Reviews Written By: A1VLVWTLV3LVHRprovided by Amazon.com |
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![DJ Hero Turntable Kit Bundle [Xbox 360]](product_images/4982000/dj-hero-turntable-kit-bundle_t-4982016.jpg) | DJ Hero Turntable Kit Bundle [Xbox 360] | |
 | "Hard to learn, very expensive for what you get" | 2009-11-15 |
| I love DJ music, so I was pretty happy to be able to review and play DJ Hero. But after an hour, I was more confused than anything, and even my teenage kids just wanted to break out the plastic guitar and play Guitar Hero instead.
There is nothing intuitive with this game. A guitar, drum, singing.. we all know how to do that, even if we can't play a tune in real life. But DJing is a different concept. With DJ Hero, you get to hear some music you know, but it's all mashed up, so there is no familiarity to the music. The learning curve is steep, and honestly not very fun. Why spend so much time in confusing fading and volume control, when all you really want to do is spin the turntable? Speaking of the turntable, I think this is the best made controller in history. It's just fantastic, built really well and does not feel cheap. But the game itself is just too hard, not easily approachable at all for most people. | ||
 | Sennheiser PXC 300 Foldable Active Noise Cancelling Headphones | |
 | "Mark Rudd's MyMac.com Review" | 2009-06-12 |
| The PXC 300 headphones from Sennheiser are part of the Travel Line of products offered by Sennheiser. As such, they employ a number features ideally suited for the road warriors among us. The PXC 300s include: an Ultra-lightweight design with ergonomic headband, two-point suspension and soft high-quality ear cushions for improved passive attenuation and comfort, a patented folding mechanism and protective case for storage and transportation, Advanced Circuit Technology (ACT): which reduces susceptibility to mobile phone interference, closed, supra-aural mini headphones with switchable NoiseGard(tm) active noise canceling technology, and duofol diaphragms with spiral embossing. To view a complete list of features, jump to the product page. DESIGN The PXC 300s include everything the audio-centric traveler will need on that long and winding road (cue the Beatles). The fit and finish of the PXC 300s are what one would expect from any Sennheiser product, the highest quality and craftsmanship. USABILITY The PXC 300s are some of the most comfortable headphones I have ever used. The soft and supple padding used on the earpieces and headband, provide great comfort while insuring a proper fit. I found the PXC 300s easy to use and transport. I could easily throw the travel case into my messenger bag with little added weight or space consumption. While the headphones themselves are very comfortable to wear, I found the noise-canceling module to be cumbersome. The size and shape made the module difficult to position in a comfortable manner (more on this later). PERFORMANCE Comfort and convenience aside, if the PXC 300s can not perform their two prime directives, then they are basically a subpar set of earmuffs. After extensively testing the PXC 300s, I can confidently confirm, they preform their duties wonderfully. As audio headphones, the PXC 300s did not disappoint. I listened to my reference playlist (various types of audio content at varying bit rates) and was somewhat surprised at just how well these headphones performed. As one would expect, at 128 kbps, the content was average. At 256 kbps the PXC 300s demonstrated their true metal (with a bass toward the lower end, my classic and new rock tunes got the blood pumping). The high and mid ranges were above average across all types of content. Overall, I was very impressed with audio produced by the PXC 300s. As noise-canceling headphones, the PXC 300s created a quiet, calming, and peaceful environment in which to contemplate the great dilemmas of our time. I have used some of the other brands of noise-canceling headphones (which are better known) and found the PXC 300s to meet and exceed the other brands in the space spec for spec and dollar for dollar. For those looking for a nice set of travel headphones, I can highly recommend the PXC 300s by Sennheiser. MAKING A GREAT PRODUCT EVEN BETTER I have only one issue with the PXC 300 travel headphones, I would like to see the noise-canceling module redesigned in order to reduce its overall size. I found it difficult to find a comfortable place for the module while the PXC 300s were in use. MyMac.com Rating: I am very impressed with the PXC 300 headphones. They combine many comfort and convenience features and perform in a manner becoming a product adorning the vaunted Sennheiser name and reputation. When compared with other products in this space, the PXC 300s provide a nice value as well. While I must give a very slight deduction for the noise-canceling module, make no mistake about it, these are great headphones and highly recommended. Therefore, I am awarding this outstanding product a 4.5 out of 5 on our MyMac.com Rating System. | ||
 | MXL Studio 1 USB Microphone with Headohone Jack, Desktop Stand, USB Cable, and Carrying Case | |
| "Mark Rudd's [..] Review" | 2009-03-26 |
| RSS FEEDING FRENZY With the advent of RSS (Really Simple Syndication), which allows anyone to offer their content freely within content aggregators such as the iTunes Music Store, iPodder, and NetNewsWire to name a few, the barrier to someone producing and publishing their own podcast has been all but erased. However, the gulf between the professionally produced podcast and one which is somewhat lacking in the area of production quality, is wide and cavernous. Setting talent, elocution, and content aside for a moment, the above mentioned gulf can be substantially narrowed through the use of professional level audio equipment. Improving the audio quality of your podcast is one of the easiest ways to improve the overall production value of your content. Companies like Marshall Electronics, the parent of MXL, have seen the writing on the wall (or the sales numbers for the iPod/iPhone and the related RSS content) and have brought their considerable expertise to the masses. FEATURES The Studio 1 offers a great combination of features to allow the new podcaster to get started, literally, right out of the box. The included carrying case is a nice addition to an already strong product offering. With the Studio 1, you can take your show on the road and podcast from just about anywhere. In addition to the carrying case, the Studio 1 Desktop Recording Kit includes: a desktop microphone (see the Technical Specs on the product page for the details) with a built in monitoring jack, desktop stand and adapter, and a 10' USB cable. I really like the combination of equipment at this price point. High marks to MXL for producing a well equipped desktop recording kit that will fit the needs of most new podcasters and produce immediate dividends in terms of production quality. For additional information regarding the features of the Studio 1 jump to the product page. USABILITY Most professional podcasters will use a pro level condenser or cardioid based Mic that employs an XLR connector (professional level audio connection system) which is then plugged into an audio mixer board and then digitized through some sort of USB based digital converter. The newly converted digital signal is then routed into the computer via the USB port where a program like Audacity or GarageBand can record the digital audio signal. This can be a very complicated process involving expensive equipment, different drivers required to allow the computer to recognize the connected equipment, and a great deal of configuration. Yes, the result will be deep rich audio that brings a professional broadcast quality to your project, but at what cost? This solution is not for those who are light of cash or technical acumen. MXL has eliminated the exorbitant expense and configuration issues of the traditional Mic setup by manufacturing an entry level pro Mic that leverages the USB audio systems built into today's operating systems. By building the USB technology into the hardware of the Studio 1, MXL has produced an entry level pro Mic that is truly Plug & Play. All you need to record great audio, is a computer with a USB port, a recording application (more on this later), and a pair of headphones for monitoring. Assembling the Studio 1 was a breeze. Simply screw on the adaptor to the bottom of the mic, then the stand into the bottom of the adaptor, plug the USB cable into the bottom of the Mic, and finally, the other end of the USB cable into your computer. The next step was to select the Studio 1 in the Sound Preferences Panel. Now you are ready to use your favorite recording application such as GarageBand or the free Audacity. You can plug in your favorite pair of headphones and monitor your recording through the convenient headphone jack located on the front of the Studio 1. The location of the headphone jack can be a little difficult to deal with if you use a 1/8" to 1/4" adaptor or if you install a pop screen (more on this latter). I found the audio quality of the Studio 1 to be rich and possess a tonal quality above the many consumer level USB headsets which most amateur podcasters use. A word of caution, this is a very sensitive Mic, so a quiet location free from ambient noise (dogs barking etc.) should be used for the best results. In my comparison tests between the Studio 1 and two different USB headsets, the Studio 1 produced significantly superior audio both in direct recording applications (Audacity and GarageBand) as well as Skype. However, to produce the best quality within Skype, the auto volume control must be disabled. In my tests, I found that the auto volume control reduced the input signal significantly and subsequently erased some of the benefits of using the superior Studio 1. The overall quality of this Mic is improved through its ease of use. One would have to purchase and configure an XLR type of solution similar to the one described above, in order to match the Studio 1 in audio quality. Granted, an XLR solution would in most cases exceed the quality of the Studio 1. However, for the money, this is an outstanding combination of Audio quality and easy of use. I can highly recommend the Studio 1 to any beginner to intermediate podcaster wanting to improve the over quality of their production. MAKING A GOOD PRODUCT BETTER While the Studio 1 is a great value, there are a couple of areas that, if addressed by MXL, could improve the product in terms of its usability out of the box. The location of the headphone jack presents some difficulties if one attaches a headphone adaptor or uses a pop screen attachment. Additionally, the inclusion of a slip on pop screen would help the new podcaster eliminate those moments of adrenaline when the mouth moves a little too close to the Mic. | ||
 | HP C8180 Photosmart All-in-One Printer | |
| "David Weeks' MyMac.com Review" | 2008-08-22 |
| I've been a happy user of my HP 7280 all-in-one unit for a number of months. After I reluctantly returned the C7280 review unit, I put my money where my review mouth was, bought one, and have had no regrets. HP asked me to review the C8180, and here's what I found after using on it for quite a while. First off, the 8180 is not simply a 7280 with HP's revisions du jour; it has a higher resolution scanner and printer. According to HP, the additional sensors that make up the 96 bit scanner sensor produce better color accuracy as well as reduced noise and grain from negatives. It is more obvious when scanning certain colors, like saturated reds and greens, and scanning certain types of originals, like offset press or inkjet prints. As we'll see, actually producing a 96 bit scan is awkward. However, the 8180 has no fax capability at all. It has the same abilities to read from various types of camera memory cards, and it also can print via USB, Ethernet, or 802.11b/g wireless. It has no 802.11n capability. It also has the same print engine that uses six separate ink cartridges. One important new addition is a CD/DVD burner with LightScribe capability. LightScribe allows you to print custom images or text on the face of LightScribe-compatible blanks. In addition to being controlled by the 8180 itself, the burner can be shared with your computer, and any application can print to the LightScribe print driver. The 8180 comes with a sheet feeder capable of handling various paper sizes and quantities, although my review unit did not have one. Given the flawless performance of the feeder on my 7280, I predict that the 8180's will function just as well. The 8180's appearance has been updated. Whereas the tall and chunky 7280 had a control panel that was festooned with buttons, and a keypad, the 8180 is low-slung and streamlined. With no built-in fax, there's little need for a keypad, as its bigger LCD screen is used for controlling almost all functions. The 8180 is wider, due to the CD/DVD burner on the right side. Software install is generally easy, although HP presents an excessive number of reminders to register the unit, and sign up for various emails that'll drive you crazy. It's not possible to complete the installation process without having the installer get the last word in by launching your web browser and teleporting you to the HP registration page, even though you've already screamed "NOOO" as loud as you can. Once installed, you'll get the usual complement of HP applications allowing you to scan to OCR, scan pictures, or make copies. A standard installation includes HP Photosmart Studio, which is a jack-of-all-trades (yet master of none) program to manage your scans and photos. iPhoto or Adobe Photoshop Elements will far better serve Macintosh users. HP includes ReadIRIS 11 for optical character reading. ReadIRIS is a capable program that deserves its own review. During the setup, you select your connection method. I tested USB, and network (Ethernet) connections. I did not try the Bluetooth capability. HP advertises that Bluetooth will allow printing from a cellphone. I had no problem connecting the 8180 to my 801.11g wireless network. With the printer located only a few feet from the base station, network throughput was not an issue. However, a USB connection is always faster than a network connection, and that's most noticeable when scanning. After the installation is complete, the 8180 goes through a time-consuming and somewhat noisy setup and calibration process. If the 8180 does not get regular use, the unit will occasionally spring to life, as it checks for proper calibration. If you even so much as open the lid to gaze inside, the printer goes through its 45 second or so "Printer preparation in progress...do not interrupt" routine. HP's scanning software is reasonably easy to use. Scanning is controlled via the HP Device Manager, a small application that allows access to the various 8180 functions. You can scan to Preview, or save an image file to disk for editing with any image editor of your choice. If you don't have a capable editor (there's no excuse not to), the scanning software allows for choosing the desired resolution, color adjustment, scratch and dust removal, and restoring faded colors. I found the color restoration feature worked well. I could do better in Photoshop Elements, but HP did a creditable job nonetheless. To my non-programmer's eye, the scanning software appears the same as for the 7280. The 8180 scanner specifications say it's a 96 bit scanner, while 7280's scanner is 48 bit. One would think the 8180 scanner would produce a greater range of tones and colors, but I was not able to notice any significant differences. Upon further investigation (lots of point and clicking to discover hidden options) the resolution options setting of the scanner driver for the 8180 maxed out at 48 bits/millions of colors. I was unable to find any setting to allow me to scan at greater than 48 bits. What's the point of having a better scanner if the software won't take advantage of it? If all else fails, read the manual. Unfortunately, the manual was unavailing. At wit's end, I emailed HP, and got the following answer describing how to enable 96 bit scans. I include it so anyone who ends up purchasing an 8180 does not spend the time looking for this needle in the HP documentation haystack; it's not there (and it should be). "Launch the HP Solutions Center application. Under Scan Settings / Scan Preferences is a "Quality vs. Speed" tab. On that dialog there are two selections that must be made, (a) scan at maximum bit depth, and (b) 6-color scan. For the 8180 both are necessary to enable 96-bit scanning. That's it. Subsequent scans will be 96-bit." Bit depth notwithstanding, the scan quality was good. Print quality was very impressive. This is truly a photo-quality printer. If you use HP brand papers, the 8180 will sense the paper type, and set the printer to take best advantage of the paper type. The 8180 uses five separate inks plus black, each in its own cartridge. In the old days, HP used bigger three color carts, with yellow, magenta, and cyan all in one. If you emptied one color, you had to replace the whole shebang, even if there was plenty of one or more of the other colors remaining. Now, you need only replace the needed color. The 8180 will print borderless prints up to 8.5" x 11" and it also has a convenient second tray to fit 4" x 5" photo paper. Front panel controls are a feature of the 8180. At 3.5", the LCD is bigger than on the 7280. While most users will generally control the 8180 from their computer, you can do quite a bit from the front panel itself. You can print from camera image storage cards, print from photos on CDs or DVDs, and make copies. I made a good number of copies of both paper documents and photos, and the the quality was uniformly excellent. I also tried making a contact sheet of images from my image storage card, and it worked as advertised with no troubles. One curious feature that you access only through the front panel is the 8180's ability to save images from a camera storage card and save them to a USB flash drive plugged into the 8180's front USB port. This allows you to back up the card without having to use your computer. This worked perfectly. You can also read from the camera card and burn them to a CD/DVD using the built-in burner. Unfortunately, I could not get the 8180's built-in burner to recognize a blank CD, even though I tried three different types of CD blank. Oddly, I had no trouble using the LightScribe feature of the drive (more on that later). The front panel allows for basic editing of photos prior to printing. You can fix red-eye, crop, add a border, and do "automatic fixing." These features worked as advertised. I do all my editing on the Mac, but others may not. Front panel editing may be just the feature you're looking for. LightScribe is a HP-developed technology that allows CD/DVD burners to use inkjet technology to print images on the front of special CD/DVD media. You can burn a DVD of your favorite images, and use the LightScribe-capable burner in the 8180 to "print" your favorite image on the front of the disc. LightScribe does not print a full-color image; it resembles a sepia toned black and white photo. HP included a sample LightScribe DVD blank. I had no trouble installing the LightScribe printer driver, and then choosing, editing, and printing the image to the front of the blank disc. I was worried that I'd waste my one blank disc, but the process was easy and trouble-free. Given that LightScribe blanks cost more than plain blanks (prices may vary widely), this is a nice way to customize your photo CD/DVD media. HP 8180 Specifications Conclusion The HP PhotoSmart 8180 is very good, but not great, multi-function printer/scanner/copier. The software is typical HP, which is to say it's merely adequate. The large front panel LCD is nice, and the built-in editing features are available to those who who don't want to have to use their computer for a quick edit and print. The 8180 can read almost any type of camera memory card. I was not able to burn CDs/DVDs, although LightScribe worked properly. If you need fax capability, this is not the unit for you. The real reason to buy the 8180 is for its fine print and scan quality. Whether you do 48 bit scans, or delve into hard-to-find settings to enable 96 bit scans, the scanner's output is very good. HP paper sensing is a great feature, and the HP ink technology is outstanding. MyMac.com rating: 3 out of 5. It's a fine printer and scanner, but you pay a premium for some features you may never use. | ||
 | Canon Pixma iP4500 Photo Printer | |
 | "Claus Wolf's MyMac.com Review" | 2008-02-16 |
| Canon labels the Pixma iP4500 as a premium photo and document printer, and when I bought it in early January my main purchasing criteria was high quality photo prints and the ability to print on DVDs and CDs.
