AAUG Reviews

By Tim Thomas, AAUG Member
Reviewed 5/06

48″ Firewire 800 (IEEE 1394)

I use several Macs on a daily basis, and I like to be able to connect my iPod to each of them. But my iPod only came with two cables, a firewire 400 cable and a USB2 cable, and it never fails that either one of those cables is NOT connected to the computer I am using at the time. Well, it never fails about half the time anyway.

Also, I’m seriously short of both FireWire 400 ports and USB2 ports on all my machines, but especially so on my G5 PowerMac, which always has an assortment of external drives, card readers, video converters, tablets, mice, speakers, printers and scanners hogging all available ports. But I do have one port that goes completely unused; the FireWire 800 port. That’s where the Griffin Clear Choice Dock800 Dock-to-firewire Cable comes in. Now my chances of having an available cable and port for iPod docking are much improved.

Review-wise, what are you gonna say about a cable? Either it works or it doesn’t. And of course it does work, quite nicely. It’s long enough, at 48-inches. It’s pretty white, just like Apple’s cables. What more can you ask of a product?

But of course you expect that, being as it’s a Griffin Technology product. They consistently produce some of the most useful and wonderful accessories for the Mac and the iPod. I use Griffin stuff everyday, from my iMic and three PowerMates, to my EarJams, not to mention this cool Dock800. And I’m sure I’ll be adding some other new Griffin toy to the collection soon enough. (more…)

By Gerrit Dalman, AAUG Member
Reviewed 5/06

Apple is doing a lot to redefine how we acquire, manage, and consume our media. But - always looking to the future - one connection they haven’t made for us is the link back to TV as we know it.

Fortunately, third parties have long been providing that link. The EyeTV500 is typical of Elgato’s robust line of products designed to help you watch TV on your Mac. It is a simple device that connects your Mac to a cable source and, when paired with the included EyeTV 2 software, provides the full gammit of personal video recorder (PVR) functions right on your desktop.

What sets it apart from it’s similarly attractive kin is that it trades compatibility with standard definition (SD) sources like your basic cable box for support of unencrypted HDTV content. That means you can watch and record unencrypted HD cable or broadcast signals (ATSC and QAM) at resolutions as high as 1920×1080!

That means potentially higher picture quality than the rest of their line, but it also means no analog inputs. So if you want to connect a game console or cable box you’ll have to try a sister product.

EyeTV succeeds in providing most of the functionality and ease-of-use you would expect from a dedicated PVR while minimizing the complications that can arise from using a computer in that capacity.
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By Gary Miller, AAUG Member
Reviewed 5/06

Version Tracker Pro for Mac version 4.1 is a great friend to have. Automatically, it keeps track of all your applications, widgets by inventorying them, then notifying when a newer version is availble for your Mac. And it will do that for up 3 Macs at the same time! I’m a long time user of this amazing service, and couldn’t imagine not having it on our household Macs.

Here’s how it works. You download it, easily instal it in your applications folder, and onto your Dock. Then you click to launch it, it then scans, taking inventory of your hard drive, partitions, or removable hard drives all at once, then it shows you a Watch List of what you have in applications and widgets. It shows the ones that need updating in red, and next to it, is the current version #. At this point, you can choose to download automatically the new version, some applications have the ability to download/install at once, or skip the version. It shows what ‘kind’ of application it is, what OS, and license type. You can organize by any one of these tabs. When you click on an application, it shows you in a window below, it’s title and version, the path to where you have it installed, a product description, and what’s new in the newer version.
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By Gary Miller, AAUG Member
Reviewed 5/06

The Simple stand by Power Support USA achieves it’s goal, simple, but elegant design that keeps your iPod facing you… And it’s adjustable.

Made in Japan where details count, this finely honed piece of aluminum & steel is sandblasted silver finish that sits on your desk. Behind it, are 3 black plastic screws that allow it to slant toward horizontal or upright, it’s up to you.

