Virtuoso Metro Stylus & Pen for Tablets
Company: Kensington
Price: $17.99 MSRP
The ease of use of touch screens on iPhones, iPads and other similar products that utilize capacitive materials that allow the user to simply touch the screen to make changes or allow input have really changed the communications landscape in the past several years. Yet, there are still limitations that occur, especially when it is cold outside and the user is wearing gloves or other instances where, for whatever reason, that “human” capacitive touch is not occurring.
Thule Crossover Backpack
Thule
Price: $129.95
The Thule Crossover Backpack is elegantly constructed with lots of storage and a crush proof compartment. The backpack weighs 2.75 pounds which may be the only drawback for daily use. The $129.95 price is indicative of the quality of construction which is consistent with Thule products.
Thule is marketing this backpack for Apple’s 17 inch MacBook Pro and iOS devices. There is an elevated laptop compartment perfectly designed for the MacBook Pro, a sleeve for the iPad, and plush lined pockets for iPod or mobile phone storage. The lockable crush proof SafeZone compartment can be used to store fragile gear like sunglasses. The main compartment is roomy enough for books and bulky items. There is a Shove-it Pocket that provides external storage that is deep enough for a newspaper and Thule claims could accommodate a jacket. In my opinion, a windbreaker may fit but a jacket or sweater would be a tight fit. Other features of the backpack include water resistant nylon fabric with padded shoulder straps and grab handle, a bottom zippered pocket for additional storage of small accessories, a front storage compartment for easy access items, and a side external pocket that can stretch to fit a water bottle.
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Logitech Tablet Keyboard for iPad $69.99 (about $60.00 from Amazon)
I love my iPad. I truly do and its insanely great form and function blended together in an all around awesomely inspirational touch-based interface makes using it a joy. Just one little quandary. I hate using the onscreen keyboard.
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My New Mac
by Wallace Wang
Publisher:
No Starch Press
Price: Paperback $29.95 (ebook $23.95)
ISBN 9781593273903
xxii + 481 pp
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A bit over three years ago I compared two Macintosh books for beginners, David Pogue’s Mac OS X Leopard Edition: The Missing Manual and Wallace Wang’s My New Mac. To cut a long story short, they’re both good books, but aimed at somewhat different audiences. The Missing Manual covers just about every aspect of the Mac operating system, giving power users the information they need to do all sorts of different things. But it doesn’t actually tell a new Mac user what they can do with their computer. To get the most from The Missing Manual, you need to have a fair idea of what you want to do first.
V-Moda Remix Remote Earphones and Arctic E461-BM Earphones
Companies: V-Moda & Arctic
Websites: V-Moda & Arctic
Price: V-Moda Remix Remote: $79.00 USD / Arctic E461-BM: $31.36 USD
One of the greatest assets to any iOS device is the ability to listen to your favorite music, audiobooks, or your favorite apps. There is nothing more annoying than trying to do so with earphones that simply ruin the experience with their shoddy qualities. Most of us aren’t in the market for expensive earphones that can cost over $200, so what’s out there for those of us who want to find a balance between sound quality and cost? V-Moda and Arctic each have earphones in their lineups that try to reach such a balance. How do they compare?
Adobe Photoshop Elements 10
Company: Adobe
Requires: multicore Intel processor, Mac OSX 10.5.8 or higher, QuickTime 7
Price: $99.99, upgrade $79.99
In part 1 of this review I focused on the Adobe Elements 10 Organizer. Now we’ll talk about the Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 Editor.
New to PSE10 is the ability to paint effects onto specific photo areas. Use the Smart Brush in the toolbox to create new ways to work with and visualize your photos. The first photo below is the original I took of a cruise ship. In the second photo I applied a Pencil Sketch to highlight the ship and give the photo a little interest. Since the sky was a bit overcast the day the photo was taken, I brightened it up in the third photo. Finally, just for fun, I gave the entire photo a fluorescent glow.
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BlueAnt Embrace Stereo Headphones
Company: BlueAnt
Price: $199.99 MSRP
There are headphones and then there are just headphones. BlueAnt has set out to show how headphones should be done, and as far as I’m concerned, they have really succeeded with the Embrace Stereo headphones. Designed specifically for the iPod, iPhone and iPad, the Embrace Stereo headphones also do a fantastic job when plugged into your Mac or PC.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 10
Company: Adobe
Requires: multicore Intel processor, Mac OSX 10.5.8 or higher, QuickTime 7
Price: $99.99, upgrade $79.99
When Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 was released a number of years ago, I decided to buy it, even though I had no graphics experience whatsoever. I even bought a book to teach me how to use it. Sadly, I used PSE6 mainly to create coupons for my husband’s business, slightly edit screen shots I take for MyMac.com articles, and superimpose faces on other people’s bodies (Don’t ask. It’s silly.) So when the opportunity arose for me to review Adobe Photoshop Elements 10, I jumped at the chance to really sit down and learn about some of the fun and powerful techniques I could use with this software.
Keep in mind that this review is coming from a novice’s perspective. Even though I have used PSE6 in the past, my experience is so limited that I’m still considered a newbie. For a more in-depth review of PSE10 from a user who has an extensive Photoshop background, check out MyMac.com writer Donny Yankellow’s article.
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OS X Lion Support Essentials (Apple Pro Training Series)
by Kevin White
Peachpit Press
ISBN-10: 0-321-77507-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-321-77507-8
Price: $64.99
Lion (Mac OS 10.7) is still too young – even nearly four months after its launch in July 2011 – to have the usual clutch of high quality books which attend each major update to arguably the best operating system for a personal computer yet developed.