The printer itself looks tremendously stylish. Next to my iMac it looks as if the designers of the printer had been sitting in front of an iMac when coming up with the design. The printer looks great, which kind of is important as it is located together with my iMac in the living room. The only downside to the good looks is that the shiny black plastic attracts dust like a magnet. One of the many up-sites to this printer is that it has two paper trays. The bottom tray sticks out about 10 cm (4 inch), when you expand it to hold A4 paper, but that is a small price to pay, considering that this way you do not have to store paper in the top tray. The top tray easily adjusts to hold all sorts of paper sizes from 4x6 photo paper to A4 or letter size. A button on the main unit lets you select the tray you wish to use and I found this a real benefit. I like the printer driver, though I haven't a lot to compare it to. I find it easy to use and flexible enough to fulfill my beginner's needs. Photo Quality Comparing photo quality is really hard, as I do not have a bunch of similar printers here, for which I could compare print outs side by side. So I will just simply say that the print outs I have made on glossy photo paper look stunning. So stunning indeed that we have a few of them hanging in our living room already. The printer uses 5 separate ink tanks, which I am being told is good for photo quality, and i am happy to believe that. What it really means to me is that if one color is out, I can just replace that one color rather than an entire combined cartridge. In my opinion the environmental and bank account friendly option. Placing a photo print out next to pictures I had "developed" by a popular German photo printing service I must say I personally would consider the Pixma iP4500 print outs almost a bit nicer, at least the smaller sizes, though it greatly depends on the photo paper you use. The first photo paper I tried obviously wasn't of the best quality, I have to admit, and thus you end up seeing some tracks from where the printer transported the paper. That is rather unfortunate as it takes away from the otherwise superb impression the pure print-quality gives me. Of course I tried better quality photo paper as well, and those tracks weren't there. So you will definitely want to invest in good photo paper to get the best prints, but I would assume you knew that already. I also find that investing in photo paper with a higher weight per square meter makes the prints feel more like "real photos", but again I would think that you all knew that already. When printing a normal photo at A4 (about letter size) I notice a minute amount of striping in one area, but I need to get within a few inches of the A4 print in order to see the striping and it is only noticeable in an area of grey clouds. Looking at the image from a normal distance, I cannot see much of a difference. I printed that image last night and the first thing I am going to do is buy an A4 frame, that photo is going to hang in my office. Black & White We used the printer to print the inlays and envelopes for our wedding invitations, while black and white only, the speed with which these print outs were completed was purely amazing and the quality was perfect for my impression. Our friends and family were impressed to have professionally printed, yet personalized invitation cards. In my opinion the result was extremely good and I would be hard pressed to find any fault with the output. Comparing it to my three year old laser printer, I would say that the quality was better and the print outs happened much quicker. Speed From a pure specification point of view the printer can deliver a 10x15 borderless photo in 9600x2400 dpi in about 21 seconds. Documents can be printed with a speed of up to 31 pages per minute (b/w) and 24 pages per minute (color). Printer speeds are hard to really achieve, as they are measured under very specific conditions that we endusers normally don't see. I would think they are more a guide value than anything else and my impression of this printer is that it is quick, very quick. Did I sit next to my printer and have it print a 30 page document to measure its speed? No I didn't. Did I stop the speed of printing a 4x6 borderless photo? Yes, I did, it took about 35 seconds, which is considerably slower, but when do you start to measure? When you push the print button, or when the printer makes its first noise of transporting the paper? I did measure from pressing the print button to finished photo and I don't think that speed is anything to complain about. PictBridge A nice feature is the ability to print directly from my digital camera. I have a Canon A700 which is PictBridge compatible and I plugged it into the printer just to see whether that would work. I was pleased to say the least - the print outs just worked and while I don't think I would trust my Mom to print a high quality photo from within iPhoto, I think that she'd have no issue getting it done this way. This isn't going to be a feature, I am going to use every day, not even every week or month, but I definitely can see its usefulness. Printing on CDs & DVDs One of my requirements for buying this printer was that it should print on CDs and it does. You get a little plastic tray, in which you place the CD/DVD and you fire up the CD Label Print Application to design the label you would like to print. While the print outs are of decent to good quality, I have a bunch of gripes about this particular feature. The biggest complaint I have is the software not allowing you to adjust the inner circle to be smaller. The DVDs I bought have a fairly large printable area (see photo), but the software cannot adjust to this larger printable area and thus leaves you with a large white inner circle. I already adjusted the circle as much as was possible to reduce the remaining white area, but it is still rather disappointing to get your DVDs, see that they really look good, but still have that white circle in the middle. There is also a bit of white space at the outer edge, which is less than a millimeter and doesn't bother me too much. What you see here is that it tells you that the inner circle cannot be smaller than 17mm, but I can only get it to be 33mm. So text and reality just do not match up resulting in the following print out: The software unfortunately is also not quite intuitive, no tool tips for icons for a starter. My first attempts at printing a DVD saw me resize an image to cover the entire disk, but when I printed this image to disc, the software seemed to have magically reduced the image and printed it much smaller than what it was showing me and thus left a very ugly white space on the disc. So while the software is pretending to be WYSIWYG, it really is more like what you see is what you might get (WYSIWYMG). If you set a background image that problem isn't there and t works quite well, you get additional design elements like text, rectangle, circles and the lot - but all in all the CD Label Print software leaves me wholly unimpressed as "old fashioned" looking, difficult to use, not quite ready for more complex label designs and most importantly not quite flexible enough, where it does count. All in all I think it is tremendously difficult to evaluate a product you have purchased yourself. After all, if you bought it you want to make yourself believe that you made the right decision, objectivity can be hard to come by. I have tried hard to be as objective as possible, but I might be a bit harsh in my verdict. All in all I am very happy with the printer. The print outs that I have shown to friends and family have impressed, I personally like both the photo and standard print quality. I am sure there is better, but I know there is worse. There is that issue with the CD Label Software not being flexible enough and this I find annoying as it was one of the main reasons for purchasing this printer. On the whole I am really happy with the printer and would recommend it to others. Is there room for improvement, yes there is a little, and I hope that Canon will address it as much as is possible with software updates. From a reviewer rating point of view - this is a very decent product, but also look at the competition. If you were to buy this printer, I am sure you wouldn't regret it - thus I am happy to award: MyMac.com Rating: 4 out of 5 [...] | ||
 | Ecamm Network iMage USB Webcam for Mac and Windows | |
| "Russ Walkowich - MyMac.com Review" | 2008-01-07 |
| I use a G4 PPC MDD 867 dual with 1.5 gigs of ram...and no iSight camera. I wanted one but figured that the price would come down fairly quick but the next thing I knew, gone! So there I've been, looking at the assortment of cameras that Window's folks have but never seeing Mac compatible on the box. I know, I know, I could buy one and then purchase IOXperts Webcam Driver for Mac OS X but I thought that was just a bit much paying for a Windows webcam and then having to purchase a driver to let me use it.
Instead I decided to try eCamm's image USB Webcam, designed to work with Macs and Windows and Linux systems. This webcam delivers 640x480 video to your Mac apps that you've been dying to use a webcam with, like iChat AV, Skype, Yahoo! Messenger and a whole slew of other programs. The unit is a USB video class (UVC) camera (VGA) 1/7-inch color CCD sensor, that provides image sizes of 640 x 480 (VGA), 352 x 288 (CIF), 320 x 240 (QVGA at15 Frames Per Second Uncompressed Video. It utilizes a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Connection (480 Mbits/s), is UVC 1.1 Compliant with Auto white balance control and Auto electronic iris control. The webcam itself is only 2" (L) x 1 3/4" (H) x 1" (W). It even comes with a threaded screw hole on the bottom if you're a perfectionist and want to mount the unit on a small tripod. Everything that you need is included in the package. The webcam, instructions and a black cloth case to carry your unit around are in the box. You can download a Quickstart pdf from eCamm's website. Now, as you can see, this is a small unit. The way it is set up, it will sit on the top of your laptop and stay in place, or as in my case, I have it sitting on top of one of my external hard drives. Set up is a snap, plug in the unit and install the plug-in and away you go. The plug-in provides compatibility with Apple's iChat AV. Once you've done this, position your camera where you want it and enjoy yourself. I've used the unit to do video chats with Tim Robertson and also with my son in another state. It really is so much nicer to do things "face-to- face" if you will. Before this I would have to set up my digital video camera by firewire cable to conduct a video chat. This is so much easier! Overall, I'm very satisfied with the unit and can now wait until I get my next Mac, which will either have iSight or Apple's version of the next best thing. Consider eCamm's iMage USB Webcam as an add-on to your system if you have an older Mac and want some additional capability... all you need is a USB port. If you still have questions, go to eCamm's website and download the Quickstart pdf and see if that answers your questions. System Requirements: Requires Mac OS X v10.4.3 or later, including Mac OS X v10.5 (Leopard) (Mac OS X 10.3.9 is also supported via macam.), Requires USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Port, 600MHz or higher G3, G4, G5 or Intel processor. Video chat does require a microphone. So to review Pro: Easy to use, easy to set up, doesn't need additional software to utilize the webcam other than the iMage Plug-in software that is provided to allow additional functionality. Does exactly what they say it will do... Helps those Mac users with older Macs add video to their system. Cons: The one problem that I had was that the video is limited to 640 x 480 and is a bit grainy. Unit does not come with a microphone, you will have to provide your own. Still highly recommended! My Mac rating: 4 out of 5. | ||
 | Kensington Expert Mouse Optical Trackball USB for Windows or Mac - 64325 | |
| "Russ Walkowich's mymac.com Review" | 2007-12-30 |
| Over the years, I've used just about every type of mouse out there: Apple's one-button mouse, trackballs, corded and wireless, small and large, two button up to multi-button. I even used the Kensington Turbo Mouse (version 3) during the mid-90's and enjoyed its capabilities and ease of use. Fast forward to the present time and here I am using Kensington's Expert Mouse, the descendent of the Turbo Mouse. How does it hold up?
