News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
Imagine you're a principal in our deep northern state, concerned to get the best for your staff. You note that the Queensland state government has introduced a "Computers for Teachers" program. Bravo. Good to see that this teaching and learning tool is being recognised as essential. The program gives an option for a Windows or a Mac laptop in a seemingly ecumenical way. I write “seemingly” because there are traps: traps that make it difficult — some would say impossible — to get a Mac for members of your staff.
Martin Levins | May 7, 2008
As I type this it's the second of May 2008, and just a few days after the release of Apple's updated iMacs with Intel Penryn processors. While much has been said on various sites about how the changes to the new models are fairly minor, the timing inevitably puts me in mind of the sixth of May 1998 — the day, ten years ago, when Apple first unveiled the iMac. The changes since then are, to put it mildly, pretty radical. Ten years ago there was only one iMac model. It was made of blue translucent plastic, incorporated a 15-inch CRT display, and had a PowerPC 750 (G3) processor manufactured by Motorola, running at 233MHz. It came with 32MB of RAM standard, and a massive 4GB hard drive — that's right, 4GB! How could you ever hope to fill all that? The operating system was a modified version of Mac OS 8.1, amended to include support for this newfangled USB thingy. It cost $US1299 (I don't recall the Australian price, but when I find it I'll update this).
Matthew JC. Powell | May 2, 2008
Since its establishment in 1970, the Palo Alto Research Center funded by Xerox has developed groundbreaking technologies, including Ethernet, the GUI (graphical user interface) and the computer mouse. Xerox failed to profit from some of those technologies, ultimately made successful by companies like Apple, which hired researchers from PARC to develop the GUI. Xerox instead made money from PARC projects such as laser printers, which fit the model of a document and imaging company. PARC was spun off from Xerox in 2002 and now focuses its research on technologies that it can commercialise through its parent or startup companies. The technologies it is researching include self-erasable paper, solid ink and intelligent documents. From 280 researchers during its heyday between the late 1980s and early 1990s, the lab now staffs about 165 researchers, who work with other Xerox researchers worldwide.
Agam Shah | May 1, 2008
The Mac, as you and I know, is one of best computers you can buy out of the box. It's a cinch to unpack, set up and get going. It's also comes with a terrific set of software, applications like iMovie, iPhoto and iDVD that mean you really don't need to buy anything else to put on your Mac. But if you want to explore all the different video content out on the web you'll need a few free applications that will open up your Mac to a whole new world of video.
Danny Gorog | Apr 29, 2008
In this week's bumper edition of the Australian Macworld Weekend Edition Podcast, Keith White interviews Adam Engst — of TidBits and Take Control e-books fame — about how he got his start in computing and when he became a Mac devotee. In amongst the discussion Engst makes an interesting observation: that despite being a Mac community "A-lister" he's never had an actual discussion with Steve Jobs and, most interestingly, that if he did get the chance he doesn't know what he would ask.
Matthew JC. Powell | Apr 27, 2008
How would you feel if your Internet connection suddenly disappeared? Would you panic? Would business (and therefore cashflow) grind to a halt? Would your family look like a clutch of lost souls? What can you do? What backup plan should you have? Indeed, should you have more than one plan, just in case? Well, thankfully, there are several options available for you to get your internet fix when the main line is cut off.
Anthony Caruana | Apr 26, 2008
Psystar, a small company in Florida that hasn't yet opened its offices, made ripples around the tech world last week by saying it would offer a Mac clone somewhat cheaper than what Apple charges for comparable hardware. In spite of reports that the company kept changing its physical address, and in spite of several site outages, and in spite of the company being dumped by its credit card provider, the orders apparently kept flowing in. The price difference is obviously a factor in this demand for a Mac clone, but surely not enough to offset the unease of dealing with a company with that kind of record. Obviously Psystar is offering something people want — a lot.
Matthew JC. Powell | Apr 23, 2008
Travelling overseas is full of excitement but there are few stressful moments as well. There are the flights, accomodation, tours, insurance and transfers to sort out. Fortunately, a good travel agent will get you over those hurdles. However, the same can't be said for access to e-mail, internet banking and other web services. There are so many things to sort out. Can I access WiFi? Will my mobile phone work? Recently, an Australian Macworld reader asked me some of those questions and here's the story.
Anthony Caruana | Apr 21, 2008
Australia's largest state is the home to two extremely active and vibrant Macintosh User Groups — WAMUG and GMUG. The Western Australian Macintosh User Group is based in the world's "most remote capital city" of Perth and was founded back at the very dawn of the "Age of Macintosh" aka 1984. The Geraldton Macintosh User Group is located about four and half hours drive north of Perth and whilst it is a comparatively small User Group it welcomes members from all over the globe.
Nicholas Pyers | Apr 21, 2008
Apple computers have for decades now been considered popular with the creative and artistic among us, and by some to be even identified with or emblematic of creativity. Artists all over the computer-buying world have pledged allegiance to Apple, whether they admit it or not, partly because the brand is, rightly or wrongly, often seen as synonymous with, at the very least, a certain flair or style. Accolades for the design of such Apple successes as the iMac and the iPod have cemented and developed this notion in the minds of many. Yet there's probably nothing specifically arty about Apple machines, no more surely than for any other computer. Yet it is true that recent decades have seen more artistic and creative activity facilitated by the world of information technology. Kids who might have once studied to become cartoonists or signwriters are now computer-aided designers of various stripes — whether working in an advertising studio or publishing company, they use their love of colours and eye for trends to produce beauty both for its own sake and for commercial purposes.
Fleur Doidge | Apr 17, 2008
Flash is possibly the most used, and then again the most misused function on a digital camera. How many times have you seen TV broadcasts at night from a huge sports arena and, just as the player/athlete does his or her magic trick, all the cameras in the audience section fire up and betray their presence with their telltale flash? It’s as sure as the sun rises you can guarantee those poor snappy souls will get nix, nowt, da nada in the way of a useful picture. Most likely, they will get a black, underexposed frame, if anything at all.
Barrie Smith | Apr 15, 2008
Back in the in 1980s one of the most popular illnesses doing the hypochondria wards was RSI or repetitive strain injury. Everyone who used a keyboard suddenly seemed to be a victim of this previously unheard-of affliction. Those who played a lot of tennis knew about it, but the rest of us didn’t have much idea and most of us thought those who complained of it were probably prone to a bit of whinging and most likely also members of the regular sick-day club. Most of us probably regard people who regularly say “oooh, my back hurts” as having a minor irritation they simply must share. The first time you do something that makes your back hurt you change your point of view. When your correspondent was stricken with RSI back in the mid-eighties, I was instantly reminded of the rapid way your opinion can be changed by a dose of reality. OK, so I was working as a software developer and churning out many lines of code for a big project so what had gone wrong?
Ian Yates | Apr 14, 2008
Myvu has announced that its Crystal video goggles now work with the iPhone. The Crystal glasses require a new cable which costs $US24.95.
