AAUG Reviews

by Dave Enders ,AAUG Member

1Password has been called Keychain on steroids ! I’d call it Popeye with a whole case of spinach !!

1Password can generate strong passwords, auto fill forms utilizing multiple identities, .mac integration and is compatible with most mac browsers. That is a few of the features that attracted me to 1Password. You can even take your passwords with you on your Palm PDA or iPhone.

With the help of Mac OS X Keychain, 1Password manages passwords for hundreds of websites. The nice thing about using 1Password to manage these passwords is that they are available in any supported browser. I frequently use both Safari and Firefox (OmniWeb, DEVONagent, Camino and Flock are also supported) in my daily routine. A password entered in Safari is immediately available in Firefox and vice versa.

I appreciate any application that supports .mac and 1Password accomplishes this via turning on Keychain syncing . It helps save time and frustration by keeping my passwords synchronized between browsers and computers. There were some reports on the 1Password blog of problems with the .mac support. In my two weeks of testing , I can report that 1Password works very well with .mac. In my opinion this was an Apple issue since I had many woes using .mac a few months ago. (more…)

by Carlene Brown ,AAUG Member

IRIScan Executive 2 is a compact, portable, sheet fed, color scanner. IRIScan is USB powered, thus making it easy to use anywhere. The Mac version includes the OCR software Readiris Pro 11 for scanning text documents and photographs; and Cardiris 4 for scanning business cards..

I installed IRIScan on a Mac Book G4 running Mac OS X 10.5.2. Following the installation instructions I installed the Readiris Pro 11 software then plugged the IRIScan into a USB port. I next calibrated the scanner using the provided calibration sheet and was all set to begin. I chose a text document, fed it into the scanner and waited. The scanned result was a blank page I tried again, same result. I chose another document and once again it produced a blank page. The Quick Start Guide was of little use. I checked the settings and tried several more times but nothing happened. Because it was late in the evening I put it away and decided I would check it out another day.

My next experience began the same way, so I opened up the electronic 128 page User’s Manual. I spent two hours reading the manual, which didn’t have any troubleshooting information and no instructions relating to my problem, making minor changes in the settings, and trying to scan. Finally success! (more…)

by Simone Lange ,AAUG Member

ShineOff is a cross platform plug-in that takes away the shine from skin with just a slide to the left or to the right, while keeping the sparkle and luster on the lips, teeth and eyes.

System Requirements:
Photoshop 7.0 and higher
Photoshop Elements 2 and higher
PaintShop Pro 7 and higher
Max OS X and higher, Windows Vista, XP, NT and 2000
When using as a Photoshop plug-in it works in the following Mode-RGB, 8 and 16 bits.

To activate ShineOff select an image then go to Filter of your photo editing program and go to Image Trends Inc and choose ShineOff. An interface will appear. On the left side of the interface is the Image Preview where you can toggle back and forth between the before and after. The middle of the screen has the controller to zoom in and out of your image. On the right side of the interface you will see the Image Navigator with a bounding box that you can move around to see different parts of your image. Under the Image Navigator is the Plug-In Control that allows you to adjust the amount of shine you wish to remove. The system automatically defaults to 75%. So if you don’t like any of your choices you have made so far just hit the Default button and it will take you back to that and you can start over. (more…)

by Wayne Watson ,AAUG Member

My initial impression of this book was dramatically different than my opinion upon merely thumbing through the digital page. I really like the electronic aspect of this book. This book was my first foray into a “paperless” book. The entire book is available as a PDF file–all 203 pages. The memory requirement is only 10 MB of hard drive space. The book is accessed with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program. Each page can be zoomed in or zoomed out for further detail.

The target audience for this book appears to meet my intermediate skill range. I have been using Macs since 1984 and have close to 35,000 digital images in my iPhoto library.

I put off reading the book because I did not want to read it on my iMac 17″ monitor at home. I kept thinking a “paper” book would be so much more useful. However, it wasn’t until I realized I could copy (using my thumb drive) the PDF file over onto my 12″ Powerbook G4 and take the book “on the road” did I truly fall in love with the electronic format. This “eBook” version of the original Peachpit Press book is distributed by Take Control Books and has additional resources such as linked resources. I read the entire book on a three day business trip on the Powerbook. No wonder these Visual QuickStart books are the industry’s best-selling series of affordable, quick-reference guides. I felt like an old dog who learned a new trick. (As a side note, I was surprised but completely understanding to learn Peachpit Press has more than 200 titles (more…)

by Wayne Watson ,AAUG Member

This iPod Touch case is plastic but has what they advertise as a “liquid rubber finish”. While this finish sounds intriguing, it boils down to a slip resistant finish similar to rubber–but without the bulk of a rubber finish. The fold-out movie stand in the back is a nice feature but I typically hold my iPod Touch in my hands while watching a movie. If someone wants to extend the fold-out stand and prop the iPod up on its side like a landscape picture frame, this is the case to buy.

The liquid-polymer-coated hardshell case

My older 40gb photo iPod has a thick rubber case that I tend to open up while recharging for fear of having the 40gb iPod overheating. However, this Gear 4 iVak hard “liquid rubber finish” case is so think I do not worry about over-heating during a charge.

The clamshell encasement allows easy access to the power button as well as the docking/ear phone connections. I like this case and hope it becomes available soon in the US.

by Chris Tofteberg ,AAUG Member

I just broke down and got my first iPhone, and I’m wondering what took me so long to get one (probably the price). The first thing I thought when I held it was that it desperately needed a case. A hard case that is slip-proof. And protects the screen. And, as I discovered after spending 16 hours in aircrafts, one that has a stand for watching movies. Enter the iVak from gear4. This case satisfied all of these needs and looked cool doing it.