In the instructions, there is a strong suggestion to avoid scratching of your iPod to use their Silicone Jacket, that you purchase separately for $ 29.00. I am using Power Support’s other case, the clear hard plastic ” Crystal Jacket, ” it worked fine.

The Simple Stand is made to order, meaning that since I have the 5 G iPod for Video, 60 Gig model, it fits perfectly, you can order other sizes too, or you can order the mobile stand, same as the Simple stand, but designed to fit in your car’s cut holder, so you don’t loose or ruin your iPod in your car!

The only suggestion I’d have, is to make the silver flecked metal stand either black for black iPods, or white for white, the silver is a muted color, and doesn’t add to the beauty of the iPod, more of an industrial look. I love the way it fits, screws are big enough to turn with your fingers, and power plug has room to fit in, but not be hampered, good planning! (more…)

By Gary Miller, AAUG Member
Reviewed 5/06

Running Boot Camp by Chuck Toporek is a new title and way of publishing for O’Reilly Publishing, the well known publisher of tech titles. This is the first I’ve seen of their new PDF type books, and it really is well done.

First off, you download it from their site after paying the low price of $ 7.99, it’s full of great illustrations, color, and it uses fonts that are easy on your eyes. The index is good, but could use a bit more details, since this is a book, a how to, and I found since i had no experience with Apple’s new beta software, Boot Camp, that I wanted to be sure I wouldn’t mess up, and loose all my data. I went page by page, and it was reassuring, how well, it laid it out in simple English, the step by step procedure to follow.

The only issue I had in my installation of Boot Camp, was that I didn’t think ahead of time to print off the pages that I would have to refer to when I had to shut down my Mac running OS Tiger to get Windows up and going. It worked out ok.

If you are considering installing Boot Camp on your intel Mac, do get a copy of this well done PDF book, it opens on your desktop, print is easy to read, and follow, and most importantly, the illustrations are plentiful, and high quality.

Buy it through O’Reilly, download it easy.

By Gary Miller, AAUG Member
Reviewed 5/06

Scrapper’s Guide to Adobe Photoshop Elements is in a word - Fabulous. Creator & instructor Linda Sattgast is a skilled scrapbook maker who teaches us less who are less creative, or for those who are good at it, more ways to be creative using Photoshop Elements or Photoshop CS. She’s taken the time to break down an extensive application into manageable pieces with complete examples of projects you can do too.

She offers free tutorials on her site on many topics, such as:

• Blending Words with Photos
• Burnt Parchment
• Designing with Type
• Genuine Handwriting
• Intertwined Hearts - Customizing Shapes
• Kaleidoscopes
• Photomerge
• Printing on Fabric

You can sign up for the free newsletter called Digital Scrapper too. If there’s a skill to be learned in scrapbooking, she’s figured out how to teach it to us, easily, and having fun at the same time. I could easily follow her examples.

Another way she teaches is through her professionally done CDs she offers for sale. She has 2 volumes:

The Scrapper’s Guide to Photoshop Elements 4.0, volume 1 $29.95 (comes with (more…)

By Sean McPhilamy, AAUG Member
Reviewed 5/06

I love For Dummies books. A good while ago (when the earth’s crust was still cooling and dinosaur’s had just begun their reign), I started reading books in the For Dummies series to help me with Unix and Microsoft’s DOS. I haven’t really ever needed a Dummies book for any Mac related experience.

But I was offered the chance to review this guide, Airport & Mac Wireless Networks for Dummies, and I jumped at the chance, primarily since I was a bit nervous to check if I’d set up my own home wireless network optimally. I knew that I’d gotten it “right” since it worked, but after sitting through our local Apple User group’s guest lecturer speak about the horrors which awaited the foolishly unsecured network, I decided to check “just in case.”

So allow me to let you know that I have a Mac Powerbook G4, and I purchased an Airport Extreme to shift from wired service with DSL to wireless networking in my apartment. And it worked great. I love wireless networking … it just seems such a normal extension of my laptop experience.