Out of the box, the Expert Mouse is simple to install and set up. Plug the USB cord into your Mac, go to Kensington's website and download the latest version of MouseWorks, install it and then set your preferences for what you want each of the four main buttons to do, set your click and scrolling speed and the pointer speed and you're good to go. Want to open up an application? No problem, set it up in preferences as to what button you want to use and off you go. Launch a particular URL... set it up and away you go. The unit itself is designed as 5 3/4"L X 1 1/2"H X 5"W with the end closest to your hand being less than 1/2" in height. Kensington solved this problem of the unit being so sloped by providing the user with a padded palm rest that easily attaches to the low end and slopes your hand up into a more comfortable position. Once you've set up your Expert Mouse, the first couple of hours are normally spent just getting used to the feel and the capabilities of the mouse. The six-foot USB cable should prove to be more than enough for most users to set the mouse up comfortably on their desktop and not feel restricted. Choosing what button on the unit does what can be an interesting experiment in itself. I found that I changed my first selection of button use once I became more familiar with the unit and discovered that it was far easier for me to utilize the top left button to scroll, the top right button to go back/forward, open in new window; the bottom left button to click and the bottom right button to double-click. The nice thing about Kensington's MouseWorks is that is does work and it doesn't cause any problems with the operation of the Mac, unlike some other software. I found the trackball to be great, quiet, smooth and easy to use. The use of the trackball to scroll is just fantastic in its ease of use and control, and with the bottom left button set as the click, I'm easily out of the scroll mode and able to move the cursor to where I want and then use the bottom right button to double-click and open a link. The one issue that I did have is that the Scroll Ring just did not seem to work the way it should. I found that no matter where I had the scroll speed set to, in using the Scroll Ring the movement was jerky and at times, I wound up right back where I started from. Utilizing the trackball in scroll mode solved that issue right away but I was disappointed in the way the Scroll Ring just didn't seem to work the way I thought it should. Despite that issue, I would still highly recommend the Expert Mouse to anyone looking for something more than just a plain old mouse. So to review: Pro: Easy to use, easy to program, good number of programming options available to the user; use of trackball to scroll was great. Great warranty on the product. Cons: The one problem that I had was with the Scroll Ring, just could not find a comfortable movement to make scrolling as good as it is otherwise. System Requirements: Macintosh running OS X or later with an available USB port. Internet connection or CD-ROM drive to install the software. Warranty: Kensington 5-Year Warranty and free technical support. Highly recommended! My Mac rating: 4 out of 5. [...] | ||
 | An Evening with Kevin Smith | |
| "Good DVD" | 2007-08-23 |
| You really do have to be a Kevin Smith fan to REALLY dig this DVD. I am such, and very much enjoyed this. | ||
 | Digital Photography Expert Techniques (O'Reilly Digital Studio) | |
| "MyMac.com Book Review" | 2006-12-19 |
| With a plethora of digital cameras appearing in the marketplace, purchases of these cameras has exceeded even the most ambitious sales predictions. Everyone and his grandmother now has a digital camera. A lot of these models are of the point and shoot variety. They're small, lightweight, actually take great pictures, and have many features for the cost. There are lots of publications out there: magazines, how-to books, manuals, videos, and websites which help newbie photographers along the path to good quality photographs. If you're looking for something like that, may I pass along a suggestion from the Ken Milburn, the author of this title under review? Before reading this book try Deke McClelland's Adobe Photoshop CS2: One on One (O'Reilly). You will then be "up to speed" and more able to handle the various terms and maneuvers in Digital Photography: Expert Techniques. Along with all the less expensive point and shoot cameras, digital SLRs (single lens reflex) have also grown up. Most of these cameras will be purchased by serious amateurs, or "enthusiasts," and professionals. DSLRs have interchangeable lenses, more megapixels, and larger, more noise-free sensors. In other words they're more suited to professional and "prosumer" photography. DSLRs also are capable of producing high quality RAW files which are, in large part, what this book is all about. It's also about workflow rather than procedures. If you're interested in what it takes to make true professional quality images in the most efficient and cost-effective way this book is for you. The first thing I loved about Digital Photography: Expert Techniques is its organization, and the chapter outlines at the beginning. Here the author tells us what's in store for each chapter from start to finish. I also appreciate the way Ken Milburn writes. It's almost conversational, like having a good buddy who happens to know almost everything there is to know about what goes into a professional digital photograph, and being a professional photographer. He starts us off with an overview around which the rest of the book is structured. There is a quick guide in the form of suggestions (some are common sense, others are anecdotal) like getting your camera ready, computer equipment and its configuration, image downloading, backing up originals, presentation for client approval, winnowing, preliminary editing, and the final output. He includes logical common sense tips about equipment, settings, and more. He even provides a comprehensive list of what's available -- suggesting hard drives, backups, monitors, and DVD writers. Efficiency is always the byword in workflow, and Ken Milburn leads the way. Milburn teaches us how to connect to DNG (digital negative), a nonproprietary RAW format which anyone can use. He suggests that it may become a universal format which means that even if the RAW file format in your software becomes obsolete you will still retain your RAW files through DNG. Safety. Efficiency. Smart. Since the author has been a professional photographer for decades he has learned through experience and study about being prepared in the field for both seen and unforeseen circumstances. He passes along sage advise and counseling in his chapter BE PREPARED. One of the great features which has separated Adobe Photoshop CS2 from the rest of the pack is Adobe Bridge. It is a browser, but so much more. Ken Milburn gives the reader an excellent primer on how this feature works and its many advantages. He shows how simple it is, and at the same time it is scriptable, customizable, has variable thumbnail sizing, and has multiple browser windows which can be opened at the same time. Want to create and use panel layouts to sort as you wish? How about creating a meta data template including all your camera info like settings, history, status, and even IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) info? He shows you how to do all this, and more. Once we get into Camera Raw, Ken Milburn shows us how to streamline the process. Once it's set up you're ready to rip. For you Photoshop Elements 4 users he shows the differences between Camera Raw in Elements 4 and CS2. He also tells us the why and how of it all so we understand why all this is a good thing. Take for instance the aforementioned DNG files. The author implores the reader to strongly consider filing using DNG and lots of backup. It's possible that either through technical improvements, marketing considerations, mergers, or even dissolution of a manufacturer that a proprietary RAW format could become obsolete. It is certainly something to consider. There are some clients out there who need their photos quickly. Wedding and sports photographers can attest to this. The author shows us that Camera RAW defaults to "smart" Auto adjustments for Exposure, Shadows, Brightness, and Contrast. So there's a good chance of getting a publishable image right out of the camera. Sweet! Milburn demonstrates how to open and adjust multiple RAW files quickly when the files have the same exposure, brightness, range, contrast, and color balance. He introduces us to HDR (High Dynamic Range), and High Key images. Layers have been around for quite some time, and here we are shown a system for non destructive editing. There's a great chart listing in three columns Layer Name, Purpose, and Advice. It's like a quick check on WWKD (What Would Ken Do) for using Adjustment Layers. Even for those of us who might be new to Layers he gives us a quick rundown of Layers and Features in Adobe Photoshop CS2. Ken Milburn's friend, Doug Sahlin, came up with an interesting idea which the author includes in Digital Photography: Expert Techniques. It's called the Magic Workflow Layers Action. It allows us to include the layers in the workflow for almost every image automatically, ensuring the photographer will follow a properly layered workflow for most basic steps. You can either get this in the book or download it from the sites provided. This alone could shorten the learning curve in learning layers workflow. All of the general repair tools are reviewed but the author goes way beyond the characteristics of the tools and into the world of commercial photography and how these tools can work for the professional photographer. This includes Glamor Tips, Architectural Tips, Still Life, lighting from behind, and more. Are you into montages or collages? Ken Milburn can help, and does he ever. We've all tried to string together various shots in an effort to create a panorama of a scene too vast for one shot, but with varying degrees of success. The author talks about exposure, tripods, and framing. There are several example photos showing what a professional panorama looks like. I've made all the mistakes he mentions, and then some. Thanks, Ken, for straightening me out. In his chapter "Creating the Wow Factor" we get into the details of the various tools and how, using layers, the photographer can enhance just about any aspect of lighting, colors (or black & white), and even using what he terms a "fictitious imaging tool," liquefaction, which can remove unwanted pounds from a model, or add bulk to anyone or anything. He has many suggestions and techniques using Lighting Effects which are especially dramatic when used inside of layers. We learn how to make homemade backgrounds as well as Knockouts. If you like the look of hand coloring or tinting Ken shows us how to do it effectively and easily. Milburn's experience as a pro for many years becomes a windfall for us readers as, in the last chapter, "Presenting Your Work to the World," he talks about some of the many ways to become recognized, and even paid, as a photographer. He starts by showing us how to get the prints we need by calibrating the printers and even LCD monitors. There are tips to show your images on the web, making portfolios, binders, contact sheets, and much more. And let's not forget the all-important Copyright protection using watermarks. While our author is certainly a huge fan and user of Adobe Photoshop CS2, he is by no means married exclusively to that software. He lists alternatives and even talks about the differences and some advantages of software like Capture One Pro, Raw Shooter, Aperture (which can be used with Photoshop CS2), iView Media Pro, and Adobe Lightroom. All of these programs have their high points and are not to be dismissed as second only to Adobe Photoshop CS2. If you've ever wondered what it takes to be a pro in the photo biz, Digital Photography: Expert Techniques will give you a good idea of the dedication, knowledge, and work it takes to do it right. One has only to look at Ken Milburns pictures to see why this book makes so much sense. His photos are pristine. He seems to be able to connect with the very vibrations of the colors, shadows, and details which are all part of an image, but are often times skirted over by photographers, if only for the lack of knowledge it takes to recognize these things and bring them "up" in the image. His techniques, to be sure, are always pointed toward one thing, and one thing only. Making the best image possible with the least amount of effort and expense. And here it all is, in this wonderful and smartly instructive book. MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5 | ||
![Adobe Photoshop CS2 Upgrade (Mac) from Photoshop [Any Version]](product_images/4569000/4569492_thumb.jpg) | Adobe Photoshop CS2 Upgrade (Mac) from Photoshop [Any Version] | |
| "John Farr Photoshop Review" | 2006-01-22 |
| Everyman's Photoshop CS2 Review The reason this is called an "everyman's" review is that I'm less than an expert. In fact, if Photoshop were a car, I'd be the one driving it cross-country in first gear. I normally use Photoshop for creating Web graphics or sexing up photos - no shifting required, in other words. But Photoshop does way more than that, so much so that without it, most designers would curl up and die. For most of us though, running a full-bore image-editing app is like driving a Ferrari in the back yard. I ought to know: I've had access to the software for a long time and still don't know what all the tools are for - the latest version, Adobe Photoshop CS2, has even more. That said, if you have any kind of visual project in mind and a modicum of talent, there's hardly anything you can't do. It may take a while to get rolling, but once you do, you'll kill for a chance to have your very own copy. See what you can do? Photoshop CS2 is available alone or as part of the Adobe Creative Suite 2, which includes Adobe Illustrator CS2, Adobe InDesign CS2, Version Cue CS2, Adobe GoLive CS2, and Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional in the Premium Edition. (This reviewer was slated to receive the full suite, but "only" the Photoshop component showed up. Color me stupendously grateful regardless, of course, but I won't be addressing the integration features in this review.) At $599 for the standalone version, piracy has always been a problem for Adobe, but the company has gone out of its way to save you from yourself by requiring activation -- not the same thing as registration -- within 30 days of installation. In the past, you could buy the app and install it on all your computers (or any machine for that matter), but the new version only works on the user's primary and secondary computers. Frankly, the details of the activation process left me confused. According to Adobe's activation FAQ page (my emphasis): The activation process supports installation on two machines. The Adobe product license agreement allows the primary user to install the product on a primary computer and also on a home or laptop computer for his or her use, provided that the two copies are not used simultaneously. While the activation process supports installing and activating Adobe software on two machines, the usage of the product on the second computer is restricted to the user who licensed the software. Allowing others to use a second copy of the software violates the product license agreement. Call me dense, but I have no idea what they mean by not using both copies simultaneously. Shortly before submitting this review, I had Photoshop CS2 running on both of my computers and nothing blew up, nor did anyone unpleasant bust down my door. And apparently my wife isn't allowed to use the software on the TiBook, according to the above. Frankly, this is absurd, and I wish the company's lawyers would get a life. But be that as it may, the installation process itself was straightforward, although my 500 MHz TiBook with OS X 10.3 (an oldie but a goodie) required a few hard slaps on the case above the CD-ROM drive before the disk would mount. And the first thing I learned when launching the new app was that as usual, I was coloring outside the lines: Mac OS X version 10.3.4 or later is recommended for maximum performance and correct operation of Adobe Photoshop CS2. An earlier version of Mac OS X was detected. Oops! Despite the warning, the official system requirements listed in the reviewer's guide only call for a minimum of Mac OS X version 10.2.8, and I haven't seen any signs of "incorrect" operation yet. True, installing Photoshop on my 400 MHz Blue & White G3 with OS X 10.3 seems to have magically doubled the boot time, but that's it. If you don't have 10.3.4, I'd say go for it anyway. For those of you with older versions, there are more than enough useful new features in Photoshop CS2 to justify the $149.99 upgrade cost. A partial rundown includes the following, a few of which I'll expand upon later: * Adobe Bridge (the File Browser on steroids) * Vanishing Point (an extraordinary plane-based visual perspective tool) * Image Warp (turns flat images into shaped graphics) * Reduce Noise filter (corrects JPEG compression artifacts and more) * 32-bit High Dynamic Range (HDR) editing (creates images with the "widest possible dynamic range") * Spot Healing Brush (one-click retouching) * One-Click Red Eye tool * Optical Lens Correction * Animation (create animated GIFs directly in Photoshop) * Smart Sharpen * Enhanced 16-bit Filter Support * Smart Objects (allow non-destructive scaling, rotation and warping of layers within Photoshop CS2) * Multiple Layer Control (select, align, group and simultaneously move multiple layers) * Multi-Image Camera Raw (um...) * Video Preview (preview your work on a FireWire-connected monitor) * WYSIWYG Font Menu (you're gonna love this) * more color management options when printing * all-new PDF engine (automatic optimization for Web viewing) * High Capacity RAM Compatibility (can address 3.5 GB on a G5) * expanded, integrated online services See what I mean? As for Adobe Bridge, I probably shouldn't comment, since I've never used the old File Browser [blush]. But here's what Adobe has to say: The acclaimed File Browser has evolved into its own application - Adobe Bridge. Now, the two applications work efficiently in parallel - Adobe Bridge building thumbnails while you edit in Photoshop CS2, or Photoshop CS2 batch processing images while you continue to work in Adobe Bridge. Adding essential new features for photographers such as multiple-file Camera Raw processing, enhanced ranking and labeling, and a slideshow mode for quick review of your images, Adobe Bridge also integrates with Illustrator CS2, InDesign CS2 and GoLive CS2, bridging the workflow across the new Creative Suite 2 applications. I don't know about File Browser, but Bridge rocks, and I'm converted. Instead of locating a particular image in the Finder using column view, in Bridge I can browse any folder on my hard drive, see all the photos at once (Filmstrip View, below, is a hoot), and open any or all of them in Photoshop with just a click. Just five minutes of playing with this opened my eyes, and when a skeptic like me gets all mushy, people should pay attention. The Vanishing Point filter, completely new to CS2, rates a whole review all by itself. As Adobe explains it, "First you define the perspective in your image by creating perspective grids, then you edit your image normally, and let Vanishing Point take care of adjusting your editing to the defined perspective." What that means in real terms is that you can do things you never dreamed of without doing hours of work, like pasting "WAY COOL" and "YOW!" into the image below. (How did I do the "Hah!"