What it is: The iVak is a hard case for your iPhone that is composed of two pieces, basically the front and back. However, they fit together about 3/4 of the way down the backside, which prevents the case from “splitting” in half. Trust me, this can and does happen with cases that simply couple at the middle. There is also a screen protector that is integrated into the front piece. And for you business types, a handy belt clip to show off your iPhone prowess.

It’s getting to the point where there are almost as many styles of iPhone cases as there are iPod cases to choose from. Given that, you say, how did this one rate?

Exceptionally well. While this is a hard case (versus a rubberized one) it has a mildly texturized surface that minimizes slipping if you set it on a smooth surface. (more…)

by Chris Tofteberg ,AAUG Member

Belkin is well known for the accessories they make for the Mac, the iPod and just general gadgets like USB hubs. I’ve been very impressed with every Belkin product I’ve ever owned. Except perhaps this one, the Belkin Washable Mouse.

How the Washable Mouse differs from most of the other mouses out there is that it can be, as the name implies, washed. And not just wiped off, but rinsed under running water. All mouses become dirty after a while, no matter how good your hygiene is. And you usually dig out some cleaner and a cloth to gently rub the gunk off. The Washable Mouse makes it so you can be more liberal with your cleaner and water if you choose. I just had to douse the mouse in water to see how it held up, and it worked just fine after wiping it down with a towel.

The mouse looks and feels like a traditional mouse except that the top part your hand sets on is sealed in a rubber-like coat. The Washable Mouse features two buttons (if you push them both you get a center-click, something I’ve never found a use for) and a unique Scroll Pad. The Scroll Pad has no moving parts and is touch sensitive. The Scroll Pad can also side scroll but the oblong shape of it, about the width of your finger, does not bode well for side scrolling. (more…)

I am becoming a DLO fan. They have impressed me twice with their clear plastic cases for the iPod Touch and the iPhone, respectively. I am now impressed for a third time, with the new DLO Portable Speakers for iPhone.

These little speakers pack a real audio punch. They sound clear, clean, and have pretty good bass response for their size. The bonus here is for anyone who’s ever tried using non-shielded speakers near their iPhone - no interference. I’ve placed my iPhone near computer speakers, car stereo, and yes, even alarm clocks in hotels. All of them allow the iPhone to make that buzzy, static-y sound that means the cell frequencies are being accessed. I can tell when a call is coming in before my iPhone even rings. And, if you’re using the EDGE network to keep up to date on email, that little buzz happens all the time. Not so with the DLO Portable Speakers for iPhone.

I opened the package, and found two little speakers, a round base, an iPhone holder, and an adapter. Upon inspection of the the round base, I found that the whole setup can be powered by 4 little AAA batteries. Fantastic! I can’t wait to drop 4 rechargeable alkaline batteries in there for true indoor/outdoor/travel portability. I plugged each speaker, handily labeled with R and L for right and left speakers, into the base. I set the iPhone holder on top of the round base, and plugged in the adapter. A 1/8 inch headphone adapter is also connected to the base (nicely wrapped through the middle to allow for adjustment of length), which I plugged into the iPHone headphone jack. I pulled up a KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic podcast video and…it just worked.

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by Rob LeFebvre, AAUG Member

I wrote the following for my review of the iPod Touch version of the VideoShell:

This is a great case that does what it advertises and does it well. The DLO Videoshell provides near perfect protection for my iPod Touch while holding it at the perfect angle for watching video or listening to music.

Why change it when it holds true for the new VideoShell for iPhone? This is a high quality case that does exactly what it is supposed to do: hold the iPhone in either an upright or movie viewing angle, and protect the iPhone.

I bought a DLO case for the iPhone the day I bought the device. It was a silicon skin in black that did a good job of keeping my iPhone protected from scratches. It didn’t work for me in thre ways: one, it made it tricky to plug in the earbud adapter I bought to be able to use my higher end earbuds with the iPhone; two, it hid the beauty of my iPhone. This device is so pretty, why hide it behind an opaque skin; and three, the silicon skin made the iPod “sticky”-ish, so it was hard to slip in and out of a pocket.

Enter the DLO VideoShell for iPhone. Clear plastic, well engineered, smooth and easy to use, and holds the iPhone for me when I’m watching videos. I do that a lot, by the way, as I travel for work. Having to hold the iPhone in my hand for 3 - 5 hours at a stretch wasn’t doing it for me.

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by Steve Nigl ,AAUG Member

I’ve been doing photography as a business for about two years and have always been hesitant to shoot a wedding. Much of this is because I’m working in an information vacuum. Short of apprenticing with an experienced wedding photographer, Glen Johnson’s book, “Digital Wedding Photography - Capturing Beautiful Memories is a great way to get your bearing in the world of shooting weddings.

Johnson assumes a basic knowledge of photography and dives-in with a description of the three prevailing types of wedding photography today: Traditional, Journalistic, and Portrait Journalistic. He explains how the photographer’s financial needs may actually dictate which artistic style is chosen.

The book covers how to be prepared for the key events in any wedding, and strongly emphasizes the authors philosophy of non-interference in what should be a couple’s key life event. Not turning that blessed event into ‘a photo shoot’. He covers photographic technique; which equipment is essential to (digitally) shooting a wedding, and what not to waste your money on; to creating a manageable workflow.

I’m still not convinced that wedding photography is right for me, but I am sure that any digital photographer who is considering entering this area of specialty, cannot afford NOT to buy this book!
Rating 5!