I have read For Dummies books previously, so I initially scanned the Cheat Sheet found immediately inside the book’s front cover (which summarized well the experience I was about to have.) (more…)

By William Templin, AAUG Member
Reviewed 5/06

The MicroShield for iPod nano (XtremeMac $20) consists of two pieces of clear molded plastic that clip to the iPod nano providing a durable case that protects the nano’s front, back and sides from scrapes and scratches. Because each piece can clip independently to the iPod they can be used separately or in combination to provide the user with multiple options for use. When used alone, the front panel covers the face (with the exception of the click wheel) and enough of the sides to provide a measure of protection from rubbing. In addition, the sides at the corners bend around to the back to grip the iPod, which also serves to buffer the back from any large, flat surface on which it may be placed. In this configuration, the MicroShield adds only a small amount to the overall dimensions of the iPod. The back panel can be used in two positions, allowing the user to orient the clip in an upward or downward direction. When used, though, it adds significantly to the depth of the iPod, making it twice as tick and potentially more difficult to place in small places like a pocket or compartment. The beltclip is quite strong and has provided a positive grip to my belt, pocket, and both the cup holder and sun visor in my car.

The MicroShield tightly grips the iPod and uses an ingenious interlocking design where the front and back panels grip the sides. (more…)

By Marcia Templin, AAUG Member
Reviewed 5/06

The New Living Translation of the Bible formatted for the iPod with Mike Kellogg narrating is excellent. The back of the product box claims that “this multi-voice recording of the entire New Living Translation is like listening to the Bible in full color” and I would have to agree with that. Mike Kellogg’s voice is warm, relaxed and clear; he uses inflection and emotion well. The other voices used are also clear and appropriate to the setting.

This recording incorporates music as well as multiple voices to give a fuller sound and added interest for the listener. The music is well balanced and fits with the subject matter; other recordings I have listened to have been overly dramatic with crashing thunder and sounds of wind that did more to detract from than enhance the text, but this is not. The music is not constant, which is nice. Each chapter usually begins with some music which then fades away at some point, but not in a way that is distracting or makes it seem like something important is missing. The music serves to draw the listener’s attention to the words being spoken.

The text/audio options are confusing for a non-power user who is not familiar with all the ins and outs of iPod use. Text and audio are installed separately; the iPod (regardless of memory capacity) is capable of holding only 1000 text files which is slightly more than half of the Bible at any one time. Functionally this means that if you have an iPod with 1G memory you will have more text files than you will have audio available at any one time; likewise, those who have iPods with enough memory to hold the entire Bible in the MP3 format only have access to 1000 text (more…)

By Peter Porco, AAUG Member
Reviewed 5/06

With their speed and ability to retain and arrange copious quantities of data, computers may be the most productive aids a student could ever want. Their great promise is to put information readily at hand, whatever we need, whenever we need it. Backed by a small box of the right discs, our little machines aim to place entire libraries in our laps.

Such a goal seems truly closer with publication of the Encyclopedia Britannica 2006: Ultimate Reference Suite, a DVD issued by Avanquest USA and said to offer more than 100,000 articles suitable to three levels of education. I’ve read only a few dozen, but I take the publisher’s word that the software includes 75,000 articles on the adult level, 15,000 articles in the student encyclopedia section and 2,000 articles on the grade-school level, plus a “Year in Review” segment for the years 1993-2004, containing an additional 9,000 articles in several categories - disasters, biographies, world affairs, religion, sports and others.

The readings vary in length from a paragraph to thousands of words. They are often shot through with cross-references and accompanied by photographs or drawings. I was particularly enthralled with an animation that showed the initial steps taken by Archimedes, the ancient mathematician from Sicily, to discover the value of pi.

The collection links to more than 160,000 magazine articles online, with free updates available when necessary. The dictionary, meanwhile, contains 215,000 entries; the thesaurus, 340,000. There are timelines, a world atlas, games, study guides, and something called the Brainstormer, (more…)