AAUG Reviews

by Norman J. Brown, AAUG Member

This edition of Quicken has several features that are exclusive to Mac users. Quicken lets the user keep a comprehensive record of their finances. You can have access to all your assets and liabilities right at your fingertips. I first used Quicken 5 in 1994 and have progressed up to this current version. I have always found the software to be accurate and useful. With each new version it has become more user friendly. I have always found the UserGuide to be well written, easy to understand and simple to navigate in by using the index. I have been doing personal financial records since 1949 it certainly has become easier with tools such as Quicken 2007 for Mac.

Quicken continues to make your year end report to IRS much easier. If you are vigilant when setting up your accounts and entering your transactions as to payee and category the following reports are a breeze. Managing your bank accounts and credit cards. The QuickFill™ feature remembers each transaction and/or category you enter, so you only have to type recurring transactions once. Reconcile your Quicken accounts to make sure they agree with the bank/credit card statements. Transfer money between Quicken accounts. Quicken records the transfer in both accounts and updates your balances automatically. Schedule any transaction—from car payment that you pay every month, to an insurance premium that you pay twice a year, to a Permanent Fund direct deposit. When the bill/deposit rolls around, Quicken either reminds you about it or simply enter it for you automatically—whichever you prefer. (more…)

by Devon Peake, AAUG Member

I have been using this case for about a month now, and I really don’t have anything negative to say about it. Even though it can expand to hold A LOT of extras, in addition to at least a 15″ laptop (possibly larger…), it still has a nice look to it. The case is black, with very nice zipper pulls, and a simple pacificDesign logo. I like that the main compartment zipper opens just enough to get things out, without flopping all the way open, causing all the contents to fall out. In addition, the main compartment has a strap to secure a laptop in a padded area, and next to that a center document section, with dividers that are not too stiff, but will protect papers. There is also an open area for miscellaneous things. The additional front compartment unzips for easy access to a key clip, a slot for papers, credit card slots, two pen holders, three pockets for accessories (iPod, PDA, notepads, etc.), a see-through mesh zippered compartment for change, pens or whatever you would like to have contained. Also, a really nice feature in this compartment are two pockets which are wide enough for a cell phone and also an iPod or PDA - these two pockets are extra secure, since they have a strap which goes over the opening and secures below with velcro - a really nice feature, especially for traveling, when the bag may get turned upside-down. On the back, running along the width of the case, there is ANOTHER zippered thin compartment, which would be great for quick access to tickets, flight plans, passport, etc. AND, if that is not enough, there is a strong strap (and it looks so nice I didn’t even notice it until I started to write this review!) which has strong velcro holding it slim against the case - but when it’s pulled, it leaves enough space to slide this case over a handle for a rolling carry-on case - this is a great, “secret” feature. The handles are nicely padded, as is the shoulder strap. If you are in the market for a case, this is a GREAT one, and you can’t beat the affordable price - Check it out! Very nice case. (more…)

by David Enders, AAUG Member

The Griffin TuneCenter continues in a long line of products for the Mac community. This is another iPod product enhancement for playing music, video, displaying photos and streaming internet radio to your television.

The product consists of a cradle with dock inserts, power supply, remote control and av cable. They even include the battery for the remote. The Tune Center also sports a svideo connection for connection to your av receiver of television in lieu of the composite connection.

The setup of the TuneCenter was very simple. Plug it in, connect a ethernet cable, connect the av cable, insert iPod use remote to select whether you want iPod or Internet Radio. It’s that simple !! The manual included is short and concise.

