AAUG Reviews

by Richard Geiger, AAUG Member

“Special Edition Using FileMaker 8,” is 890-page book packed with extensive information on FileMaker Pro 8. The book was well written and is well laid out. The publisher makes good uses of icons, colored text, and text boxes to draw your attention to important items throughout the book.

The authors of the book give the reader a quick introduction to FileMaker and quickly moved on to more advanced features. I highly recommend that beginning users look at a different book if they are not experienced in using FileMaker. The focus of the book is for people who are going to be developing FileMaker Pro databases. A more beginning user might look at the book “FileMaker Pro 8: The Missing Manual” by Geoff Coffey & Susan Prosser.
The book is written for both Mac and Windows users of FileMaker. The authors give short cuts for both operating systems. They also discuss some of the differences between the two platforms and how to make FileMaker cross platform compatible.

Throughout the book the authors point out the difference between FileMaker 7 one FileMaker 8.0. It is easy to spot the differences because the information usually has icons next to it, in text boxes or in color. The book does not cover the new feature of FileMaker 8.5 which came out the summer of 2006. Some of the additional features of version 8.5 are additional web viewer and Universal Binary for Intel Macs.

On the DVD that is included with the book there is a PDF file of the book. (more…)

by Ronald Schoedel, AAUG Member

TV Max is the latest analog TV for Mac solution to come along in a recent string of several devices from various manufacturers. Miglia has designed the TV Max to complement the Mac mini, which is the computer of choice in many home entertainment systems. From that perspective, the TV Max would be right at home in a permanent installation, as opposed to a mobile computing solution. It is not a mobile device, though Miglia markets a solution for that market segment as well, called the TV Micro.

TV Max allows you to watch live TV on your Mac, record programming, and convert old videotapes to digital video for burning to DVD. While watching TV, you can rewind, pause, and skip forward through live TV programming (obviously, the fast forward only goes through programming that has been recorded so far, for example, if you have paused. It does not allow time travel into programming that has not aired yet!)

The included EyeTV 2 software downloads electronic program schedules, schedules your recordings, manages your recorded content, exports to iPod video, and interfaces with Toast 7 and iDVD recording software.

The face of the TV Max features a small power LED on the left, much like the Mac mini, and on the right is the infrared (IR) receiver for use with the included remote control. Many device remotes are difficult to figure out, but the TV Max remote includes just enough buttons to access features easily and all are clearly labeled with words or icons indicating their function.

The reverse side of the TV Max, from left to right, includes a TV input (for coaxial cable or antenna input), an S-video port, red, white, and yellow RCA jacks for composite connections, a power plug, and a USB port for connecting to the Mac.

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by Jeff Menter, AAUG Member

The Man

Every once in a while a thing comes along — be it a movie, song, painting, or in this case, a book — that is so singular in its approach and execution that one cannot help but be in awe at what has been created. “Mac OS X Internals: A Systems Approach” is one of those things. It’s not just the sheer size; over 1600 pages, or the massive amount of technical details presented in a logical and authoritative fashion, or even the fact that Mr. Singh was first introduced to Mac OS X a mere three years ago. It’s the fact that all these things are together in one amazing book, written by one individual.

The Thing

I must start out by saying that this book is not for everyone as it deals largely with programming languages, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), and the command line. This book is definitely targeted at software developers, but it will also be interesting for system administrators in need of technical details, operating system enthusiasts, or those that might have an unnatural fascination with technical writing. Most computer users need and desire only that their computers behave well and carry out the tasks to which they have been assigned. The details and minutiae of the operation of these electronic assistants are neither interesting nor salient to the average user, but some users may wish to pay attention to “the man behind the curtain” and find out how things tick.

Considering what the book covers, it is written with an amazing amount of clarity. It is laid out in an orderly and logical fashion and is written in a matter of fact tone. Yet in the writing there is also a hint of passion for the subject matter and an enthusiasm for (more…)

by Gary Miller, AAUG Member

When I got my new iMac this year, I dreamed of running some applications that were only available to Window’s users. I tried Apple’s BootCamp, but didn’t like the idea of having to restart my computer each time I wanted to switch to a Windows, then I heard of Parallels Desktop for Mac that would allow me to have a window open on my Mac desktop, and run any Window’s applications on it, just going with my cursor to that window, or switching to a full view of the entire desktop. I was intrigued. I’m for a simple way, but I heard that the product was only in Beta, and I wondered if my new computer would have issues, so I got a review copy, and began my trials.

