Arc Mouse
Company: Microsoft
Price: $59.99
http://www.microsoft.com
It takes a lot to innovate in the world of computer mice these days. After all, seen one mouse seen them all, right? Wrong. Microsoft has figured out a way to innovate the mouse with their Arc Mouse.
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iPhone Pocket Guide, 3rd Edition
Christopher Breen
Peachpit Press
http://www.peachpit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0321564030
US $ 9.99
ISBN 978-0321564030
288 pages
iPhone The Missing Manual Second Edition (Covers the iPhone 3G)
David Pogue
US $24.99
ISBN 78-0596521677
376 pages
e-book edition available through iTunes Store $4.99 introductory price
The iPhone Book: How to Do the Most Important, Useful & Fun Stuff with Your iPhone, 2nd Edition
Scott Kelby and Terry White
Peachpit Press
http://www.peachpit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0321577833
US $19.99
ISBN 978-0321577832
336 pages
Adobe Reader PDF version for Mac and Windows only $15.99
PED3 Auto Car Mount for iPhone
Company: Thought Out
Price: $50.00
http://www.thoughtout.biz
When the chance came up to take a look at Thought Out’s latest iPhone 3G auto car mounting system, I couldn’t refuse the chance. There is just something about the ongoing hunt for the perfect item that you’re looking for that gets the blood going, no matter what that item may be.
RichardSolo 1800 for iPhone
Company: RichardSolo
Price:
$69.95
http://richardsolo.com/
mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 3G
Company: mophie
Price:$99.95
http://www.mophie.com
Ready, Set, Charge!
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CleanApp 3
Company: Synium Software
Price: $13
http://www.synium.de/products/cleanapp/index.html
Want to recover valuable hard drive space on your computer? CleanApp 3 is the program you want to check out.
CleanApp recovers hard drive space by searching for and deleting unneeded files on your computer. It will search for foreign language packages (a huge drive hog), old files that you may not even know you have anymore, preference panes and widgets, caches, and applications. Once it finds them you can choose to delete those files from your computer.
Axio Messenger Laptop Bag
Price: $84.95
Dr. Bott
Axio
Laptop bags are very personal items. Everyone who owns a laptop needs to carry something different. That’s why manufactures offer so many varieties and styles. Axio offers a variety of bags, hard-shell, courier, and sleeves, to name a few. Today we are going to look at the Axio Messenger bag, offered by Dr. Bott.
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Targus Wireless Mice — Bluetooth Laser and USB Wireless
Company: Targus
Price: $70 BTLM, $50 WM
http://www.targus.com
I’m in a new rodent romance with two terrific Targusians. These are the best wireless mice I’ve reviewed or used, and MyMac recommends them in this capsule evaluation.
We weren’t the only people who lost power. Over 430,000 of our fellow New Hampshire neighbors lost power as well, some for up to 15 days. As of last Thursday (Christmas Day), there were still 1,000 people without power in our town…a full two weeks after the storm. We are a town of about 7,000.
To put some perspective around the enormity of this disaster, we only have 1.1 million people in the state, which means almost half lost power at the height of the storm.
I’ve posted some pictures from the storm below, and many more, plus some interesting weather information, are posted on my website:
You’ll find links on my home page.
This is my street the next morning:
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Download the show here or via iTunes
Victor Cajiao from the Typical Mac User Podcast joins David, Tim, and Guy for a chat about the upcoming Macworld Expo, the future of digital photography and video, and the world of New Media. A fun and lively show!
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Links from the show:
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FX 300 Speaker To Go
Company: Kensington
Price: $30
http://us.kensington.com/html/11679.html
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Kensington’s remarkably small, weatherproof FX 300 universal portable one-piece speaker is an instant favorite at MyMac. Washing the kitchen floor yesterday, I hooked its strong, flexible D-ring to my belt, as I listened to most of the current MyMac podcast with maximum convenience.
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Platypus
Company: Astraware
Price: $4.99
http//:www.astraware.com
iTunes link
When I had the chance to try and review the iPod/iPhone game Platypus I jumped at it. I have lost many hours playing the Mac desktop version of the game.
If you are not familiar with the game it is a side scroller. You control a little spaceship flying through four worlds that increase in difficulty. Each world has five levels for a total of twenty levels. There are power-ups, bonuses, and bosses along the way, and each level gets harder as you go.
Giftory 3.0
Company: Infusions of Grandeur
Price: $19.95
http://www.infusionsofgrandeur.com/
We’ve all been taught that it’s better to give than to receive. Maybe so, but there’s no denying that gift-giving, especially during the holiday season, can be a downright hassle when it comes to finding all those things on everyone’s wish lists while trying to stick to a budget, and knowing exactly how much you’ve spent on each recipient without dragging out the calculator and a pile of crumpled sales receipts.
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A discussion on the Kinesis
FREESTYLE CONVERTIBLE ERGONOMIC SPLIT KEYBOARD
http://www.kinesis.com/
MYMAC: What does ergono mic really mean, with respect to continuous or occasional keyboard typing and arm/hand placement?
KINESIS: Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between people and their working environment. The science of ergonomics is devoted to maximizing human performance without causing injuries and increasing comfort and productivity.
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WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT… STEVIE?