? Keep reading...) Talk about serious empowerment! I've never even tried to do work on this level, but now I can. Once you've defined the planes (grids) in your image, you can drag objects into the distance and have them still be in correct perspective. And since the perspective grids are saved inside the image (or on a separate layer if you want), you can return to re-edit whatever's been placed in them. Edit in perspective? Yup. You can paint directly onto perspective planes with the Stamp Tool, make selections within them, and a whole lot more. This is one extraordinary feature. Add Image Warp to the mix, and your inner package designer will wake up hollering. Adobe has thoughtfully included a full set of presets for common object shapes, and you can drag control points on the warp grid to customize as desired. Ever wonder how your logo would look on a coffee mug or baseball cap? Image Warp has it covered. This is what I used to place the "Hah!" text inside the Mexican pot, of course, and remember, I don't know what I'm doing - so power users ought to be able to effect miracles. * * * There's a lot more to talk about, but we only have one Web site, and I'm sure my MyMac colleagues will have more to say about Photoshop and the other CS2 applications. Meanwhile, my other picks for things to be thankful for in the CS2 version are the ability to make animated GIFs right inside Photoshop, the Spot Healing Brush for removing unwanted pixels with a single click, multiple layer control, and the WYSIWYG Font Menu. Those of you who import vector graphics from Illustrator ( I don't ) will be able to start a whole new religion with Smart Objects, and photographers will love the new Camera Raw format editing power. This is an incredibly powerful and versatile application. If I were Santa Claus or a benevolent deity, I'd make sure every artist and designer with half an ounce of talent had a copy to carry him- or herself to the Promised Land. It really is that good, although I have to say the complexity is overwhelming for beginners. (The Adobe Help application is the best I've ever seen, however, and provided tremendous assistance in writing this review.) I'd have no hesitation whatsoever in giving Photoshop CS2 the highest possible rating, except for an intuition that the app has grown to the point where its sheer size and multitude of features, not to mention the price, are bound to limit expansion of the user base. Personally, I'd like to take a digital carving knife to Photoshop and create about half a dozen specialty image editing apps, but that's not the direction Adobe is going, especially after absorbing Macromedia, and who's to say I know better than them? I also have no love for the increasingly maddening anti-piracy and copy protection measures employed by the industry, although Adobe's activation process gave me no trouble. It's the principle of the thing, and I'm just old-fashioned when it comes to trusting people. But if you can get yourself a copy (legally!), this is the one to have, hands down. That's why hesitation aside, there isn't even a contest. I love it, and it's already indispensable, even for a first-gear user. MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5 | ||
 | DELL UltraSharp 2005FPW 20.1-inch Wide Aspect Flat Panel LCD Monitor with Height Adjustable Stand | |
| "David Cohen's MyMac.com Review" | 2006-01-22 |
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. Come Over to the Dark Side You see, there is only one supplier of 20" 1680x1050 resolution panels that manufactures in volume - LG.Philips. Accordingly, Dell's 20" 2005FPW panel uses exactly the same LCD panel as Apple's 20" Cinema Display. Dell prices for monitors start out somewhat less expensive than Apple, but are frequently discounted by massive percentages, something Apple is not known for. I needed to replace the 17" Acer panel I was using on my Power Mac G5. It showed poor colour registration and some fuzziness, principally because it only had a captive analogue connector, and no DVI input. It was playing havoc with my digital photography work, and was quite uncomfortable to use for long periods. I decided to get a DVI display, and when I got wind that Dell had a sale on their widescreen displays, I got my credit card revved. Three days later, a courier delivered my new screen. Now, with Dell you get good value, a three-year warranty and industrial design that is firmly placed in the mid-nineties. The 2005FPW is dressed in a plastic shell in standard Dell dark grey, with the occasional silver highlight. However, build quality is very good, and the monitor ships with a robust grey and silver stand with cable management and height adjustment. The stand also allows the display to be rotated through ninety degrees to display a portrait image, though I have not tried this myself as I do not have enough vertical room on my desk. I believe this functionality will work without additional software on any Mac that is running OS X 10.4 Tiger and has an ATI graphics card. As well as this feature, the monitor is stuffed with other goodies as well. There are four inputs (DVI, VGA, RGB and Composite) as well as a plethora of display modes, including a very funky picture-in-picture mode, which allows TV monitoring or multiple PCs to be used in you have them cabled correctly. The monitor has four USB ports, and acts as a USB hub - two are on the back and two are on the side. Dell also throws in power, DVI and VGA cables in the box but as you might expect on a higher-end product, none of the cables are captive to the monitor. The only thing that is missing are speakers. I personally see this as no great loss, as monitor speakers are rarely of good quality. Dell will send a media bar with speakers as an add on to the monitor if required, Yada, Yada, Yada - What Does It Look Like? In a word & superb! Connected via DVI, a bright and clear image of my Tiger desktop is displayed, and running through the calibration screens shows that no changes are necessary. Backlighting is strong and even across the display, and contrast looks fine. DVD and video playback shows little smearing to my jaded eyes, though I have to admit I am not a big movie watcher while I sit in front of my computer. Of course, DVDs play back in the 16:9 aspect ratio they were designed for, and the excellent contrast ratio means that blacks look black and a 'washed-out' image is not seen. I do play the occasional game, though, so I fired up Halo to see how the Dell performed. After adjusting the monitor to display the image in the centre of the screen rather than stretching it to fill the display, I was pleased to see that here too the image was bright and showed little ghosting. What I was really pleased with was the way this display affects my workflow. In Photoshop, you can push the took palettes to the edge of the screen while working on a large representation of your image, browsing images is a much nicer experience as well, and iPhoto really works best on a widescreen display. The Finder takes on a new ease of use as it is easier to drag and drop between two windows that you can actually see, and applications like Mail, iTunes or NetNewsWire really benefit from the extra real estate. The Bottom Line Of course, it makes sense that the extra screen real estate that a 1680x1050 display gives you will improve your computing experience, and it s a no-brainer if the price is right. Here in the UK, you can pick up a decent, brand name 17" 1280x1024 4:3 ratio panel for around £170, or US$300. A 19" 4:3 panel will give you the same resolution for around £240, or US$425. This panel lists with Dell at £507 (US$900), which is £40 less than the price for a 20" Apple Cinema Display. However, I got it from Dell at £325 (US$575), substantially less than the Apple product. I am lead to believe from some of the posts I see online that in the US, rebates can bring the price below the $400 mark! I can remember just a few years ago that 17" CRTs or 15" TFT flat panels were priced at just over £300. The fact that for a little more you can today get such a fantastic display amazes me. As you spend all of your computing time looking at your monitor, and such a device should last longer than your current Macintosh, I feel that these displays represent excellent value for money. MyMac Rating: At this sort of price, I have no hesitation at all at giving the Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW 20" Widescreen Display a mark of five out five. 5 out of 5 | ||
 | Fujitsu SCANSNAP FI-5110EOXM-15PPM FOR MAC USB 2.0 | |
| "Tim Robertson's MyMac.com Review" | 2006-01-22 |
I am offered items to review almost every day; everything from iPod cases to large format printers to hard drives to monitors to the plethora of software available on the Macintosh. Most things I turn down, as there are only so many hours in the day, and only so much space in my office for another piece of hardware. So when the opportunity came up to review the ScanSnap, I was surprised that I actually wanted to. I had in my mind, before the unit arrived, what the ScanSnap was all about. A document scanner, not a flatbed scanner. I read it does duplex scans (both sides of a document at the same time) and outputs directly to Adobe Acrobat format. It all sounded good to me, but the proof is in the pudding. Well, the pudding is small, as in tiny, it is fast, and it tastes really good! Okay, enough of the metaphors. The ScanSnap is so much smaller than I had thought it would be. When I first unpacked it, I looked back in the box to make sure there was no base unit or something I did not see. This thing is about the width of a half loaf of bread, and the depth of half that! Small and tiny, just the sort of thing my desktop work area appreciates. Size matters, yes, but not as much as functionality does. If it does not work as advertised, well, it could be the size on an iPod and I would not be impressed. Thankfully, the folks at Fujitsu have not let me down, as the ScanSnap works and works very well. Installation is painless but does require a restart. I noticed that there is no TWAIN import functionality, but for the purpose this document scanner was created for, I don't see this as a negative. You won't use the SnapScan for importing high-res graphic files. For that, a drum or flatbed scanner would be more appropriate. On the software side of things, SnapScan uses Adobe Acrobat Standard, which comes free in the box with the scanner. When a document is scanned it (more on that in a moment) it is saved as an Acrobat file. This is great for a number of reasons. First, Acrobat has become the default document format for transmitting and printing most documents. It is flexible, easy to use, but also powerful enough to use as an electronic workgroup and documentation online (or off) workflow. You can set passwords in Acrobat so that you can have some control over who can / can't open sensitive documents. Spotlight can also search text within PDF files, although not documents scanned with the SnapScan, as these documents are scanned as a picture, without any OCR involved. No OCR (Onscreen Character Recognition, the process of a software application understanding text when it is scanned in and converting it to editable text and font) is probably the most disappointing aspect of the SnapScan. While it is great to be able to quickly and painlessly scan in all your important documents, there is no way to search for text within those scanned files. Also, the user is not prompted to name each file as it is scanned, so to create somewhat of an organized structure of your scanned documents, the user is forced to go back and rename files. I found doing a Save As in Acrobat worked well, after which I would delete the original scanned PDF. The SnapScan settings give the user a good combination of options such as compression rate (the lower the compression, the greater the scan quality, Paper Size (I leave it at Automatic Detection, which works great), file format (don't like PDF? Save your scans as JPGs instead), Scanning options (quality, color mode, and scan button), Save options, and Application options in case you would rather Preview open the scan over Adobe Acrobat. All in all, most of the option a typical user would need to control the scanner. The ScanSnap software automatically launches at start up, so there is no need to hunt and find the application to start scanning. The software and hardware is all ready to go. The most impressive aspect to the ScanSnap has got to be the speed a document is both scanned and displayed on screen. The advertised speed is 15 pages per minute, which may not sound like much at first, but basic arithmetic will show that is four seconds for one page. And not just one side of the page, but both sides of each page! The scanner is intelligent enough to know if what you are scanning is a one or two-sided document, and acts accordingly. One button scanning. Add the document(s) you want to scan in the feeder (50 sheets capacity) and push the big round button, and the ScanSnap takes it from there. It is so simple; the ScanSnap is the Macintosh of small office documents scanners. I had so much fun working with the ScanSnap; I got carried away scanning every document I could find. Mortgage papers? Checks. Insurance papers? Check. Old pay-stubs? Birth certificates? Receipts? Check, check, and check. The scanner is so simple to use, and PDF's small enough (even on high quality settings) to easily archive, I feel this is the first document scanner I can use to truly move all my important papers into electronic format. Here are the specs: Scanning Range: A4, A5, A6, B5, B6, Business card, Letter, Legal and Custom sizes (can set for up to 5 different paper types) / Automatically recognizes paper type by paper length Interface: USB 2.0 (1.1 compatible) 1 Year Limited Warranty Scanning Speed: 150dpi Color, 15 PPM, 300dpi color 5 PPM Compatible with Mac OS X 10.2 and up. MyMac.com Rating: 4.5 out of 5 | ||
 | PhoneValet Message Center 3.0 | |
| "Tim Robertson's MyMac.com Review" | 2006-01-22 |
| 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. Press 1 if... Installing the software is a snap, although the software serial number is tied to the hardware serial number on the phone plug to USB adapter that makes up the other part of the package. This was a little buggy at first, as the user is forced to enter different serial numbers at different times during the setup process. In fact, the program rejected my license code ten times before I broke down and emailed Parliant for help. I was emailed possible solutions, which worked eventually. As a long time product reviewer, I have to say that the rigmarole involved to simply enter a license code should not be this time consuming or frustrating. Software companies are supposed to make life for the end user easier, not more difficult in a vain attempt to combat piracy. Why do I have to be inconvenienced? Press 2 if... Once the software was actually installed and updated to the latest version, it was time to set up the software to handle my entire phone answering needs. Turns out that PhoneValet comes in two different components, PhoneValet and PhoneValet Message Center. I am unsure why these two applications are not combined into one easy to use interface, but they are not. Both programs work well and are easy to use on their own. Setup consists of telling PhoneValet what you want it to do. For instance, perhaps there are multiple people in your location; wouldn't it be cool if each could have their own phone answering service? With PhoneValet, that possibility is a simple reality. In fact, PhoneValet can handle up to eleven different and unique mailboxes. More, let's say you are away from the office or home, but you really need to know when someone has called and left a message that you need. PhoneValet can email you the recording, wherever you are. It also works with SMS or pager, although I did not have the equipment to test either of those features. When your phone rings, you simply let PhoneValet handle it. If you want to talk to the person leaving the message, you can pick up the phone. If not, listen to the message later on your Mac. One of the cool factors is having your Mac announce who is calling via Caller ID. Yes, the Mac will actually speak the name of the person (or business) calling. Once you get used to using PhoneValet, it's like having your very own personal telephone assistant, one who can even make calls, record calls, and save a history of your calls for future reference. Press 3 if... Don't we all hate it when you call a phone number hoping to talk to someone, and get that Press 1 for sales, Press 2 for service message system? Well, usually those telephone systems are designed that way to route your call to the appropriate person or department, thus saving time for the business. Technical Support will probably not be able to help you with your sales question. PhoneValet gives you the option of having the same high-tech options for your business. It can route calls on a multi-line phone system, or route it to the correct phone mailbox. You can even set the program up to play messages, such as store hours, but not to take messages. This is handy! If you're worried that using a Mac as an answering machine will quickly fill up hard drive space, you should have no fear. While the quality of voice recordings are not CD quality, the stored messages in PhoneValet are fine for voice messages, and they don't take up much space at all. Besides, even a five-year-old Macintosh probably has a 20GB hard drive, and according to the PhoneValet website, that would enable it to record 191 days of continuous voice messages. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on being away from my phone for that long, and even if I were, I don't think enough people would ever call to worry about filling up a hard drive. However, you can always archive voice messages and recordings to removable media for long-term storage. As a Podcaster, I wanted PhoneValet for a very different reason: to record conversations to be used later on the podcast. To this end, PhoneValet works very well, and they even sell a bundle that ships with tools to help you clean up the quality of voice recordings to be used in podcasts. While I found the third-party tools that Parliant includes in this bundle (BIAS SoundSoap 2 and Peak Express 5) to work well, I found they simply could only do so much to help the rotten sound quality of the cheap telephone quality in my house. Yes, I think I have the oldest and crappiest phone service in the state of Michigan. Some recordings were simply too horrible to use in the podcast, no matter how many filters and enchantments I used to try and correct the problems. I don't blame this on the PhoneValet software, nor on the applications in the Podcast bundle. Press 4 if... All in all, I am quite pleased with this software/hardware solution. The ability to record telephone conversations on my Mac has been something I have wanted for years, and PhoneValet does an excellent job of it. When I did have a problem, in this case a recorded conversation that the audio quality was actually pretty good, the program refused to playback the sound recording afterwards. One email to Parliant later, and I had a clever terminal command to correct the problem and save the recorded conversation. So, hats off to Parliant for great customer service. MyMac.com Rating: 4 out of 5 | ||
 | Managing Your Personal Finances with Quicken : Visual QuickProject Guide (Visual Quickproject Series) | |
| "Bakari Chavanu's MyMac.com Review" | 2006-01-22 |
| 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.