It’s been many months now and many evolutions by Parallels to make their product better, do more, and responsive to users. I have the first generation Intel iMac with 1 gig of Ram. The first version i used worked well, then it stopped, a newer update came out, and it worked ok again. I’m not an expert or geek, so I figured I’d be a pretty good example of a regular user. I use Windows XP Professional Edition, service pack 2 (the current version by Microsoft) that Parallels requires. And I’ve loaded Office 2003 Professional Edition, both work well, they start up quick, and haven’t ruined or even caused any danger to my Mac.

I know that Parallels is working on better game support, but I’m not a gamer, so won’t talk about that functionality here. I also won’t go into the merits of Windows as an operating system either. (more…)

by Carlene Brown, AAUG Member

MaxBulk Mailer is an excellent tool for designing and sending mass emails. It allows you to personalize each message through its mail-merge options. You can insert the standard tags, i.e., name, date, email address, and also have twenty fields you can customize.

Messages may be composed in Plain Text, Text/HTML, HTML only, Web Page and Styled Text. Messages may be created by typing directly into MaxBulk Mailer, copying and pasting, or dragging and dropping text files to the message field. You can send a web page copy by pasting the URL in the message field. MaxBulk Mailer will locate the document at that address and send it to all on your recipient list.

Pictures, PDFs, or any document may be attached to your mail out. Just drag and drop the file onto the clip icon or directly onto the message page.

Recipient lists may be built by manually typing names and email addresses or importing lists from your address book, or from any text application.

I have been creating and sending emails with MaxBulk Mailer for almost two years and have found it quite easy to use. I down loaded the program from the web site, then simply dragged the program into the Applications folder. It was ready to go. A users guide is included plus online help is available. I had encountered a couple of bugs in the previous MaxBulk Mailer version, and am happy to find they have been fixed in this new version .

So, what’s new in MaxBulk Mailer? Version 5 revamps list handling and enhances message delivery. (more…)

by Robert Thomas, AAUG Member

The authors combine the 40 techniques into 9 chapters with a beginning introduction to the iPod and ITunes. Since the latest iTunes is now up to 7.0.2 there are some differences. However, the opening Introduction covers both the Mac and Windows side of installation.

Chapter 1 is Getting Started and covers the basics of the iPod and goes into iTunes. There is opening page to each Chapter which describes what you will find in the chapter. They give good suggestions about the use of your iPod as far as battery usage and what to not use to conserve battery life. This first chapter is 55 pages and covers 10 techniques including Technique 11. Transcoding Audio which becomes a little more technical, but still useful especially when one wants to convert an audio file from one format to another.

Expanding Your Audio Collection which deals with the iTunes Music Store, Podcasts and even free music which is Technique 15. While the iTunes store is great it is nice to know and find that you can download music for free and do so legitimately.

A chapter is devoted to the iPod Nano (not including the latest IPod Nanos recently released from Apple.

There is a Chapter for the IPod Shuffle [p.108 DO THE SHUFFLE. - older models obviously, however there are good suggestions and uses for using your Shuffle as a flash drive.

A chapter is devoted to accessories (Chapter 7). This shows just a small amount of accessories and even then a book unto itself would be needed at this juncture to reflect all of the various add ons and what not which have come about with the introduction of the iPod.

Chapter 8 covers the Maintenance and Troubleshooting, which also includes the Windows information for those folks who haven’t or do not own a Mac. (more…)

by Ronald Schoedel, AAUG Member

Griffin’s BlueTrip sets out to be the ultimate iPod remote control by using the iPod itselfand a bluetooth transmitter/receiver combo to beam your music fromt he iPod, wirelessly to your stereo speakers. The BlueTrip consists of a small bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the dock connector on the bottom of your 3G or later iPod and a receiver unit that stands about 6 inches tall, about 4 inches deep, and is about 1 inch wide. The receiver is made of white plastic with chrome-colored plastic accents and weighted base. Each unit has a small LED on the front to indicate its status as being paired with each other.

Operation of the BlueTrip is simple enough. Plug either a pair of RCA-plugs into the red and white jacks on the back of the receiver, or you can plug a cable into the phone-jack, which accommodates either analog audio or optical output. The unit has an on-off switch. Once the receiver is powered on, plug the small transmitter into the bottom of your iPod, and within about 5 seconds the two components should seek each other out, introduce themselves, and start making sweet music together. Now, at your next party you need not worry about where the remote control is, or rush to the stereo to skip a song or play a song again. Simply grab the iPod out of your pocket and use its standard controls, as it beams your music wirelessly to the stereo. It’s a great concept, but comes with a couple caveats.