In a recent quarterly conference call, Steve Jobs made the following comment regarding the current netbook discussion:
“We’re not tremendously worried. As we look at the netbook category, that’s a nascent category. As best as we can tell, there’s not a lot of them being sold. You know, one of our entrants into that category if you will is the iPhone, for browsing the Internet, and doing email and all the other things that a netbook lets you do. And being connected via the cellular network wherever you are, an iPhone is a pretty good solution for that, and it fits in your pocket.” (Click this link to read the original article)
At the time of this statement, it was clear that Apple felt that the iPhone was/is a great netbook type device. The current sales numbers for netbooks indicate that not everyone agrees with the Jobsian edict. Netbook sales have steadily increased and have surpassed iPhone sales according to the third quarter numbers for this year.
Download the show here, or via iTunes
This week, we look at the top Mac / Apple stories of 2008, starting with the big news of Apple pulling out of future Macworld Expo’s after 2009. Joining Tim, David, and Guy this week are MyMac.com reviews editor John Nemo, new MyMac writer Mark Rudd, and iProng Magazine publisher Bill Palmer.
This episode is sponsored by:
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Wouldn’t it be cool if…
I wonder how many of the applications we use today, either on the computer or our iPhone / iPod Touch, came to be with those five simple words.
Wouldn’t it be cool if I could type something on my iPhone, the screen would go black, and the letters, in white, would display on the screen in big letters?
On August 6, around 10:00 PM, that was the idea that struck me. Why can’t I type something on the iPhone, hold it up, and someone across the room could read what I wrote?
The concept is so simple, yet after a visit to the App Store in iTunes, I noticed that no one else had come up with the idea yet. How odd. So, over the next hour, I used Pages on my Macbook Pro and wrote an outline, with pictures, to demonstrate how the iPhone app would work.
I named the app Big Words, because that’s what the app does: makes big words on your iPhone / iPod Touch!
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Internet Security Barrier X5 Antispam Edition DP
Company: Intego
Price: $99.95
http://www.intego.com/isbDP/
I recently dropped by my local Apple Store in search of an anti-virus package that had a few additional features, including blocking certain IP addresses from “getting into” my computer. The salesman told me that I didn’t need an anti-virus program because Macs are so safe and virtually invulnerable from attack.
Such attitudes, in my humble opinion, are arrogant and misdirected. It seems like every week or two a new virus or exploit emerges, aimed at Mac users. Fortunately, nearly every virus or malware release has required the user to do several stupid things in sequence:
1. You almost always have to be running with administrator privileges.
2. You almost always have to click a button on the screen begging you to install this software.
I realize this is hardly anything compared to the poor Windows users whose computers can be attacked even as the operating system is being installed for the first time!
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mStand
Company: Rain Design
Price: $49.90 ($5 off special pricing- $44.90 through December 25th)
http://www.raindesigninc.com
I’ve been using my MacBook (late 2007) more and more lately but I found myself getting tired and the edge of my palms getting sore from the sharp edges of the MacBook. I put a foam wrist rest up against the edge of the MacBook and that alleviated a lot of the problem but I wasn’t satisfied as I still found myself looking down at the display. Now with all the typing I was doing, I found myself stretching, getting up and moving around more before I resumed typing. Rain Design and their mStand to the rescue.
Made from one piece of aluminum, Rain Design’s ergonomically designed laptop stand is stylish, solid and built for the MacBook and MacBook Pro, though it will take any other laptop if you happen to use another manufacturer’s laptop. (Trust me, as I actually used it with a Dell laptop,not mine, to test it out) The mStand is designed to match up with the sand blasted and anodized look of a MacBook or a MacBook Pro but it still looks great with an older white or black MacBook. The mStand is tilted which brings the screen up about 6 inches and now allows one to view the screen on a more level height than just resting it on a desktop or your lap. You don’t feel as tired when you are working with it as you do when the laptop is down lower.
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Slipstream 20″/40L plus Glide- Everyday Wheeled Pack and Mobile Workstation
Company: Osprey Packs
Price: $160 – 200 online
http://www.ospreypacks.com
Slipstream is a small vertical rolling day pack without shoulder straps, suitable for weekend travel. Glide is a self-contained portable office and laptop computer case. These items went through two phases of evaluation by MyMac Magazine. First was an examination by David Weeks and John Nemerovski, at Nemo’s home office. Second was a four-day air and ground trip.
ALL THE RAGE
The Pure Digital Flip Mino is an affordable, highly portable, easy to use, and no frills video camera for the masses. Indeed, The Flip is not without its limitations or detractors. Are their some alternatives for the lateral thinkers who want and or need a smart solution for their budget portable video needs? The answer may surprise you.
PROS AND CONS OF THE FLIP
The specs for the Mino are what one would expect in order to produce acceptable video. Some of the highlights include: a small and light weight design, VGA (640 x 480) quality video at 30 frames per second, four hours of use per charge, touch sensitive controls that are easy to use, and a simple USB connection system. At an Amazon price of $159.00, the Mino has taken the YouTube video generation by storm. Take a look at some sample video.
There are, however, a few specs that can impact the usability of the Mino in a negative way. The 1.5″ screen will make the framing of a scene more difficult. The lack of an optical viewfinder will make scenes shot in direct sunlight very view within the LCS screen. The fixed focus optics of the Mino will limit the clarity of the image in certain conditions. As a video camera, the lack of an image stabilization system is unfortunate. The Mino will not take digital stills. Finally, the non-removable memory and battery will limit the amount of time between syncing and charging.
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