Opening and starting program wasn't that difficult and I could have accessed online guides and help, but I don't like reading manuals online, and most them of I find tedious to read anyway. No doubt I could have learned how to use Quicken without a manual, but I like to learn as much as I can about program so that I can get the most out of it. So I turned to Tom Negrino's Managing Your Personal Finances with Quicken, an affordably priced book that would get me up and running with Quicken in no time. Like other Visual QuickProject guides, Negrino's book is well laid out with large, color coded chapter headings and concise instructions. There's no need to read this book from cover to cover. Its design and structure are for accessing what you need to know as you work through the program. The book is written for both Mac and Window's users, the latter getting a little more instruction--perhaps because those users need it. Beyond setting up my accounts, what I found most useful are instructions on many time saving features of the program like setting scheduled transactions and downloads, setting up categories for income and spending, and creating reports for tax purposes. Wish I could say I used the section on setting up investment portfolios, but unfortunately it's not a book on how make that kind of money-only how to record what you make, which in my case is nothing. At least for now anyhow. Negrino, who has written other QuickProject guides, including Quicken 2003 for Mac, also provides instruction for using Quicken's main features: check writing, balancing transactions, managing credit cards and mortgage payments, paying bills online, and making split transactions. Handy colorful screenshots of the software are used throughout the book. And his "extra bits" sections provide useful tidbits of personal finance advice for and beyond the program. If you've never used an accounting program and you're wanting to get more efficient with your personal or small business financing, this QuickProject book will be useful. I have to admit, though, I haven't referenced the book beyond the first few times I used to learn the program. Thus the book lives up to its subtitle--a visual guide that will save you the time and headache of learning a particular program. MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5 | ||
 | HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One Printer | |
| "David Weeks MyMac.com Book Review" | 2005-05-03 |
| HP Photosmart 2710 multi-function printer scanner copier fax
Company: Hewlett-Packard Price:$399.00 (...) I've been a big fan of multi-function (printer-scanner-copier-fax) units for quite a while. The Weeks division of MyMac.com labs has been using HP's Photosmart 2710 for several weeks, and is quite impressed with it. Multi-function units have two main disadvantages compared to a collection of standalone units: You've got all your eggs in one basket. If the one function of the unit requires service, because you can't scan, for example, you're dead in the water until the unit comes back. The individual functions may not be as good quality as a stand-alone device. Compromises may have to be made to get printing, scanning, copying and faxing into one box at a reasonable price. The upside to owning a multi-function device is that you don't have to maintain three or four separate devices. You've got far fewer setup and connectivity headaches. A well-designed multifunction unit integrates all the different features. Having separate boxes may result in one box not playing nicely with another. The HP Photosmart 2710 is HP's top-of-the-line consumer MFC (multi-function) unit. Retailing for $399, it can be found for as low as $350 from reputable on-line dealers. The Photosmart name indicates that the print engine is capable of photo-quality printing. We'll look more at that claim in a minute. The 2710's specs are impressive; this unit comes loaded with almost any feature you'd want in a MFC. The best features are the many built-in card reader slots and 802.11g networking capability, and the ability to use regular and photo quality ink cartridges. Tech Specs are here. Unpacking the printer was easy, just make SURE you remove all the various bits of tape and Styrofoam that lock the moving parts during shipment. Some are well hidden; you're advised to follow the setup instructions. Annoyingly, no USB cable is provided. While HP doesn't hide this fact, you'd think that for $399 HP would toss in a USB cable. Software installation was relatively quick and painless. I installed the software on both my dual 2 GHz Power Mac, as well an a old Gateway Pentium II that I keep on my network for running the odd PC-only application. The software bundle includes ReadIris Pro 9 for optical character recognition, which normally retails for $129.95. The software installs the HP ImageZone application, which is a central location for controlling the various functions of the 2710. The installer was well behaved, and placed the various applications controlled by ImageZone in a HP folder inside the Applications folder. An Uninstaller is included in case you need to remove the various pieces. Since one of the prime features of the Photosmart 2710 is its ability to run on a network, I skipped the USB setup, and configured it via the built-in 10/100 Ethernet port. I chose to set up a manual IP address for the printer, although the 2710 can easily use DHCP. Manual IP addressing involves setting the desired address via the control panel on the printer, and then using the setup wizard from the computer to find the printer on the network. Setup worked the first time, even with the non-standard manual addressing. Since the 2710 also allows wireless operation, I disconnected the Ethernet cable, and set up the unit for wireless operation. I found both manual setup and the Network Setup Assistant easy to use. Most users will choose the DHCP option, but network gurus can choose manual IP addressing and also turn on wireless WEP encryption. As expected, the 2710 initial setup requires a cartridge calibration. One nice touch is the 2710's ability to remember if a cart has already been calibrated, and not require a subsequent calibration. This feature comes in handy when you swap a regular cartridge for a photo-quality cartridge, and the replace the regular cartridge to resume normal quality printing. You won't need to waste time and ink recalibrating the regular cartridge again; the HP already knows the settings. Once up and running, I began to print. Right away, the HP print driver impressed me. I formerly owned a HP PSC 750 multi-function, which I learned to hate, mostly because of driver problems. Previous Macintosh OS X drivers by HP were, in a word, horrid. While print quality was good, the PSC 750 driver used way too many CPU cycles, did not play well with multiple users, and required reboots when the Mac lost contact with the printer. While I loved the 750 when I could get it to print, I eventually put it in a closet. And that was because I could not even give it away! HP now has dedicated Macintosh programmers writing their Mac drivers and software, and it shows. During all my testing, I had no trouble with the HP stealing CPU cycles, and I could reliably print after switching from one user to another. Digital camera cards Before you can print, you've got to get your digital images into your computer. You can use your 2710 instead of a camera dock, if you prefer. The 2710 has slots to accommodate CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Memory Stick®, Secure Digital/MultiMedia/Secure MultiMedia, and xD-Picture Cards. My Kodak Dx7440 uses Secure Digital SD cards, so that's what I tested. Pop the card into the slot, and the 2710 scans the card. You can print a contact sheet, print images directly from the card, or transfer the images to your computer. Personally, I can't imagine printing directly from the card, as I always tweak my photos before using expensive photo paper! Image transfers via the 2710 are started from HP's ImageZone application, but use Apple's Image Capture (included with OS X) to perform the actual transfers. HP includes a small application to funnel the images right into iPhoto, if that's your photo management app of choice. Printing Getting good quality prints requires telling the printer what paper will be used. The print dialog lists over 20 different kinds of paper. You'll find settings for N-up printing, reverse print order, double-sided printing, and ink density. Interestingly, there are also driver settings for contrast adjustment, sharpening, and red-eye removal. Print quality from the 2710 was far better than the old PSC 750, and was immeasurably better than the Brother MFC 3810, which I used before the 2710. While it's not as good as a stand-alone photo printer like the Epson Stylus 9000, the print quality is solidly good. I found the colors to be rich and saturated. Best-quality printing using the photo cartridges on HP glossy photo paper was generally excellent. The print driver includes a setting to optimize photo printing on plain paper. I've often been disappointed with inkjet color printing using plain paper, but the 2710 does better than most. You're not going to be framing a color print on plain paper, but it's a great way to get quickie color output without using the expensive glossy photo paper. The 2710's plain paper prints are, well, much less ugly than most. Kudos to HP for including this print setting. Copying One reason I've always like multifunction units is that they make good copiers. The 2710 can make both black and white and color copies, up to 99 at a time. You need not have your computer on to make copies, as you can access all the copy functions from the 2710's front panel controls. Copying was trouble-free. I used the 2710's ability to change the default copy settings to "Faster" to save that expensive HP ink. Scanning Scanning can be a whole subject of its own, especially photo scanning What DPI to use, what bit depth to scan at, and other questions spring up to confuse the average user. The 2710 has capable hardware; it up to you to exploit it to best advantage. Like almost all other 2710 functions, you begin the scanning process with the ImageZone application. Choose Scan Picture, and the HP Image Scan application launches and begins a preview scan. Once the preview is done, you can crop it before scanning, and do basic straightening or rotating. You can choose from several settings (Text, Photo, Mixed Color, or Mixed Grayscale) or choose custom to pick your own resolution. Scans can be directly sent to the application of your choice or saved to disk in one of twelve formats, including Photoshop, PDF, TIFF, and JPG. Test scans were generally good quality, but not as good as those from a dedicated scanner. The average user should be happy with the 2710's scans. Faxing While I'm not a heavy fax user, I found the 2710's fax capabilities easy to use. Like copying, the fax features do not need the computer to be on; it's a perfectly capable stand-alone fax machine. I was extremely impressed with the fax setup instructions. People who struggled with fax-phone splitters, answering machine settings, DSL lines, and other impediments to easy faxing know how hard it can be to get a fax machine to play nice with other devices. HP provides very detailed flow charts that walk the user carefully through the various setup options. My setup went flawlessly the first time, with the HP instructions not missing a step. Actual faxing was uneventful. In light testing faxes came and went with no problems. Connectivity The 2710 has USB 2, 10/100 Ethernet, and wireless connections. Given that less expensive HP multi-function models provide the same features without Ethernet or wireless capability, I did not spend much time using the USB cable. Both wired and wireless networking was a breeze to set up. The Network Setup Assistant was quick and easy to use. Wireless throughput drops as the distance from the base station to the receiving unit goes up. Most of my testing had the 2710 located only a few feet away from the base station. At these close distances, there was little significant difference between wired and wireless operation speeds. Wired was faster, but the difference was not annoying. Only when making la | ||
 | Inside .Mac | |
| "Nemo MyMac.com Review" | 2005-05-03 |
| Inside .Mac Making the Most of Your .Mac Membership - Book Review John Nemerovski Columnist, The Nemo Memo, Book Bytes Thursday, 04/21/05 Inside .Mac Making the Most of Your .Mac Membership by Chuck Toporek O'Reilly Media ISBN 0-596-00501-6, 360 pages $19.95 US, $28.95 CN Here we have one of the best-researched and most well written books ever reviewed by MyMac.com's Book Bytes. Author Chuck Toporek immersed himself in this topic so we readers and subscribers can take advantage of his endless energy and expertise. If I attempted to create a book such as this one, working every waking moment for over six months, I could not approach the breadth and depth of coverage Chuck provides. By now you probably realize that Book Bytes considers Inside .Mac - Making the Most of Your .Mac Membership to be is as good as it gets. Congratulations and thanks to Chuck and O'Reilly Media. If you or someone you know has an active .Mac membership, please give us your thoughts on the service in our Article Discussion area below. This review deals with a book, not an account, and we value your personal comments. I spent a long afternoon reading this volume cover to cover, and I was surprised and impressed with all the .Mac features offered by Apple. Most users take advantage of one or two of the components within .Mac, notably email and Backup or iDisk, and people are missing out on several others that add value to the annual fee. Inside .Mac takes readers slowly and patiently from "Setting Up Your .Mac Account" on a comprehensive, detailed journey all the way through "Using Virex" and "Using iSync with .Mac" to "Blogging with iBlog" and ".Mac's Keyboard Shortcuts." Have you encountered the "Common iDisk Error Codes," or have a need to install the iDisk utility for Windows XP? Now's your chance, with Chuck as your time-tested tutor. Turning to pages at random, we encounter: * IMAP Versus POP - Which Is Best for Me? (discussing hidden ways to access your .Mac email) * Blogging with iBlog (a third-party application Chuck recommends for integrating your account with a user-friendly blog) * From GIF to JPEG in a Jiffy (explaining why JPEG is the only type of picture compatible with .Mac's slide publishing software, and how easily you can create JPEGs) * Virus Scanning from the Terminal (if this appeals to you, I applaud your geek factor) and dozens greater and lesser techniques and tips. Screen shots are plentiful, all in '. At $20 US, the price of Inside .Mac is so loaded with reference and tutorial info that author and his publication team must have done this book as a labor of love, because I don't think the title is a bestseller. I hope I'm wrong, and I'll be using it on my daily rounds as a private computer tutor, urging my clients to find Chuck instead of Nemo when they need help with any aspect of .Mac. The text is divided into four major parts, with the first dedicated to .Mac service particulars, email accounts, and iDisk; the second addresses Virex and Backup utilities; the third (now for some fun!) covers "Building a .Mac HomePage," the aforementioned iBlog, plus iSync, Slide Shows, and iCards; and, finally, an appendix containing .Mac's keyboard shortcuts and the error codes and Windows material mentioned above. Writing is clean and personal, like a long conversation with the most intelligent, articulate person you've ever met. How else is an intrepid .Mac subscriber able to acquire the necessary instructions to do everything possible with the membership and its features? Not possible, says Nemo, wishing I had an extra couple of hours each day to dig deeper into Apple's .Mac service. Inside .Mac: Making the Most of Your .Mac Membership is such outstanding value and so high in useful content that it's at the top of our highest Book Bytes rating, 5 out of 5. If you are a .Mac member or plan to become one, run don't walk to your favorite independent or online bookseller to purchase this title. | ||
