iFrogz Vibez Speaker System
Company: iFrogz
www.ifrogz.com
Price: $24.99
There I was, in the conference room setting up for a presentation. I needed sound for a clip within my Keynote presentation. They had one of those mounted overhead projectors all wired up with sound. I reached behind the Windows machine and unplugged the audio and video cables and plugged them into my MacBook. The video came up, but no sound. Beads of sweat formed on my brow as I tried in vain to get sound out of that system. The presentation was set to start in less than ten minutes and some early birds had already arrived. Read on to find out what I did.
What would you think if I told you I found a speaker system for my iPod that was so small I could pop it in my pocket? Amazing, right? Yeah, that was what I thought. The Vibez speaker system from iFrogz is an amazingly small “hamburger” type speaker. Continue reading »
http://ifrogz.com/proddetail.php?prod=vibez
Listen to MyMac 177 or subscribe via iTunes.
A big show this week, with Dave Hamilton of The Mac Observer and the Mac Geek Gab joining Tim, David, and Guy for a lively interview. Sam Levin joins us for a new Cool Mac Picks, while Nemo and David Weeks chat about the Macbook Air. Lee Givens also dials in for a chat about the AppleTV and other happenings around the Mac world. All that, plus a special report from Robert Hazelrigg fills us in after his meeting and demo of the new Adobe Photoshop Express site.
Links from the show:
The Mac Observer
Mac Geek Gab Podcast
Adobe Photoshop Express
i-Luv 1155 DVD and iPod player
Keyspan Presentation Remote Pro
Kensington Portable Power Pack
MCE Technologies QuickStream DV/HDV
Naja King Stand for iPod Touch
Company: Thoughtout
www.thoughtout.biz
Retail: $39.99
If you have an iPod Touch, you know that the little plastic stand that Apple includes in the box barely meets the needs of the average user. First, it looks like something broken off a plastic pants hanger from the local department store/superstore. Second, you can’t attach the data cable to your Touch unless you’ve got it lying on it’s side in the stand. Third, because it is so small and light, it’s easy to misplace, or for someone else to mistake for a piece of plastic from a pants hanger and file it in the circular drawer.
I need to quit griping now. Frankly, I’m glad that I even got a little plastic stand with my iPod Touch to begin with.
But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t looking out for something better. When I was contacted to review Thoughtout’s Naja King stand for the iPod Touch, I was more than happy to do the review. I remember seeing the Ped3 iPhone stand at Tim’s when he was reviewing it, and I thought it was a great design. Very sleek, very sturdy, and it looked like some robotic manipulator was holding your iPhone – which I thought was very cool.
Thoughtout brings that same cool look to us iPod Touch users with the Naja King. To start with, the Naja King looks like a snake, which only makes sense, since the name naja is the genus name for the snakes in the cobra family.
iPod Repair QuickSteps
Brandon Jones and Marc Campbell
McGraw Hill Osborne
http://www.osborne.com
161 pages
ISBN 978-0-07-149866-1
US $19.95
CA $23.95
iPods have become one of the most popular symbols of today’s digital culture. iPods are seen on Wall Street, Main Street, the South Bronx, and down on the farm.
The original iPod, with all of 5GB of storage space, retailed for $399. Today, you can buy a 4 GB nano for $149. A 160 GB iPod (that’s 32 times the original’s storage capacity) costs $349, $50 less than the original.
With the inexorable drops in price for all iPod models, they’ve certainly become ubiquitous. But have they become disposable? What if the battery gives out? What if it won’t start up? Toss it, or fix it?
Continue reading »
The Macintosh iLife ’08
Jim Heid
Peachpit Press
http://www.peachpit.com
421 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0321501905
US$ 39.95 CA$ 443.99
One thing is certain about Apple: each revision of their iApps (iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, and GarageBand) brings new features and new frustrations.
It’s also a certainty that author Jim Heid will write a new edition of The Macintosh iLife to help Mac users learn what’s new with the iApps, how best to use those new features, and how to deal with any new limitations or frustrations that Apple introduced.
Continue reading »
iPod Classic Case Roundup Review
Companies: ShadesCases, Agent18, XtremeMac
Prices: $17 – $30
Special thanks to Evee Goodyear, who assisted on this review.