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by Steven Aufrecht, AAUG Member

Naked Conversations tells the reader why businesses should pay attention to blogging. It begins with the argument that Public Relations’ (PR) current mainstream school is “Command and Control.” It is characterized by top down, one way communications, where the corporation is seen by many as hyping its products to demographic segments rather than selling good products to human beings. Scoble and Israel (S&I) argue this has led to PR ranking just below attorneys and just above athletes in public credibility. Instead, S&I argue for the new “Listen and participate” school of PR, based on the Cluetrain Manifesto that argued that marketing is conversations and that blogs are the natural medium for human conversation between organizations and customers.

The book has three audiences. It appears pitched to traditional marketing departments PR types in hopes of showing them that the old ways are being replaced. But skeptical that they can persuade these folks, they take their message higher in the organization. Much of the book tells higher level executives why blogs are so important and why their PR/marketing departments need to change. Finally, they address small business people who can use blogs to get the kind of marketing reach they could never afford with traditional marketing approaches. The focus is mainly on policy, not technology. This is a ‘why you should’ more than a “how to” book

So, why should organizations blog? For large corporations, S&I’s first reason is defensive. Blogs exist. You need to track the blogosphere to see what it’s saying about you and join the conversation. Listen, appreciate their suggestions, and challenge their mischaracterizations. They offer a handful of specialized blog search engines that can alert you to those talking about you. This is the bare minimum, they seem to be arguing, that every savvy corporation needs to do.

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by Jane Thomas, AAUG Member

The ProTouch PB is a formfitting silicone keyboard protector for Apple PowerBooks and iBooks. It’s like putting a soft colorful glove on your keyboard. iSkin’s motto is, “If you love it, protect it with iSkin.”

I can vouch for the following advertised benefits and features:
- Protects the keyboard while you type (from things like crumbs and coffee)
- Has a soft tactile feel
- Is molded to fit each key, leaves the key characters visible.

It’s also billed as being washable and long lasting. I’ll have to let you know about that after it gets its first bath (maybe due to a coffee incident) and after I’ve had it for a while. But the soft silicon material should wash up nicely.

The product packaging also says that the iSkin keyboard cover quiets keystrokes. I guess that’s true, but if your keystrokes are loud enough to be a problem, you consider lightening up a bit.

The keyboard cover does have a nice soft cool feel. And it doesn’t impede my typing at all. The only problem is that the j and f orientation “bumps” are significantly less easy for me to feel than on a naked keyboard. So I have to look at my fingers every once in awhile to be sure they’re positioned correctly. Maybe I’ll get used to their feel after using it longer, but right now, the f key doesn’t feel much different than the neighboring g or r keys, which could make for some interesting typing.

You can choose from four nice colors of ProTouch PBs - arctic (white), kiwi (green), blush (pink), sonic (blue). Mine’s sonic. (more…)

by Gary Miller, AAUG Member

When Steve Jobs announced the new iPod Video, 5th generation, the companies who make all the gadgets didn’t even know about the new bottom only access plug, so it took Belkin and others some 6 months to get out a new recording microphone, but it was worth it. When Apple designed this 5th generation iPod, they realized that many wanted better than low quality sound recordings, so with this model, came the ability to have near CD quality sound recordings.

When i opened the nicely designed package, I found the black TuneTalk that fits perfectly with my black iPod Video, looks like Apple designed it almost. It comes with a spacer so it fits with most cases, so many gadgets now have to take off the iPod case to use them, not this, it works perfectly. And it comes with a USB cable so you can charge your iPod while recording. On the bottom of the TuneTalk you’ll see a external microphone adapter (3.5mm stereo), a button on the side that assists you with one touch immediate recording, no matter what menu you were in, very helpful. And the included stand, allows hands free operation. and printed instructions.

Here’s how you record with the TuneTalk. Just plug it into the bottom of your iPod Video, and immediately you’ll see the Voice Memo menu come up, with Recording ready, just click your center dial, and it’s going. Or click the click wheel to pause or save recordings. You can listen to them almost instantly since it puts them on the iPod’s hard drive when you click save. I tried to record in a variety of settings. (more…)