 | Mac OS X Power Hound | |
| "Tim Robertson MyMac.com Review" | 2004-11-15 |
| Mac OS X Power Hound by Rob Griffiths Pouge Press Price: $24.95 ISBN: 059600818x http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/macxpu/index.html I have read a ton of Mac books since starting MyMac.com back in 1995. A LOT of them. And while most actually do convey the information you were hoping to glean from buying the book in the first place, many do so in such a dry and boring manner that I found myself simply trying to stay awake while reading. That was my worry here as well, as I have never read any of Rob Griffiths writing before. He's the creator of MacOSXhints.com, a site I have visited often. But that site is more a collaborative effort with a ton of other people, all pooling their knowledge together. So how would Rob do all by his lonesome? Hey, guess what? Rob can WRITE! Yes sir, the man has talent! Mac OS X Power Hound is a book full of useful things that any Mac OS X user will find helpful and worth knowing. As an expert Mac user and ex-IT manager, even I learned some nifty tricks I hadn't known about before after reading a few pages of this book. Does using the Terminal give you a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach? I understand, it's even a little frightening for longtime Mac users to use a command line, something that was unheard and unneeded in the past with Mac OS 9 and earlier. Even Hex-Edit or Res-Edit, the stalwarts of the Mac Hackers of the world, use a graphical user interface. But the terminal is just that, a window of nothing but text, prompting you to type in commands that Mac users would otherwise most likely avoid. Mac OS X Power Hound will help the average Terminal-fearing Mac user become a Power Terminal User in no time, or at least make one somewhat more comfortable working in the innards of Mac OS X. While not a step-by-step guide, Power Hound is written in such a way that most Mac users will feel comfortable following along with all the tips in the book. I usually don't get too deep into critiquing another writer's writing style, as I have a fear of people looking too closely at my own writing and realize "This guy really can't write, either!" That being said, I do want to compliment Rob Griffiths on a superb job here. He takes very complicated subject matter and writes in a style and enthusiasm I haven't seen in quite a long time. Mac OS X is a fun system to use and tinker with, and Rob brings that fun to his writing. It's obvious that he not only knows the subject matter at hand, but also enjoys writing about it. His writing style is infectious, engaging, and fun to read. I think any writer who wants to write a book on complex subject matter should be forced to read this book, and understand that it's the human voice of the book, in this case Rob's, that make the subject matter more easily understood and a pleasure to read. The book is 536 pages with a well laid-out potpourri feel. As Rob says in the beginning of the book, there is no need to read this book from start to finish. The reader is invited to open the book to any page to get the information they're looking for. Some of the covered topics in the book range from the simple to the complex, and include (flipping randomly through the book here): Finder and Desktop tricks and hacks Screen Saver Animations as the Finder Backgrounds System Preferences Make things happen at login Connecting to the iDisk from Windows How to Rip Multiple CDs. iTunes and iPhoto tricks Check the Weather in a Contact's Town (in Address Book) Use Safari with Address Bar Hidden Get quick access to Bookmarks via the Dock Make Mac OS X feel like Mac OS 9 Window Shades Unix Basics Inserting Boilerplate Text with bash Instant Double-Clickable Terminal Commands Checking for Resource Forks The Built-in Unix Manual Setting Permissions on Multiple Files A Command-Line Directory Using curl And a ton more. This is a fantastic book. Most books I read end up gathering dust on one of my bookshelves, in the basement, or up for bid on eBay. I usually don't request books for review, as I don't have a lot of time to read through a book and write a review. There are quite a few book publishers who send me every other new book they publish in the hopes I will review it. Most I ignore after a cursory look. Most I don't review, unless I specifically requested the book. Mac OS X Power Hound was one of those books I had not heard about, and was sent to me unsolicited. I took a cursory glace through it, however, and I was impressed. There are no color photos here, there is a lot of text, and a subject matter that I'm usually not interested in as it presents no new or compelling information that I am particularly interested in reading about for the tenth time. But the broad subject matter combined with Ron's infectious writing style had me hooked. I haven't enjoyed a Mac book this much since Mac & PowerMac Secrets 2nd. Edition way back in 1996, and THAT is saying something. HIGHLY RECOMENDED MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5 | ||
 | Mac OS X Help Line, Panther Edition | |
| "MyMac.com Book Review" | 2004-10-30 |
| MacFixit web site founder and author Ted Landau's newest book, Mac OS X Help Line, Panther Edition, has joined the ranks of David Weeks' favorite OS X books. Until now, I've recommended David Pogue's OS X The Missing Manual for beginners and intermediate Mac users. The nod for best advanced/expert level book has gone to Mac OS X Unleashed, penned by John and William Ray.
I've got to add Mac OS X Help Line (Help Line for short) to the canon of best OS X books. The Ray brothers' Unleashed is geared more toward the Unix-oriented sysadmin/expert user. In contrast, Landau's Help Line is written for the sophisticated OS X end user; someone who doesn't need the plumb the Uniy depths of OS X, yet needs detailed information on complex topics. Landau has found the right balance: he provides 1144 pages of OS X depth and detail that "normal" people can use. Help Line does sit firmly in the "boat anchor" category (try holding it out at arm's length for a minute or so), but if there's an OS X question that you or I could pose, it'll most probably have the answer. I could easily list the sections I found most interesting, but this review would swell to three or four pages. Suffice to say that you can find detailed information on fonts (one of OS X's least intuitive areas), printing, permissions, and the OS X startup sequence. Each section has plenty of "Technically Speaking" or "Take Note" sidebars to add even more detail to particular topics. Like almost all OS X books, Help Line covers the basics on the iApps that ship with OS X. Don't buy Help Line for the cursory coverage it provides on Safari, for example. Buy it for the detailed background information and troubleshooting tips for networking, instead. Help Line's production values are very good: the screen shots are clear and legible. Sidebars are set off with background colors that don't get in the way of legibility. The binding has to hold 1144 pages together; I hope it lasts more than a year or two! Now, Ted may object to my characterization of Help Line not being a newbie book, saying that he's written a book accessible to all. I beg to differ. The Mac newbie will probably be scared off by the pages of detail on complex subjects, as she pages through Help Line trying to find out how to just rename a file. Pogue's Missing Manual will better serve the beginner. Even so, I can't speak highly enough of this book. If you want the best work for advanced/expert Mac users who seek to learn more about the guts of OS X, but not from a systems administrator's standpoint, buy Landau's Mac OS X Help Line Panther Edition. MyMac rating 5 out of 5 | ||
 | Starry Night Pro Plus | |
| "MyMac.com Product Review" | 2004-05-20 |
| I love looking up at the stars, but trying to find constellations, planets, and other celestial objects has always escaped me. Except for maybe Venus and the big and little dipper, I am mostly useless at finding these objects. And I cannot tell you how many times I have looked at a bright object in the sky and said, "What is that?" So a chance to play with Starry Night Pro, self-proclaimed as "the world's most realistic astronomy software" sounded like a great opportunity. Starry Night Pro Plus comes packed with a number of different items in the box. First was the Starry Night Pro CD that installs on both Windows and Mac computers. In addition, 2 "PlusPaks" CDs were included. PlusPak 1 adds additional Mars, Moon, and Earth high-resolution planet-surface and horizon images as well as a 16-minute mini-movie. PlusPak 2 adds 11,000 additional galaxy, nebula and star cluster images as well as 10 additional Milky Way images. Also included in the plus box was a DVD called "Atlas of the Sky" which contains more than 2 1/2 hours of original movies showing some amazing images and visualizations of astronomical objects and phenomena. An additional CD was included in box, which is also called "Atlas of the Sky" and is a multimedia CD similar to the DVD that installs as an option into the program. Additionally, 2 books are included. The first, Starry Night Companion is a 240-page guide to better understanding the night sky while using the Starry Night program, but is not a User's manual. Instead, it includes Astronomy Basics, Observational Advice, info on Earth's Celestials Cycles, and info on our solar system and deep space constellations. The other book is the 168-page User's Guide to using the program. I can see before I start that this is not going to be a trivial program to learn. Time to install the software. Starry Night is big and has high system requirements. You will need OS 10.1 or greater to us this program, and at least 1 GB of free disk space to install. This is not a typo! If you install all the additional packs and CDs, reserve at least 2 GB! The application alone is 557 MB, and if you choose to install the multimedia movies, add an additional 600 MB of space. The PlusPaks will also require about 500 MB of additional disk space each to install as well. Installing was easy, just insert the Starry Night CD and click on the Install icon. The installer does the rest. You will need QuickTime 6.0 or later to run Starry Night, so install that if not already on your computer. After accepting the license and choosing where you want the software to install, sit back and relax for a while, as there are nearly 6000 files to be installed for the main program. This will take some time, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on your computer. If adding the PlusPacks, add another 10 to 15 minutes or longer to install each of those as well (PlusPak #2 installs nearly13,000 files!) After installing the software, you can then install the Starry Night Multimedia content as well. And although these installers ask for an install location, where they actually put the files was a mystery to me until I rebooted and noted that the StarryNight application "container" for the main application was now close to 2 GB in size. Obviously all files are installed inside the main application container, keeping the install very clean actually. One final note, if installing version 4.5, there is a 4.5.2 update available from the StarryNight website that should be run before using this software. While memory requirements are not spelled out, and it ran fine on my 1 GB PowerBook with 5 other programs running, but some animation was not so smooth in this mode. So, the more memory the better, and for best results, run it alone with no other apps running. Also note that while using this on a PowerBook (or laptop) seems the most logical choice for outside star gazing, the power saving modes of the PowerBooks while running on batteries caused sporadic and jumpy animations and updates. To make things smoother while on batteries, go to the System Preferences and open the Energy Saver panel. Under "Settings for:" select "Battery Power" and then under "Processor Performance:" select "Automatic" for some improvement t. For even better performance, select "Highest" under performance but note that this will use your battery charge up considerably faster than normal, resulting in less than half your normal battery time. Do not forget to set this back to "reduced" or "automatic" when done with the program. (I would love to see Apple add a setting in Energy Saver that allows you list programs that run at a specified processor performance while running on batteries automatically.) Rest of review at http://www.mymac.com/showarticle.php?id=1732 | ||
 | eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method Win/Mac | |
| "John Nemerovski Software Review" | 2003-05-01 |
| I have been playing and teaching beginner and intermediate level guitar for over 40 years. Learning this instrument is easy for most people who practice regularly. Music students pay $-$$ per guitar lesson, and a lot of that money covers instruction and repetition that self-starters and motivated self-learners don't need to spend. At under $$ US for comprehensive instructional and reference material, eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method provides exceptional value for these students. I remember being lukewarm to positive in my appraisal of Volume One, the beginner CD in this series. It has been revised since then. If it's as good as this Intermediate CD (Volume Two), beginners now have a much better chance of learning from scratch. From my first encounter with eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method (abbreviated as "IGM"), the experience has consistently been positive. Installation of the cross-platform CD's software takes only a minute or two. Initial 23 pages of sensible, thorough Introduction and Tips cover all necessary instructions, commands, and options, including well-written and illustrated: Animated Fretboard diagram explanation of the Chord Dictionary and Metronome description of Guitars and Their Parts, including holding, stringing, and tuning details on Reading Chord Charts, plus Tablature and Music Notation. Once students are "Ready to Take It to the Next Level" the lessons begin with straightforward left-hand melody techniques. Subsequent topics include barre chords, right hand strumming styles, "Using Scales and Building Chords," plus solo and fingerstyle methodology. One set of icons on the page of each song or exercise takes you directly to spoken short descriptions of a song's history, or pithy comments such as "Use a pick so your fingers don't fall off." A different icon launches the Animated Fretboard's display, playing the song or exercise while fret numbers display simultaneously with a running presentation of the notation or tablature for the piece. Very impressive, all of it, and not nearly as complicated as it appears from reading the above paragraph. Navigational arrows lower right easily take you forward or back one page, and the Tools and Goto menus at top offers complete navigation throughout the entire application, including: Scale Directory and audio enhanced Chord Dictionary (REALLY GOOD!) Tuner and Metronome Self-recording feature. Additional observations: 1. Set your screen resolution to one higher than 800x600 for best viewing. 2. The IGM's CD responds quickly and quietly when playing its instructional QuickTime sound and picture files. 3. A special icon launches short QuickTime movies in which a very competent guitarist demonstrates the techniques0 with close-up camera on the active hand. 4. Colored live embedded links take you directly to related chapters, if desired. (Is there a way to jump right back? I can't figure that out.) 5. Special mentions of differences between electric guitars and acoustic instruments are given, when appropriate. Instruction is segmented logically, with high-quality attention to detail. I plan to begin using the IGM software, movies, and sound files immediately with my students. Its cost is a bargain for the reference features alone. If you know your way around the guitar and want to "Take It to the Next Level," IGM is easy to recommend. When all your prior instruction has come from a human teacher, the comprehension curve for this multimedia application will seem steep at first. Remember that repetition is your friend, music students. Take your time, practice a lot, and you'll be glad you purchased eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method. Nemo's MyMac.com "Q/D/S/V Standard" for all product reviews: Q = QUALITY, including ease of installation, performance, stability, and general happy relationship with everything on my system; D = DOCUMENTATION, both printed and electronic, plus appropriate website material; S = SUPPORT, in the form of email, phone, and web updates; V = VALUE, which includes both original cost and subsequent expenses. Depending upon previous instruction and self-teaching skills of guitar student, our rating is: 4 out of 5 | ||
| eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method Win/Mac | |
| "John Nemerovski Software Review" | 2003-05-01 |
| I have been playing and teaching beginner and intermediate level guitar for over 40 years. Learning this instrument is easy for most people who practice regularly. Music students pay $-$$ per guitar lesson, and a lot of that money covers instruction and repetition that self-starters and motivated self-learners don't need to spend. At under $$ US for comprehensive instructional and reference material, eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method provides exceptional value for these students. I remember being lukewarm to positive in my appraisal of Volume One, the beginner CD in this series. It has been revised since then. If it's as good as this Intermediate CD (Volume Two), beginners now have a much better chance of learning from scratch. From my first encounter with eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method (abbreviated as "IGM"), the experience has consistently been positive. Installation of the cross-platform CD's software takes only a minute or two. Initial 23 pages of sensible, thorough Introduction and Tips cover all necessary instructions, commands, and options, including well-written and illustrated: Animated Fretboard diagram explanation of the Chord Dictionary and Metronome description of Guitars and Their Parts, including holding, stringing, and tuning details on Reading Chord Charts, plus Tablature and Music Notation. Once students are "Ready to Take It to the Next Level" the lessons begin with straightforward left-hand melody techniques. Subsequent topics include barre chords, right hand strumming styles, "Using Scales and Building Chords," plus solo and fingerstyle methodology. One set of icons on the page of each song or exercise takes you directly to spoken short descriptions of a song's history, or pithy comments such as "Use a pick so your fingers don't fall off." A different icon launches the Animated Fretboard's display, playing the song or exercise while fret numbers display simultaneously with a running presentation of the notation or tablature for the piece. Very impressive, all of it, and not nearly as complicated as it appears from reading the above paragraph. Navigational arrows lower right easily take you forward or back one page, and the Tools and Goto menus at top offers complete navigation throughout the entire application, including: Scale Directory and audio enhanced Chord Dictionary (REALLY GOOD!) Tuner and Metronome Self-recording feature. Additional observations: 1. Set your screen resolution to one higher than 800x600 for best viewing. 2. The IGM's CD responds quickly and quietly when playing its instructional QuickTime sound and picture files. 3. A special icon launches short QuickTime movies in which a very competent guitarist demonstrates the techniques0 with close-up camera on the active hand. 4. Colored live embedded links take you directly to related chapters, if desired. (Is there a way to jump right back? I can't figure that out.) 5. Special mentions of differences between electric guitars and acoustic instruments are given, when appropriate. Instruction is segmented logically, with high-quality attention to detail. I plan to begin using the IGM software, movies, and sound files immediately with my students. Its cost is a bargain for the reference features alone. If you know your way around the guitar and want to "Take It to the Next Level," IGM is easy to recommend. When all your prior instruction has come from a human teacher, the comprehension curve for this multimedia application will seem steep at first. Remember that repetition is your friend, music students. Take your time, practice a lot, and you'll be glad you purchased eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method. Nemo's MyMac.com "Q/D/S/V Standard" for all product reviews: Q = QUALITY, including ease of installation, performance, stability, and general happy relationship with everything on my system; D = DOCUMENTATION, both printed and electronic, plus appropriate website material; S = SUPPORT, in the form of email, phone, and web updates; V = VALUE, which includes both original cost and subsequent expenses. Depending upon previous instruction and self-teaching skills of guitar student, our rating is: 4 out of 5 | ||
 | Altec Lansing 4100 5-Piece Computer Speakers | |
| "Tim Robertson MyMac.com Review" | 2003-04-03 |
| My first impression upon seeing the 2100 series speaker from Altec Lansing was "sweet!" Yes, I like the look of these speakers, but looks are but one of the many important factors into making your decision on what speakers to buy. Sounds quality, I hope, is the number one factor. In that regard, the 2100's sound great. While not as loud as the ... Monsoon PlanarMedia 9 speakers, they do have about the same clarity of sound. That is to say, very good in both audio reproduction and imaging. The 2100 series are a three-piece speaker system, consisting of two satellite speakers, and one powered sub-woofer. Like most other computer speaker systems, this one also has a remote control (wired) that has a Mute button, as well as two volume controls. Nice, but what I especially enjoyed was the metal stand the remote control rests on. This may seem a small thing, but not after you have had to deal with the remotes on most other computer speakers, which usually lay on the desk. The remote stand shows forethought on Altec Lansing's part. The satellite speakers are very small, half the size of the Monsoon speakers reviewed a few weeks ago. If you have a cluttered desk, and a pair of large flat-panel speakers would have a hard time finding a home on your desk, take a look at these. Each speaker is set into a metal stand, making them harder to accidentally move. Even with the metal stand, the speakers are still tiny. They say good things come in small packages. This is proven true here, as I was really impressed with the sound quality of the two desktop speakers. The sub-woofer is equally great sounding, but is anything but small. The sub-woofer sports not one, but two 4" speakers, which do a respectable job of reproducing low base sounds. The sub is made from sturdy, well-crafted wood. They are also ported, meaning better bass response. Obviously, ... speakers are not going to rival a home entertainment system in pure volume, clarity or base, but the sound level the average computer user will listen to the 2100's at will not be disappointed. Specs: Overall impression: I like these speakers! If I were doing a head-to-head comparison with the aforementioned Monsoon's, I would have to give the Monsoon speakers a slight edge in sound quality. In workmanship, the winner would be the Altec Lansing 2100. A good value speaker that sounds more expensive than they are. A true audiophile will want to look elsewhere, and spend more money. For the average computer user who wants better sound than the built-in speakers on your computer, these will make you smile. MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tim Robertson | ||
 | Altec Lansing 2100 2.1 Computer Speakers | |
| "Tim Robertson MyMac.com Review" | 2003-04-03 |
| My first impression upon seeing the 2100 series speaker from Altec Lansing was "sweet!" Yes, I like the look of these speakers, but looks are but one of the many important factors into making your decision on what speakers to buy. Sounds quality, I hope, is the number one factor. In that regard, the 2100's sound great. While not as loud as the ... Monsoon PlanarMedia 9 speakers, they do have about the same clarity of sound. That is to say, very good in both audio reproduction and imaging. The 2100 series are a three-piece speaker system, consisting of two satellite speakers, and one powered sub-woofer. Like most other computer speaker systems, this one also has a remote control (wired) that has a Mute button, as well as two volume controls. Nice, but what I especially enjoyed was the metal stand the remote control rests on. This may seem a small thing, but not after you have had to deal with the remotes on most other computer speakers, which usually lay on the desk. The remote stand shows forethought on Altec Lansing's part. The satellite speakers are very small, half the size of the Monsoon speakers reviewed a few weeks ago. If you have a cluttered desk, and a pair of large flat-panel speakers would have a hard time finding a home on your desk, take a look at these. Each speaker is set into a metal stand, making them harder to accidentally move. Even with the metal stand, the speakers are still tiny. They say good things come in small packages. This is proven true here, as I was really impressed with the sound quality of the two desktop speakers. The sub-woofer is equally great sounding, but is anything but small. The sub-woofer sports not one, but two 4" speakers, which do a respectable job of reproducing low base sounds. The sub is made from sturdy, well-crafted wood. They are also ported, meaning better bass response. Obviously, ... speakers are not going to rival a home entertainment system in pure volume, clarity or base, but the sound level the average computer user will listen to the 2100's at will not be disappointed. Specs: Overall impression: I like these speakers! If I were doing a head-to-head comparison with the aforementioned Monsoon's, I would have to give the Monsoon speakers a slight edge in sound quality. In workmanship, the winner would be the Altec Lansing 2100. A good value speaker that sounds more expensive than they are. A true audiophile will want to look elsewhere, and spend more money. For the average computer user who wants better sound than the built-in speakers on your computer, these will make you smile. MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tim Robertson | ||
 | Speck Products FS-1001 FlipStand Hard Case for Apple iPod | |
| "Tim Robertson MyMac.com Review" | 2003-04-03 |
| .....I love my iPod, but I am going crazy worrying about damaging the thing. Really, when you spend almost five hundred bucks for a little thing to play music on, you tend to be a bit over-protective. So one of the things I wanted to do was upgrade the 20GB iPod's case, something better than the cheap sleeve Apple ships with the unit. Enter the FlipStand from Speck Products. This is a nice solution as both an iPod case, as well as a desktop stand. The case is all plastic, with a piece of clear plastic over the iPods display. The FlipStand completely protects the iPod in a somewhat durable plastic enclosure. There is a hole at the top of the unit so that you can slip the headphone jack in, and it is wide enough to support the volume control extension the 20GB-iPod ships with. The top of the FlipStand folds open, so that you can slip the iPod down into the unit. It also flips back to reveal the FireWire port and the Hold button. The first thing you notice is how the iPods control wheel is hidden behind the plastic, dark Grey door. This door actually flips around behind the iPod, turning the FlipStand into a stand for the iPod. A case and stand, all in one attractive solution! Once you move the Grey door, you have easy access to the spin-wheel of the iPod, as well as Menu, Forward, Back, and Play/Pause. Larger fingers, however, will find pushing the buttons a little more difficult while using the FlipStand, and the buttons run right up against them. Also included with the FlipStand is a detachable plastic belt-clip, so that you can take your iPod with you more easily. All in all, I like the concept and design of the FlipStand. It seems well built, and in the two weeks I have used it, I have had no problem at all. Getting the iPod out of the FlipStand is no quick task, though. At least my 20GB unit fits very snug in its new housing. This is a good thing, as you don't want the iPod to be able to slip out easily. For thirty-five dollars, you will enjoy the FlipStand. And while I have a few more iPod cases coming for review, they will be hard pressed to make me give up using the FlipStand on a regular basis. Pros: good protection, great concept. Blends with the style of the iPod well. Multi-functional as both a stand and a holder. Cons: somewhat cheap construction. A full years use will probably result in something breaking on the FlipStand, either the top flip-top, or the Grey door. Plastic joints around the movable parts do not look too sturdy for long-term use. MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5 | ||
 | The Little Digital Camera Book | |
| "Chris Seibold MyMac.com Book Review" | 2003-01-13 |
| If you were lucky enough to receive a digital camera for Christmas you may be wondering just how to use said new gizmo. Perhaps your questions are even more fundamental: Is this the camera for me? If it's not can I exchange this camera for a cheaper one and keep the difference? Just where does the film go anyway? Cynthia Baron wants to answer your questions and she wants to make a little dough in the process. To achieve this laudable goal she and Daniel Beck have written The Little Digital Camera Book. The Little Digital Camera Book is a good read for anyone who just bought a digital camera and a great book for anyone who is getting ready to buy a digital camera. The Little Digital Camera Book is not as well suited for the intermediate user or for the budding Ansel Adams who understands the technical aspects and aspires to take better pictures. The Little Digital Camera Book opens with a very brief history of photography followed by a few steps to prepare your computer for the imminent image exchanges. If you have more than a passing familiarity with RAM and why you need it skip to Chapter 2 that's when the book first becomes useful. Chapter 2 of The Little Digital Camera Book is a potentially big money saver if you're one of those bigger numbers must be better type of person. If you read carefully you'll realize you don't need that 5-megapixel-money pit, a 2 megapixel will likely suit your needs. The rest of the chapter is fairly useful as well, though you are not going to end up saving a couple of hundred bucks by continuing to follow Cynthia L. Baron's advice. If you just can't bring yourself to part with the ... cover price of The Little Digital Camera Book at least stand and read chapter 2 in your local bookstore; the advice therein is well worth following. The rest of the book is not as immediately useful to the novice user but the majority of The Little Digital Camera Book will be useful to the average digital camera owner at some point. You get your basic photo composition tips (rule of thirds et al), your basic image editing tips (though these a bit too general to truly be useful), some info on storage options and just enough info on online versus local printing options. All of the information is pertinent and all of it is well presented. The information you find most useful will undoubtedly not be the info I find most germane but there's something in The Little Digital Camera Book for everyone. I do have a few gripes about The Little Digital Camera Book. The same camera is used as the model throughout the book. This is fine if you own an Olympus but if you use any other brand of camera you might feel a bit cold-shouldered. Since The Little Digital Camera Book is (presumably) a book aimed at just about any novice user it might have been more interesting if a variety of cameras were used for demonstration purposes. My last gripe regards color photographs. Photography books have to address color and color correction owing to the nature of the subject but a precious few actually go to the extra expense of providing color plates to illustrate the point being made. I regard this exclusion as a necessary omission but a few color plates could have put The Little Digital Camera Book at the top of my must have list. Bottom Line: The Little Digital Camera Book manages to cut a wide swath without being over simplistic or overly detailed. The Little Digital Camera is a nice book for beginners, pros should look elsewhere. MacMice Rating: 3.5 out of 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chris Seibold | ||