Note: Almost all of the following cases are also available for other iPods and the iPhone, so check the companies’ web sites if you are interested in obtaining a sleeve or case for your specific iPod/iPhone. Some products ship with/without belt clips and arm bands, FYI, so make sure you’re ordering the best model for your lifestyle.
Continue reading »
Microsoft Office 2008, Word 2008 Review and First impression
Company: Microsoft
Price: $149 to $499 depending on version and upgrade status
http://www.microsoft.com
I did not install my copy of Office 2008 when it first arrived, letting it rather sit on my desk for weeks. That is because I am still running on PPC machines, and the web was buzzing about just how buggy this product was on them. But there was also talk of a major fix coming out in March that would solve all this, so I waited.
Continue reading »
BodyGuardz for iPhone
NLU Products
Price: $24.95
http://www.bodyguardz.com
BodyGuardz for iPhone review Part I
When I unpacked my iPhone on iPhone Day One. the first thing I said to myself was “this is one smooth little slab of technology.” I then handed the new iPhone to my wife, who promptly let it slip right through her hands onto the tile floor, thus making my prophecy come true. Immediately, the iPhone was slid into its leather case cocoon, rarely emerging into the light of day.
Continue reading »
AppleTV Take2
Company: Apple Inc.
Price: $229 for 40 Gigs, $329 for 160 Gigs
http://www.apple.com/appletv/
Steve Jobs did something during Macworld Expo 2008 that Apple customers have rarely seen him do. He admitted that he might have, maybe, made a small mistake in the AppleTV. The result is the free to download software update dubbed AppleTV Take2. The update changes the AppleTV from a simple bridge between your iTunes library and your television and turns the device into a much more powerful tool.
Continue reading »
How to Do Everything with Your iPhone
Jason Chen and Adam Pash
McGraw Hill Osborne
http://www.osborne.com
$24.99 US $28.95 CDN
ISBN 978-0-07-149790-9
296 pages
Take Control of Your iPhone v 1.01 ebook
Ted Landau
TidBITS Electronic Publishing
http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/
US $15.00 online purchases only
195 pages
Steve Jobs envisioned the Macintosh as a consumer device along the lines of a toaster; a computer that’s so easy to use it would require virtually no complex instructions. You don’t read the manual when you buy a toaster, right? Since 1984, the Mac has evolved to become a powerful and complex computing environment, and most people have to read the manual. A little bit, anyways.
Continue reading »
Play MyMac 176, or via iTunes.
Don McAllister of ScreenCastOnline and the Mac Roundtable Podcast joined Tim, Guy, and David this week for a great chat. We cover podcasting, how Don got started, and his switch from the PC to the Mac. We have Robert Hazelrigg chatting about his AppleCare ordeal, and then Tim, Guy, and David wrap up the show with some MyMac news, Apple news, and audio books worth buying on AudiblePodcast.com/mymac
Continue reading »
Thumpz Audiowrapz for iPod nano
Company: iFrogz
Price: Set: $27.99, Wrap:$24.99, Screenz: $6.99
www.ifrogz.com
Looking for a unique iPod case for your 3G nano? How about some speakers with that case? Look no further than the iFrogz Audiowrapz speaker case. The Audiowrapz (AWZ) from iFrogz is an interesting case, in that it covers two functions most iPod nano owners might be looking for: iPod protection and integrated speakers. The AWZ case itself is 100% silicone and covers the nano almost completely. The corners are reinforced side bumpers and appear to offer good shock absorbing protection.
There are many colors to choose from:
I’ve been thinking about the upcoming iPhone store, the openness of the iPhone software development, and the level playing field those two things bring. Combine that with the three video games that Apple showcased during the iPhone SDK event, and I feel that the iPhone and Apple, Inc. will have a significant impact on gaming.
First, let’s look at the current state of video games.
PC and Mac gaming
There was a time, not too long ago, that every great game could be found on the PC side of computing, and these games were selling in the millions. It was a huge industry, and the best games were PC games. Mac users, long forgotten in the video game world, were left with either buying a Windows machine just to play games on, or forgoing them altogether.
My, how things have changed.
Continue reading »
Newer Technology miniStack NAS
750 GB model tested
http://www.newertech.com
Price: $329.99
After my disappointing experience with a NAS I tested a few weeks ago, I was really looking forward to evaluating this unit. To recap, a network attached storage (NAS) device is a shared disk drive that uses your internal network, or in some cases the internet to share data with multiple computers. It’s a great place to store backups, large media files (such as for home theater systems), archived multimedia projects, or anything else that requires larger than average amounts of storage space.
