News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
My Windows needs have always been modest. When I bought my first Intel iMac I was advised to use Parallels Desktop instead of Boot Camp, which I did. It took me a while to set it all up but soon I was able to run those interesting little Windows-only programs and avoid previous bouts of impotent fury. I'd been happily using Parallels version 2 for quite a while until it started causing kernel panics and asking me to do some stuff that did my head in. And then last week, Parallels 4 was released at a special changeup price of US$39.99 -- too good an opportunity to miss, so I downloaded the upgrade and bought myself a license key.
Keith White | Nov 20, 2008
Last week I thought I had lost my mojo. Or something. I was following Jason Snell and MJCP here on the AMW website as they detailed the Apple event live from Cupertino. Games? The only games I'm interested in are real ones. Like with some sort of ball in a real environment. Well, how about a new trackpad? Nup, always use a mouse. Will the nascent arrogance I am sensing morph into Microsoftian proportions? Get on with it.
Keith White | Oct 23, 2008
With the iPhone and iPods getting so much attention, I've turned my thinking for a moment to the things I would like to see most in the next generation of Apple hardware and software.
Keith White | Sep 23, 2008
With the iPhone and iPods getting so much attention, I've turned my thinking for a moment to the things I would like to see most in the next generation of Apple hardware and software.
Keith White | Aug 28, 2008
It's often hard to tell the difference between work and play on a Mac. And as Apple keeps piling on the goodies and making the whole experience more silky smooth and seamless — whatever that means — it gets harder. Or easier, if you're a glass-half-full person. I mean, give me a couple of interesting old photos to retouch for a friend and I'm definitely at play. Give me a hundred to do by day's end and it's work. Anyhow, what follows is a brief description of how I relax with my Macs.
Keith White | Jul 31, 2008
The Mac isn't just a computer, it's a lifestyle. Whether working or playing, Mac solutions embrace creativity and inspire "different" thinking when it comes to solving problems. What follows is my studio diary from last week. A glowing endorsement of Apple technology. A wide variety of tasks all completed without a single hiccup, thanks to four great Mac setups and some great software from Apple and others. As you'll see reading through, some tricky and potentially very expensive work became easy (and affordable) thanks to the Mac.
Keith White | Jul 5, 2008
If screen capture is important to you then ScreenFlow from Vara Software might mean the end of your long relationship with SnapZ Pro and other worthies. Leveraging the advanced graphic technologies of Mac OS Leopard, ScreenFlow captures everything on your screen - every window, mouse move and keystroke - even the live action from HD DVD and 3D games. In addition you can record from your iSight camera or attached DV camera at the same time as the screen action is being recorded. ScreenFlow will also pick up audio from your microphone and your Mac system on the way through. The folks at Vara like to talk about screencasting rather than screen capture. This makes sense because ScreenFlow really shines in the process of polishing your screen action for the publishing phase. Like postproduction in podcasting.
Keith White | Jun 5, 2008
Ever since its first baby words in 1984, the Mac has been a garrulous creature. Vintage users will remember with varying degrees of hilarity or annoyance the Talking Moose (b.1986) who would pop up randomly and add a pithy comment to lighten up a dreary work session. And he's still available. But be warned — he's an absolute time waster. If this piece has some weird grammar, blame the Moose! In fact I've just had to turn him off. In 1993 I invested in a Centris 660AV which also talked back. More importantly, I could talk to it In a rudimentary sort of way. "Open Claris Works." "Quit Word." And sometimes it would. Since then we've had to wait a long time for good voice recognition on the Mac. IBM's ViaVoice around 2003 did a lot of heavy lifting for me but strangely stopped working across a number of machines as Tiger progressed through its maturations. iListen, which used a different technology, showed a lot of promise but didn't particularly like my voice. Maybe it's because, even after 50-odd years in Oz, I still can't settle my vowels between the local nasal twang and the flattened sounds of my native Yorkshire. Ee 'oop, lad!
Keith White | May 8, 2008
Ever since its first baby words in 1984 the Mac has been a garrulous creature. Vintage users will remember with varying degrees of hilarity or annoyance the Talking Moose b. 1986 who would pop up randomly and add a pithy comment to lighten up a dreary work session. And he's still available. But be warned - he's an absolute time waster. If this piece has some weird grammar - blame the Moose! In fact I've just had to turn him off. In 1993 I invested in a Centris 660AV which also talked back. More importantly, I could talk to IT. In a rudimentary sort of way. " Open Claris Works." "Quit Word." And sometimes it would.
Keith White | May 8, 2008
Ever since its first baby words in 1984 the Mac has been a garrulous creature. Vintage users will remember with varying degrees of hilarity or annoyance the Talking Moose b. 1986 who would pop up randomly and add a pithy comment to lighten up a dreary work session. And he's still available. But be warned - he's an absolute time waster. If this piece has some weird grammar - blame the Moose! In fact I've just had to turn him off. In 1993 I invested in a Centris 660AV which also talked back. More importantly, I could talk to IT. In a rudimentary sort of way. " Open Claris Works." "Quit Word." And sometimes it would.
Keith White | May 8, 2008
What does the contents of your Dock say about you? Perhaps it's just a collection of the tools you use a lot. Or maybe you don't bother. A friend of mine still has the dock as it came with her Mac. She opens everything else from the Applications folder. Old habits die hard. Just like the emergence of Playlistism — where you are judged as a person by the contents of your iPod playlist — could we have Dockism? In the interests of research, I have decided to share the contents of my Dock with you dear readers for you to judge my Macworth or otherwise. Perhaps what I haven't Docked is as revealing as the colorful strip of icons that stretches almost the width of my 24-inch iMac. Maybe the way I have them organised says something . . .
Keith White | Apr 10, 2008
What does the contents of your Dock say about you? Perhaps it's just a collection of the tools you use a lot. Or maybe you don't bother. A friend of mine still has the dock as it came with her Mac. She opens everything else from the Applications folder. Old habits die hard.
Just like the emergence of Playlistism - where you are judged as a person by the contents of your iPod playlist - could we have Dockism? In the interests of research, I have decided to share the contents of my Dock with you dear readers for you to judge my Macworth or otherwise. Perhaps what I haven't Docked is as revealing as the colorful strip of icons that stretches almost the width of my 24-inch iMac. Maybe the way I have them organised says something . . .
Myvu has announced that its Crystal video goggles now work with the iPhone. The Crystal glasses require a new cable which costs $US24.95.
