, and Chad are joined by Larry for a fun chat.
Be sure to Digg our podcast. (If Digg ever gets the feed working right.)
We would love to hear from you. Please email any comments to mymacpodcast@gmail.com, or better still, call us at 801-938-5559 and leave your feedback there so we can share your thoughts on a future episode.
I am no (longer a) Microsoft basher. Sure, there was a time when I was very anti-Microsoft. This was mostly during the very dark days of Apple and the Macintosh, from around 1996 – 2000. I saw some of the business practices that Microsoft was using to stifle competition, both legally and otherwise. I was also in the forefront of decrying their computer operating system in favor of the more easy-to-use Macintosh… but no longer.
First, I think the computing population is well aware of what Microsoft does, both good and bad. Besides which, I’ve actually come to use a few Microsoft applications and hardware over the years, and business practices aside, some of their offerings are first-class products. (Office 2004, XBOX 360, and XBOX Live Marketplace)
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I feel like I’m saying goodbye to an old friend.
Logitech makes the best mice. My very first multi-button rodent was the bald, wired Logitech. I love(d) my MX1000. The bluetooth mouse works flawlessly on my laptop. The battery in their wireless keyboard has never been replaced (in two years). My tunes play through Logitech speakers. Their Logitech Control Center (LCC) sucks great big rocks through tiny straws.
To begin with, my Logitech wireless keyboard’s neat programmable buttons stop responding . . . including volume control. I pull down the blue apple to system preferences and the Logitech Control Center.
And wait.
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1. Before the festivities begin, casually take some pictures while people are relaxed. This breaks the ice, because you can show them your results immediately with a digital camera, and have a few laughs along with your subjects. Is my mother about to take a sip of her cola, or tooting a few notes in a strange musical key?
Comments. Be heard!
MyMac Podcast #385
MyMac Podcast #384