AAUG Reviews

by Dave Patterson, AAUG Member

The Griffin AutoPilot answered my needs for a device to both charge my iPod on the road and make it easier to use my iPod while driving. Since I did not have a radio with an auxiliary input I went to Best Buy to purchase a Griffin Direct Deck adaptor as noted in the information that came with the AutoPilot. At first they did not know what I was talking about until I showed them the reference to the device in the material that comes with the Autopilot. They said they did not carry the device and did not know how it worked. A little more research on my part revealed that I already owned two of the devices of another brand, which look like a cassette and go into the cassette player with the cable plugging into the AutoPilot. The result was very clear sound and easy manipulation of the AutoPilot. I also tried the AutoPilot with the FM transmitter that normally plugs into my iPod and it also worked well; but the quality of the sound was noticeably less than the direct connection through the cassette deck. With a little practice I was able to easily use the device without having to take my eyes off of the road.

Although the device is a little spendy and the charging function can also be accomplished with a cigarette lighter charger, the convenience of having the control available without having to look away from ones driving, is a solid safety feature. The lighted ring (more…)

by Dave Enders, AAUG Member

I have been a big fan of silicone cases for some time now. They have their advantages, they have a good feel and in my opinion provide better protection. One of the cons of a silicone case however is they tend to attract dust and debris. I bought a silicone case when I first got my 3G phone. But my search for the perfect case had just begun. I am happy to report I think I have found the case.

Enter the ifrogz iPhone 3G Luxe, it is a two piece hard shell case. It has a great look and feel. I chose the Red Ruby color. My initial concerns were that it was going to be harder to hold on to than a silicone case. Surprisingly enough it has a very tactile feel to it. It comes with a screen shield ,however I did not install it since my phone already has a Invisible Shield full body protection installed. This brings me to one of the only cons of this case. Due to the tight tolerances it is difficult to get this case on. I think I also somehow damaged my Invisible Shield on the back of the phone. If decide this is the case I will probably remove the back shield from the Phone. The 3G Luxe has a padded back on the interior of the case so it should not scratch the phone.

This is my one week impression, standby for the two week update. (more…)

by Dave Enders, AAUG Member

Keyboard covers have been around for a while. Most of the time you really only see them in Jiffy Lube because they are big and bulky and are impractical for everyday use. When I had my iBook, I used a cover made by iSkin. I ended up not using it very much because I didn’t like the way the keyboard felt when using it.

A few months ago, I found out about KB Covers. I found their covers to be more flexible and form fitting than iSkin. Yes , you still do lose the nice soft touch tactile feel of the keyboard but they offer advantages to why you might want to cover up your Macs keyboard.

First and foremost, they come in nice cool colors. You don’t have to settle for a clear cover although you can if that is your reference. Secondly, They come in application specific covers for example Aperture, Photoshop, Final Cut and many more. You can have your selection from iBook through the current keyboards. In my case , I evaluated the Thin Wireless model. But I think the most important reason to invest in a KB Cover is too keep your keyboard clean, I am notorious for eating near my computer and to protect it from spills. You see just last week I spilled some soy sauce directly on my keyboard by accident. Had it not been for this fine keyboard cover, I would have had some work ahead of me. (more…)

by Dave Enders, AAUG Member

Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 is a suite of three programs: Premiere Pro, Encore and OnLocation. I have to admit when I first saw the package I was overwhelmed by its weight. I guess we have have got used to electronic downloads and manuals as pdf. Included in the package was a video tutorial disk. These are presented in Flash. I found the videos a good alternative to the heavy lifting required for the manuals. What I found to be distracting was the aspect ration of the video within the flash player appeared to be incorrect which resulted in the text being a bit fuzzy. I was able to go through the videos for the purpose of this review. It is noteworthy that the training videos are from Adobe and from Lynda.com. It very well maybe worthwhile acquiring a subscription to online training when you are dealing with complex programs offered by Adobe, Apple et al. What I liked that none of the training sections were longer than 10 minutes. They showed the power of Premiere, Encore and OnLocation. Total Training also offers online training for the Adobe family of products.

Lets get on with the software programs. Premiere and Encore are native Mac OS X apps. I tested these under OS X 10.5.5 on an iMac Intel Core Duo 2 2.8 Ghz, 500GB, 4GB. I found my computer to be up to the task. I was using a Sony TRV-33 DV camera. For DV and HDV, Adobe states the hard drive requirements to be a dedicated 7200 rpm drive. For HD video, the requirements get steeper (more…)

by Gary Miller, AAUG Member

Equinux creates applications that are so helpful, and instantly useful. Stationery Pack 2, a new version of a great product, really answers what was missing from the first version.

Designed to work with Apple’s Mail application, that had limited stationery to enhance the mail sent to people with templates, the first version of Stationery Pack had 100+ templates, now the new version comes with templates that have variations built in that with a keystroke you can see, be it colors or placement of objects, like a photograph from iPhoto.

When you launch Stationery Pack 2, you’ll see categories on the left like Business, Congratulations, Feelings, Invitation, Leisure, Sports, Vacation. Each of them has many choices, i.e. Vacation has 23. In addition, Keywords offer more narrow choices, such as: Gift, Funny, Follow up, Good Luck, Comic… There’s a search box too for specifics. Once you find a template you like, you’ll see a red number in the lower right corner, telling you that you have additional variations of the theme using Cover Flow, like color. By using the keyboard’s arrows or Stationery Pack’s arrow, you see what it looks like on your screen,then just tap the Mail logo and it launches Mail to reveal the desired template in your email,ready for personalizing, addressing, and send! That easy. (more…)

by Gary Miller, AAUG Member

At once, The Photographer’s Eye, grips you, beckons one to get your camera, and use your eyes differently, to take in what’s there and not, and know when to do what. Michael Freeman is a master tutor, communicator.