The first thing you notice when you turn on the TuneCenter is that it’s display is LARGE on your television ( you need to see it on my 65″ Mitsubishi). From there you select whether you want iPod or Internet Radio. If you select Internet Radio you will need to connect the TuneCenter to your router via an ethernet cable. I did not need to change any network settings to get the TuneCenter to connect to the Internet Radio server. There are available options to change DHCP settings and proxy settings. There are many stations to listen to and I found many that met my listening needs. (more…)

by David Enders, AAUG Member

Overview

zsCompare allows you to compare and synchronize files and directories. Zizasoft markets a Lite, Standard and Professional version of zsCompare. Depending on the features required the Lite version is a great value at $35. The following link shows you the differences between versions. The Lite version is probably adequate for most users who need to compare differences in files and directories. The Standard version includes these features plus more advanced comparisons, snapshots and binary mode. The Professional version includes the features offered in the standard mode plus the ability to compare pdf and Word documents. The pro version can also create and run scripts providing very powerful comparison features that can be repeated easily. The program has preferences that can be configured to your liking and adjusting the memory allocation from the default 256 MB. There is also a Tip of the Day presented each time you launch zsCompare.

How To Buy

All versions are available as electronic downloads or physical shipment from their website. They also will sell the product cd and printed manual separately. If you purchase the standard or professional versions they will include the cd or the cd/manual respectively. This is a nice feature since the manual is a whopping 200+ pages. That’s enough to cause even the best ink-jet printers to get a workout.

(more…)

by Gary Miller, AAUG Member

The WaveRest Keyboard Wrist Support is an ergonomic friend for your wrists. With our new MacBook sides being very sharp, we looked for a comfortable wrist support. Knowing that Belkin gives great value & design, I found the WaveRest perfect. It permits natural hand and wrist movement, fits right up next to any keyboard, or laptop, comes in either black or silver.

The secret to the Belkin is it’s patented gelflex design. With all the wrist injuries, it’s amazing to me that everyone that types away doesn’t have one of these, and Belkin’s is priced under the rest! and better made, designed.

Buy it, you owe it to your wrists!

by Theresa Geiger, AAUG Member

Mail Factory Home Edition is new from Belight Software. They have had the Business Edition for over 2 years and this is a simpler version for home use. Belight specializes in programs for Mac Computers for business and home use. The company was founded in January 2003 in Odessa, Ukraine.

Mail Factory Home Edition enables you to print return and sender addresses on  envelopes, labels and postcards. You can upgrade these items with your pictures and clip art or photos from the program or from the web.

The Main features of Mail Factory Home Edition is:

*Supports data sources from Apple Address Book, vCard and Text file.
*US Postal Service POSTNET barcodes for more than 50 countries.
*Automatic address formatting for more than 50 countries.
*You can customize for envelopes and label layouts.
*There are build in designs and templates for labels, envelopes, and postcards.

Mail Factory Home Edition does not support files from Entourage, Eudora, Now Contact, MS Excell or FileMaker.

The developer of Mail Factory is based in the Ukraine so the product needs to be downloaded over the internet. The installation on my Mac went smoothly on a high speed DSL Line once my code was put in.

Since I am new to a Mac it took me a while to get into this program before it was easy for me to understand. Once into it, it has been fun and easy to use. Mail factory has dozens of pre formatted envelopes and labels. (more…)

by Zach Manzella, AAUG Member

Que Publishing’s Easy iPod and iTunes book provides instructions on how to get the most out of your iPod and iTunes in easy to digest one to three page segments. The beginning user will learn a lot from this book without becoming overwhelmed. Easy iPod and iTunes also provides limited advanced instruction.

Easy iPod and iTunes is divided into 17 chapters ranging from “Getting to Know the iPod” to “Advanced iPod and iTunes”. All of the chapters are further divided into topical segments. The segments are organized with a brief description of the segment, a visual of a screen shot or iPod shot or other photo, numbered steps to follow to complete the segment, explanation of the numbered steps, and “Tips” or “Notes” or “Cautions”. The author labels the beginning of each segment as “Start” and the completion of each segment as “End”.

The visual shots are extremely helpful and allow the user to work along on the computer while reading the book. A downside to the visual shots is that iTunes has already moved onto iTunes 7 and the book is using older versions of iTunes that do not always match up with iTunes 7. However, most of the time the visuals are accurate and guide the user through the learning process.

The linear thinker will enjoy the numbered steps to follow and the explanation of those steps. Most steps entail an action that is highlighted in the explanation for quick reference. The segments require about 3 to 7 steps for completion. Most segments are one or two pages in length.