One excellent and comprehensive title is the Mac OS X Lion Bible by Gruman (ISBN-10: 1118023765 ISBN-13: 978-1118023761) from Wiley at nearly 900 pages. Less ambitious in some ways, more focused in others – and certainly every bit as useful – is Kevin White’s OS X Lion Support Essentialsin the Apple Pro Training Series from Peachpit.
Reverb Headphones
Company: Wicked Audio
MSR Price: $30.00 USD
http://www.wickedheadphones.com
With iPods, iPhones and iPads everywhere, and they being the way that most people listen to their music, the use of headphones has skyrocketed; be they earbuds, in the ear, on the ear or over the ear models. Since I really enjoy the pleasure of listening to my music without infringing upon others, I am always on the lookout for new things to try out. When the chance came along to try out something new, I went for it and tried out Wicked Audio’s Reverb Headphones that promise music like you’ve never heard before.
Let’s talk Mobile Navigators. Those wonderful little programs you pop on your mobile phone, and they tell you how to get from where you are to where you want to go. I love them. No longer do I have to think about how I get to where I am going, I just ask my iPhone to get me there, and I am off. It is just that easy, right?
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DataTale PAIR and SMART 2-bay RAID Drive Enclosures
Company: Data Watch Technologies (Taiwan)
Prices: $109 for PAIR and $129 for SMART (approximate online pricing)
PAIR is a small, short, flat enclosure, similar to a Mac mini. PAIR ships with two empty drive bays. Purchase and insert your own 2.5″ bare hard drives via the enclosed written instructions. Download and install the custom Raid Master software. Choose your RAID configuration, restart your Mac, and you now have a portable, versatile RAID unit that is AC powered for USB and bus powered for FireWire 800.
Orbit Wireless Mobile Trackball
Company: Kensington
Price: $59.99 or lower online
Requires: Mac OSX 10.5.6 or higher
I’ve owned and used a laptop computer since late 2001. In that time I’ve always used the trackpad; I was happy with it. Recently I decided that I needed a little more control than I was getting with the trackpad, so I bought a wireless mouse. I love it, though I primarily use it when editing video. When the opportunity arose for me to review a wireless trackball, I jumped at the chance.
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VSL's Solo Strings
Vienna Symphonic Library Solo Strings Bundle
North American distributors:
ILIOPrice: $660
Virtual Instruments (VIs) allow you to work with lifelike sounds in sequencers and Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) like Apple’s Logic and notation packages like Avid’s Sibelius. (Avid has just announced Sibelius 7: watch for a review here shortly.)
VIs are collections of acoustic/sampled and/or electronically synthesized sounds with varying degrees of realism and flexibility of use. Formerly hardware-based, VIs are now available almost entirely as software. They range from the cheap, barely tolerable and tinny to… well, to those produced and sold by Vienna Instruments.
iPad Extreme Sleeve
Company: G-Form LLC
Price: $59.95 USD
http://shop.g-form.com/products/ipad-extreme-sleeve
There are all types of different cases for the iPad; soft cases, hard cases, cases made from neoprene, leather, faux leather, plastic… the list goes on. They allow you to carry your iPad around and for the most part, protect your iPad from accidental harm. Now what would you think of a soft, flexible case that upon impact, becomes hard and protects your iPad?
Transcribe! 8.1.0
Price: $50 for single users;
contact Seventh String for pro-rated discounts
Transcribe! claims to be the “world’s leading” tool to help musicians extract music from recordings. It can also be used to transcribe speech and even allow musicians to play along. Does British firm, Seventh String, get credit for trying what’s difficult to do well but really end up as little more than an “also ran”? Or do they have a winner that works in almost every way?
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2011-06-16
Mark Sealey
Groove 3
Price: $49.99 for single users; contact Groove 3 for groups specials and (educational) discounts
MIDI Orchestration Explained, using strings
Although an older technology and simple in conception, MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) can be complicated to implement and make the most of; and particularly challenging to use in effective music making. But the clear explanations and expert perception of Eli Krantzberg and the Groove 3 team are well up to the task of making MIDI orchestration both plainer and pleasurable for users.
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iRest Lap Stand for iPad
Company: Rain Design
Price: $49.90 USD
There are now tons of cases for the iPad that allow you to protect, carry or even type. The thing is that when all is said and done and you want to relax and read something or work on your iPad while you are reclining, not all cases allow you to do so comfortably. Enter Rain Design’s iRest Lap Stand for the iPad.
Otterbox Reflex iPhone 4 Case
Company: Otterbox
Price: $44.95 USD
I’ve never been disappointed with any of Otterbox’s products. It’s well-known among fans of Apple’s iOS platform that the cases Otterbox makes are some of the toughest you can buy. Whenever my iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone is protected in an Otterbox case, I feel much more secure in using my expensive toys. Once again, Otterbox doesn’t fail to impress with the Reflex, the latest addition to its growing line of iPhone cases.
Level8 Backpack & MacBook Protective Sleeve
Company: Level8
Atlas Backpack, 15″ Protective Sleeve
Price: 15″ & 17″ Atlas Backpack – $99.99 USD, 15″ Protective Sleeve – $49.99 USD
As a teacher who carries his MacBook Pro and iPad 2 to school each day, finding a decent laptop bag is a real priority for me. Without a doubt, the readers of this article are fans of Apple’s amazing, yet pricey products. Protecting that investment while maintaining functionality is important for people who want to maximize their productivity. I think I’ve finally found my solution after using Level8′s Atlas Backpack and 15″ Protective Sleeve for the past month. Continue reading »
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