The miniStack NAS from Newer Technology is a variation on this theme. By variation, it means that the technology used in this device does things a little differently. Let’s get past tehe few things the miniStack NAS can’t do, especially because for most of you, these limitations won’t be important to your particular applications:
Continue reading »
Take Control of Permissions in Leopard
Brian Tanaka
TidBITS Electronic Publishing
http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/leopard-permissions.html
US $10.00 online purchases only
87 pages
Brian Tanaka’s Take Control of Permissions in Leopard (TCOP for short) is a recent addition to TidBIT’s Take Control library. I’ve reviewed numerous Take Control publications before; let’s see how this new ebook compares to its brethren.
Veteran (pre OS X) Macintosh aficionados will remember the wailing and gnashing of teeth that accompanied the introduction of permissions when OS X rolled into town. OS 9 users had no need to learn who is an Administrator, or a User, what is an Account, or who is a member of a Group. “It’s MY Mac, and I don’t care about multiple users and all that bother.”
Continue reading »
Apple Training Series: iWork ‘08
by Richard Harrington and RHED Pixel
Peachpit Press
http://www.peachpit.com
ISBN-13: 978-0-321-50185-1
ISBN-10: 0-321-50185-3
418 pages, paper, full color
US: $39.99, CAN: $45.99, UK: £28.99
Apple’s iWork applications are quite easy to use. However, if users want to go beyond the meager instructions given in the little pamphlets that come in the box with the software, Apple Training Series: iWork ‘08 is a great way to extend their knowledge of the software.
The applications in the iWork suite are designed to be easy to use from the get-go. Install, launch, poke around a little, do a little dragging and dropping, enter some text, and …Shazam!.. get surprisingly good results. However, the ease with which users can use the software initially might prevent many from realizing the full potential of the iWork apps. Working through the lessons in Harrington’s manual, The Apple Training Series: iWork ’08, will take users to the next level.
Continue reading »
Sabre Femme and Homme iPod Speaker
Company: Boynq
Price: $60 – 70 range online
http://www.boynq.com/
Boynq’s Sabre speaker is curvaceous, but it’s no gender bender. The company markets the black version for “homme” (guys), and the pink version for “femme” (gals). The latter is the unit we received for review. If you buy one of each, you can be both in the pink and in the black. Is there a femme or homme in your musical future?
MyMac’s reviews are original creations, but this one is a minor exception. While looking for some reference information on Boynq’s Sabre speaker duet, I first encountered a comprehensive review here by our friend Ilene Hoffman. If you want to read Ilene’s review, or one by any of our other webpals (including one by Bob LeVitus), that’s fine with your trusted MyMac reviewer. Together we say it all, many times over. My favorite comment from Ilene is: “The Sabre is a lightweight iPod stereo speaker that weighs only 1.63 pounds, so it’s very portable, but does not have a battery compartment. It looks a bit like an unrolled tube of paper, with the dock sitting on the front flap.”
Continue reading »
Listen to MyMac 175, or subscribe via iTunes
Sam Levin returns with an all-new Cool Mac Picks. Tim has serious networking and computer hardware problems, so David, Lee, and Guy get a week off while Tim puts the show together. John Nemo has a retooled segment titled All Over The Mac, and kicks it off with guest Sheila Bender from WritingItReal.com
Continue reading »
Sena Cases’s Elega Pouch for iPhone 1G
Company: Sena Cases
Price: $39.99
www.DrBott.com
Watch the video below, or click here for a much better QuickTime version.
*Please note it is a larger file, give it time to load.
This is Julia’s first MyMac.com review, look for more soon!
Harman Kardon Drive + Play 2
Company: Harman Kardon
Price:
www.Harmankardon.com
In the summer of 2006, with the help of Chad Perry, we did a video segment for the original Drive + Play from Harman Kardon. Almost 5,000 people watched that video on YouTube, not to mention those who received it via our Podcast iTunes feed. While I liked it a lot, and gave it a 4 out of 5 at the time, there were a few shortcomings with the device. No color screen and no support for the iTunes and iPod features added after version 4.7 of iTunes. (Such as reading the podcast directory on the iPod.) But the first version of the Drive + Play stayed in my car ever since, and was still, for me, the best solution for controlling the iPod in a car.
Continue reading »
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MyMac Podcast #385
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