The “Tips”, “Notes”, or “Cautions” add a little more insight to the segments. “Notes” tend to provide further explanation. (more…)

by Chris Tofteberg, AAUG Member

iSkin has been producing cases and accessories for the iPod for almost as long as the iPod has been around. iSkin is best known for its silicone cases for the various iPod models now available. In this article I actually review two iSkin products that work so well together that I couldn’t see doing two reviews. The two items are the iSkin DuoBand and the iSkin Slims.

The iSkin DuoBand is an armband that works with an iPod nano. The design is simple: An elastic and adjustable neoprene armband fitted with a hard plastic case that holds the nano. This is where the iSkin Slims come in: The Slims are, well, slim enough to fit into the plastic case. The DuoBand package includes one semi-clear Slim case to start with. Once the nano is in the case, simply adjust the armband to fit your arm and you’re ready to go. The band is adjustable for arms ranging from 8.5 inches to 19 inches in circumference.

The DuoBand is only about an inch-and-a-half wide, so it is very comfortable. One reature that I really appreciate is the reflective trip on the armband. I sometimes get into my own little world when listening to my iPod so its nice to have something that makes me more visible to others.

The iSkin Slims pack includes five different colored cases in black, white, red, blue and yellow. The Slims are silicone as mentioned earlier and include protection for the scroll wheel without compromising use of the scroll wheel. A very thin but durable layer of silicone covers the wheel. Another nice feature of the Slim is that the USB port remains accessible when the case is on. Best of all, the Slims work with the DuoBand, so changing colors is a snap. (more…)

by Ronald Schoedel, AAUG Member

Fission is the latest product from Rogue Amoeba, makers of the popular Audio Hijack Pro software, used to record any audio your Mac can play, such as streaming radio and TV, DVD soundtracks, and so forth. In fact, Fission is billed as the perfect companion to Audio Hijack Pro and is somewhat integrated with it.

Fission’s purpose is to losslessly edit MP3 and AAC files. This may need a bit of explanation, unless you are familiar with the technical mumbo-jumbo of file format specifications. MP3 and AAC (the two most common audio files you will use on your Mac, or with iTunes on Windows, too) are compressed file formats. That means that the computer tosses out bits that are not necessary to store and that will not cause any severely noticeable loss of quality. However, until now, editing those compressed files has resulted in them being recompressed each time they are altered and saved. Every time you throw away a few more “unecessary” bits, the audio is degraded, and after a few recompressions, can sound much worse than the original (an analogy would be the degradation in sound quality each time you record a copy of a cassette to another cassette, and then copy the copy, and then copy the copy of a copy, and so forth.) (more…)

by Michele Sims, AAUG Member

I was a desperate woman with what seemed to be an unsolvable problem when I turned to eBay for help. None of my usual sources could supply me with the yarn I needed to finish an important afghan project. (All my afghans are important projects!) Was it possible to find what I needed on,(gulp) eBay? EBay, that world-encompassing marketplace where dangers unknown and leprous negative feedback await the unwary? I searched where I had never searched before, and with mixed feelings of joy and dread, found someone selling what I so desperately needed. Now what? This is exactly the point where “Don’t Get Burned on eBay” comes in handy. That is, before you find yourself involved in an eBay problem.

I was already in the middle of my first transaction when I found the book, having paid for but not yet received my item. But I felt like such a rookie, and I had tons of inexperience-related questions. Reading the book was like finding a good friend with a compass while lost in the woods. I learned something useful by the time I got to page 3, and the first answer I found to one of my questions was waiting for me on page 10.

I started out marking the important points I came across but soon gave that up since there wasn’t a lot that I didn’t feel like underlining. Not only does “Don’t Get Burned on eBay” help you avoid the scammers and fraudulent practices that you’ve heard about on occasion (see chapters on bidding, payment, other eBayers), the reader also get lots of help on doing this eBay thing right (see chapters on packaging, shipping, plus the others already mentioned). The author gives examples that could have been taken from real life, and has a section for avoiding the problems first, and then a section for fixing a problem if you find yourself in one.

There are also frequent references to outside information if the reader would like more detail (i.e. the fine print and legalese) with specific website addresses. (more…)