 | Microsoft Office v. X for Mac Inside Out | |
| "David Weeks... Book Review" | 2002-11-21 |
| So, you have flexed your credit card, and purchased (or upgraded to) Microsoft Office v. X for Macintosh. After all, it is the Mac equivalent of the biggest, baddest, most popular office productivity suite in the PC world. You come home from your dealer, or get the package from the delivery truck driver, and rip the box open, only to find a CD-ROM disk and packing slip. That's all. "There's gotta be more," you say, as you rummage around in the suspiciously slim box. Unfortunately, the User Guides that you look for are nowhere to be found. You install the software, and try out the various parts: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage. The on-line Help file answers a few of your questions, but it does nothing to answer the bigger question: "How do I USE this thing?" Welcome to the Death of Documentation. This phrase, coined by TidBITS publisher Adam Engst, reflects the fact that comprehensive user guides, even for many complex software suites, have become a thing of the past. Paper has been replaced with on-line help. Read the article to get a better feel for the pros and cons of the trend to on-line help. The yawning gap left by software publishers' failure to provide paper documentation has been well-filled by many book publishers. Buyers spend big bucks to buy software, and then they can't learn how to use it, so they run to buy a book. Tom Negrino, Kirk McElhearn and Kate Binder have the book for you. Microsoft Office: mac v. X Inside Out is my current recommendation in the Macintosh Office v. X help book category. Covering Word, Entourage, Excel, and PowerPoint, its 975 pages keep it from the "boat-anchor" category (just barely), so you can actually read this from an easy chair. The book is targeted at the Intermediate/Advanced level user, not at the raw Macintosh beginner; it won't tell the newbie how to run a Macintosh. But, if you put this book to good use, you'll have a solid grounding in Office v. X. A word to the wise: don't feel that you have to read Microsoft Office: mac v. X Inside Out (hereafter referred to as MOIO) from cover to cover, as I did. Users who are upgrading from earlier Office versions will best employ MOIO as a reference book. The excellent index and table of contents make finding particular topics easy, and the material is presented in such a way that small subject areas stand on their own. My one kvetch with the Word material came from the my reading it from cover to cover, as opposed to using it as a reference to find specific information. I felt the section on Word never really presented the user with the best overall strategy to create a document. Chapter 2 Creating and Managing Documents covers the essentials, but I felt that someone new to Office v. X could use a broader discussion of the ins-and-outs of documents, sections, chapters, master documents, etc, earlier in the book, rather than later. My experience with the other Office components is minimal, compared to my expertise in Word. Reading the Excel section gave me a great overview of all the powerful features that I never knew how to use. The advanced user will find plenty of detail in MOIO on AppleScripting spreadsheets, and a solid foundation of PivotTable information. The Solver is discussed, but not in great detail. As I knew virtually nothing about Entourage and Powerpoint before reviewing MOIO, I was glad that I came away with the feeling that I could use the applications after one reading of the book. I might even have to abandon my current calendaring application in favor of Entourage. If I ever get a corporate job, MOIO will help me attain true PowerPoint-jockey status. While the Office v. X book field is not yet jammed with entries, Negrino, McElhearn, and Binder's Microsoft Office: mac v. X Inside Out will be stiff competition for any new competition. I strongly recommend it for both new Office users, and for upgraders. MacMice Rating: 4.5 out of 5... | ||
 | Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle (Mac/Graphics) | |
| "David Weeks MyMac.com Book Review" | 2002-10-24 |
| Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle Brad Miser Premier Press ISBN 1-931841-74-8 ... Several years' back, Steve Jobs announced the "digital lifestyle." I'm not sure if using a Mac and a digital camera or camcorder qualifies you to live the "digital lifestyle," but if it does, then Brad Miser is going to tell you how to live it. In fact, his book tells you how to live the digital lifestyle "a la vida loca." There are plenty of good books focusing on iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, and iDVD (the so-called "iApps.") Nevertheless, this is the first book to focus on the integration between the iApps. Miser does not tell you just how to use iMovie, iTunes, and iPhoto; he tells you how to use them all together to create a seamless digital production. This focus on integration, and using the strong points of each application is what sets Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle apart from books that simply tell you how to use one iApp. Before reading Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle, I felt reasonably conversant with the fundamental of iMovie, iTunes, and iPhoto. (I have never paid attention to iDVD as neither of my Macs have a SuperDrive.) I could fool around with the various programs, and get some moderately interesting results. But I always felt I was never taking best advantage of the programs as a suite of applications. Three pages into Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle, I knew this book was something special. Using QuickTime Pro as a focal point, Miser lays out the graphics underpinnings of the iApps. The ability to import and export scads of file formats makes QuickTime Pro and especially iMovie extra-flexible. You learn that you can get almost any external file into your production, and how to best import it. iTunes gets attention next, then iPhoto and iMovie. Each chapter, while not as comprehensive as specialized books on each iApp, gives plenty of detail. I especially appreciated tips relating each program to its siblings; how best to format an export from iTunes to get it into iMovie, for example. After each member of the iApp suite has had its' turn, Miser gets to what is the best part of the book. He presents logical strategies for creating digital productions. These are not cookie-cutter "step 1, step 2" checklists that some beginner-level books use. Miser talks fundamentals, and uses general principles to help you learn how to use the iApps together to best effect. While each one has strengths and weaknesses, Miser shows you how to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. If you think I like this book, then think again. I LOVED this book. It is well written, with easy-on-the-eyes formatting (less common than you may think), and it weighs less than 5 pounds. But the best part of reading Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle was the constant feeling I had of "so THAT is the best way to do that effect," or "jeez, I was wasting a lot of time doing it my way." Rather than list all the chapter titles, I'll simply say you will learn all you need to know to use your digital camera, camcorder, CD/DVD burner with your Mac if buy and read Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle. This is a must-buy for anyone who wants to get more out of their digital hardware and the iApps that ship with their Macintosh. MacMice Rating: 5 out of 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ David Weeks ... | ||
 | How to Do Everything with Your Palm Handheld | |
| "Chris Seibold MyMac.com Book Review" | 2002-10-24 |
| ...How to Do Everything with Your Palm Handheld is pretty much what it says: a book all about the Palm OS (not just Palm Pilots but any PDA that runs the palm operating system). The authors, Dave Johnson and Rick Broida, clearly love the Palm OS...in the same way a lot of Mac users love the Mac. In this book you'll find a nice defense of the Palm OS and all the instructions for using said miracle of miniaturization. The first two thirds of How to Do Everything with Your Palm Handheld are pretty standard fair. Mostly how to do this and that with your Palm PDA...How to Do Everything with Your Palm Handheld really comes into it's own around chapter fourteen. The chapter is entitled "How to use you Palm as a laptop Replacement"...you'd be surprised with just how close you can come...other niftiness abounds system hacks for avoiding the capital letter stroke, hacks to use that leftover flash memory and methods to print to just about any printer with an IrDA port. Those are just a few of the enclosed tips that make the book worth having for the...power Palm users. The style of the book is perhaps it's most appealing feature. Sure it's full of pictures and useful instructions...This keeps the book light and enjoyable instead of devolving into a monotone how to manual. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and the reasons to try something or the reasons to not try something are presented with equal weight with the consequences noted. All factors noted How to Everything with Your Palm Handheld is an engaging (for an instruction manual) and useful read. Bottom Line: This is not a ground breaking book (perhaps it was three editions ago) and most if not all of the information is available elsewhere. Yet owing to the writing style and advanced user tips How to Do Everything with Your Palm Handheld would be a useful addition to any Palm user's library from novice to just short of Palm OS programmer. MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5 | ||
 | Photoshop Elements 2 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide | |
| "John Nemerovski MyMac.com Book Review" | 2002-10-24 |
| I "relaxed' by reading this book cover to cover,skipping only a few sections after working 11 hours with this software program. Elements is mega-ware, one of the greatest applications of all time. If you are currently (ugh!) still using another program stop immediately and get this one. This very affordable book will help you become an accomplished digital artist. Theauthors explain in clear, concise prose how to install Elements and begin using it. Digital editing and creating is non-intuitive for many newbies (including me), and Hoeschen and Dahl's gentle user-friendly approach is refreshingly straightforward. The two-column Visual QuickStart format works perfectly to illustrate written directions and tips with pertinent screenshots, divided between the three operating systems; well over half the screenshots show the Mac interface (split between 9.2 and OS X). At the heart of Elements and this guide is understanding and using the powerful LAYERS feature. Study this chapter in depth, and come back to it often as you progress. A small center section of color imagery enhances the instructive text, but don't buy the book because of it. You will get much greater benefit from immersing yourself in Elements' versatile feature set, described and displayed page after page in glorious greyscale. At current pricing, MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Nemerovski | ||
 | Making Movies, Photos, Music & DVDs on Your Mac: Using Apple's Digital Hub | |
 | "mymac.com book review:" | 2002-10-24 |
| Book Review: Making Movies, Photos, Music and DVDs on Your Mac Chris Seibold Columnist/Cartoonist Making Movies, Photos, Music and DVDs on Your Mac Imagine for a moment that you have a spiffy new iMac and further suppose that you want to use it to make all kinds of multimedia. Heck if you have a newish Mac you know it comes pre loaded with iTunes for music, iPhoto for pictures, iMovie for making your own movies and iDVD for cramming that newly made movie on a DVD disc. That's a lot of programs to take in all at once and if you have a new Mac you know that the manuals are nonexistent. So are you left running out to buy a book for each program? Maybe not, perhaps Jesse Feiler's book "Making Movies, Photos, Music and DVDs on Your Mac" can answer your specific needs for a fraction of the price of four individual tomes and with a good deal more depth than an all-encompassing Mac reference. The first problem with the "Making Movies, Photos, Music and DVDs on Your Mac" is the title. It might trick you. Jesse Feiler's book is not about making music or photos on your Mac, it's about organizing and manipulating said multimedia. I suppose that objection is a minor quibble, after all it is the stuff between the covers that counts. "Making Movies, Photos, Music and DVDs on Your Mac", from now on referred to as MMPMD, starts out fairly basic. On page five Jesse Feiler covers the importance of "thinking digital" noting that today's computers are digital. Computers (the kind Jesse is thinking of) have been digital since 1937 but other media has been heading steadily towards the land of 1 and 0's for the last few years. The progression of media to the digital realm is what makes the Mac a digital hub and what makes MMPMD worth reading as long as you ignore anything that doesn't pertain directly to computers or digital equipment. "Light, like all other electromagnetic radiation, consists of waves. All electromagnetic waves behave in the same way. This is why sound, light, infrared, X-rays, and gamma rays all exhibit similar behavior" This is not some quibble about wave/photon duality or some other obscure quantum mechanical complaint my beef is a bit more basic: Just when did sound become an electromagnetic wave? It's been a couple of years since my class in classical mechanics but way back in '97 science was pretty sure that sound waves were mechanical. Bottom Line: When MMPMD is going well it's full of tricks and solid tips. When MMPMD is going bad it can be quite a time waster. My advice to those who buy this book: Make frequent use of the index to avoid the tangential information scattered throughout MMPMD. MacMice Rating: 2 out of 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chris Seibold | ||
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