This large sized book from Focal Press, a company that truly values it’s readers and authors with high quality binding, paper, and print, has another winner with this book, that truly led me to reevaluate my sense of design, ways of approaching a photograph, and ponder. The book starts out like it should from the beginning of what an image is, what your eye sees, and slowly educates, showing vivid images, with notes, so I grasped what was to do and to follow. It’s 180 pages, 6 chapters cover it all, left me feeling much more confident about why, what, and when. Knowing most work in digital domain now, additional skill building is brought forth on how before and after the image is taken, and what can be created.

Chapter 1 begins with the frame and image, from how to start to a sense of just how one can see what’s there, and how to get it. (more…)

by Ron Schoedel, AAUG Member

iBank is touted as being “Beautiful, intuitive, powerful…the way Mac applications should be”, by it’s developer, IGG Software. The program won an Apple Design Award in 2007 for Best Leopard Application (Runner up). I am a long-timer user of Quicken, and a former full-time user of MoneyDance, which I used for a few years while Quicken was particularly awful. But once I saw iBank, I saw another opportunity to dump Quicken. I will not elaborate on the many reasons why one might search out a replacement for the venerable mainstay of consumer accounting software, but I will admit that I am one of many Mac users who just doesn’t much care for Quicken, even if I have to use it every day.

Here’s my review in one sentence, if you have no time to read further: If you are just getting started tracking your finances on your Mac, and have no prior investment in financial software, and no data to import: BUY iBANK IMMEDIATELY. Don’t waste any time. You will like it. It is slick, attractive, and fully capable of tracking your accounts, whether they are checking, cash, loans, credit cards, stocks, IRAs and even accounts that are denominated in currencies other than your primary currency. All of the necessary features are present. Split transactions, powerful searching and reporting tools, filtering, memorized transactions, scheduled bills, as well as the nice touch of allowing you to put a reminder on your iCal for coming due items.

One of the nicest “ooh ahh” traits of iBank is its quite stunning graphs and charts. If you’re going to be looking at a visual representation of your financial data, it does not have to be boring and 80s-like in appearance. iBank trumps Quicken’s old-fashioned (more…)

by Roni Lanier ,AAUG Member

Being a technophile, I own multiple accessories which utilize the USB ports on my laptop. When I saw the Kensington sd220v docking station with video I was excited to try it. The packaging stated I could connect peripherals and an extra monitor by connecting just one USB port to my laptop. Perhaps the best feature advertised was the dual view switch which allows the user with the touch of one button to toggle between a mirror image of their screen to an expanded screen covering both monitors. Other exciting features included a stereo out port for connecting speakers, a microphone in port, and five usb ports. Upon opening the packaging I discovered the driver was included on a mini compact disk which would not work with my Macbook Pro.

I immediately accessed the Kensington website and looked up the sd200v. Once there I discovered the Kensington sd200v was designed and marketed to pc users. There was however a beta version of the drivers offered. I decided to trust my Mac and test drive the sd200v without installing Kensington’s beta driver. I plugged in a Mac USB keyboard to the docking station. I attached a Mac mouse to the keyboard’s USB port. I then plugged into the docking station a Gateway FDP1520 flat panel LCD monitor, a 120g external hard drive, and several thumb drives. Thus configured I put the sd200v through its paces.

Surprisingly, all of the hardware worked without the installation of the beta driver! I was able to toggle between the mirror display and the extended display. The keyboard and mouse worked and all of the thumb drives worked. I thought so far so good (more…)

by Guy Okada, AAUG Member

When I got my iMac a year ago, I immediately fell in love with the ultra-thin aluminum keyboard. It is svelte, stylish and I quickly warmed to its flat keys and soft touch. White keys, however, eventually get dirty even from normal use and I have had to carefully clean the keys with a damp towel to keep it looking pristine. I keep any liquids far away from my keyboard having learned from an unfortunate incident a few years ago when I spilled coffee on my keyboard while in the middle of completing an important report. We’ve all spent precious time clearing staples, crumbs and dust from our keyboard. The enemy of any keyboard is clearly anything liquid or consumable. Here is an answer for those who tend to make a mess on their keyboard or for businesses that have employees with soiled hands using the keyboard.

It was with great anticipation that I began using KB Covers’ clear (Ice) keyboard cover. KB Covers makes their covers from ultra-thin silicone and it is perfectly molded to fit over the entire keyboard. When it gets dirty it can be hand washed. Just place the cover over your keyboard and you’re ready to go.

The silicone cover takes some getting used to. Obviously, because it overlays the keyboard, it changes the tactile feel of the keyboard. It has a non-slip feel
(more…)

by Karl Augestad ,AAUG Member

When you invest in a 3G iPhone and open the box the iPhone looks shinny and new. My AT&T rep pointed out the cleaning cloth and said I would use it often. And I did. Within the first few hours I found myself wiping it clean. I have the black model and I noticed fingerprints show on all sides of the phone. So I heard about the InvisibleSHIELD by Zagg.

I already knew of Zagg’s reputation but wanted to see how they would handle the new shape of the 3G iPhone. The ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD(tm) is a thin polyurethane film originally created for the military to protect the leading edge of helicopter blades. This tough clear membrane is attached to your device on all sides to protect it from scratches and gives the slippery iPhone better grip. What makes this product different is that it is durable and protected by a lifetime replacement warranty.

When opening the box you receive a beautiful package displaying the Shield Spray, installation squeegee and InvisibleSHIELD material in neat fitting pockets. The shield spray is a larger, 5″ size container, than the one I received for my iPod touch which was only 3″ tall. I like this extra spray as it is useful if you need repeated attempts to get the alignment just right. The detailed instructions in the middle panel were clear (more…)