appleJAC Users Group

President’s Corner

by Tom Piper, aJMUG President

The end of July is quickly approaching half over, the rains/heat/humidity persist, and the days are starting to get shorter again. Our Saturday morning gathering at the Coffee Zone again raised questions about a miniature laptop (or super iPhone, or net tablet) as we enjoyed viewing George’s HP netbook (my son Jason also has an Asus netbook). New Apple products continue to be a quest for our predictive crystal balls in the face of Steve Jobs’ secrecy about his “one more thing”.

Last month, 40 appleJAC members and visitors enjoyed the Annual appleJAC MacFixIt meeting at Trinity Lutheran School cafeteria (thanks to Bruce Heerboth for facilitating). As in past years, veteran appleJAC gurus were on hand to assist six people with various hardware and software anomalies. Joe Mertzlufft presented important maintenance tips to protect the Mac, and George Kopp did a special presentation about setting up and using Time Machine, Apple’s own Leopard backup.

Next meeting we look forward to our special annual “Mac at Work” visit to a business which integrates Apple products to enhance their operations. Julie Smith has arranged our trip to the main office of the NewsTribune at 210 Monroe Street in Jefferson City (enter at east entrance as shown on map below). Dan Walsh (and co-worker Colleen) will be presenting the ways in which their new iMacs facilitate the products of their daily newspaper, and giving everyone a peek how the new appleJAC brochure which is under development. This will be a very interesting visit to a leading business in our area.

The “Made on a Mac” image enhancement competition is almost over, with your entry (one per member up to 2 megabytes in size) due no later than August 4 to applejac@mac.com (see explanation below). Time is short, enter now . . . the prizes will be iTunes Gift Certificates of $50, $35, and $25 for first, second and third place winners!

DVD copies of the videotaped (Steve Archer and Sharon Hanson) January, February, March, April, May and June meetings are available from our Library (see Bruce Heerboth to check any out, or get a copy). We are really busy with lots of membership benefits.

Building on the success of the MacBasics classes, George Kopp held a special July 9 iPhoto MacClass at the Landwehr home that was even better attended (with many regrets that they couldn’t make it). My iWork ’09 MacClasses will be at Lewis and Clark Middle School on September 10, 17 and 24 featuring Pages, Numbers and Keynote (see registration below).

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the next appleJAC Macintosh Users Group meeting on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, at 7:00 pm. Bring family, friends and new members to get the most out of your Mac and other Apple products.

iWork Classes Scheduled for September

Download the Syllabus

July 2009 New Vendor Discount Offers

IGG Software Summer Sale: 20% Off

IGG Software's flagship products are iBank 3, a Mac-only alternative to Quicken that's a great way to track checking and savings accounts, credit cards, investments and loans; and the all-new iBiz 4, a cool tool for freelancers or small firms to manage clients, projects, billable hours and invoicing.

Apple User Group members can take 20% off all purchases including iBank (regularly $60 US) and iBiz (regularly $40 US), as well as iBiz Professional, iPaste, and upgrades too. All software is downloadable, with free trials and a money-back guarantee.

Order today: http://www.iggsoftware.com          
This worldwide offer is valid through September 30, 2009.

Automated Workflows, LLC: 40% Discount on Automator Actions

Automated Workflows, LLC's "Ultimate Productivity Automator Action Pack for Mac OS X Leopard" allows users to extend the capabilities of Automator with 170 additional actions for FileMaker Pro, Illustrator, InDesign, iPhoto, Mail, Photoshop, Preview, QuarkXPress, Safari, TextEdit, Twitter and more! Start reducing those time consuming and repetitive tasks in your workflow today!

Regularly priced at $79.99 (US), user group members qualify for a reduced price of $47.99 (US), a 40% discount, during this offer.

Learn more/order: http://www.automatedworkflows.com/software/automator_actions/ultimate.html      

This worldwide offer is good until September 30, 2009.

The Only Industry-standard SEO Software: 53% discount

SEO PowerSuite includes four forceful SEO tools, making you more productive at each website promotion task: keyword research, building premium high-PR backlinks, content (HTML code) optimization, rank tracking and more. The software also produces flexible reports that let you analyze your SEO strategy and deliver results to partners and clients. SEO PowerSuite includes:

   - Rank Tracker     - WebSite Auditor
   - SEO SpyGlass     - LinkAssistant

With an original price of $399 (US), Apple User Group Members qualify for a special price of $186.75 (US), 53% off!

Order with discount: http://www.link-assistant.com/buy/bundle.html?d=ldtcnb12
Learn more: http://www.link-assistant.com     
Download a free version: http://www.link-assistant.com/download.html
This worldwide offer is valid through October 31, 2009.

TheMacU.com: 20% All In-depth Mac Video Training Titles

Tap the full potential of your Mac with video training from The Mac U. In depth training courses are available on a wide variety of topics. Tons of free Mac video tutorials and software demo videos are also available.

Better yet, Apple user group members get 20% off all titles.

View a wide selection of free lessons and more: http://www.TheMacU.com
This worldwide offer is valid through October 31, 2009.

AQUAFADAS Software: 25% off

With a focus on the Mac platform, Aquafadas was formed to develop and promote high quality software solutions exclusively for the imaging and digital video community.

The Apple User Group community can receive a special discount off the entire software range:

• PulpMotion - $49 (US) reduced to $36.75 (US)     
• PulpMotion Advanced - $129 (US) reduced to $96.75 (US)
• BannerZest - $49 (US) reduced to $36.75 (US)
• BannerZest Pro - $129 (US) reduced to $96.75
• VideoPier - $49 (US) reduced to $36.75 (US)
• VideoPier HD - $79 (US) reduced to $96.75 (US)
• iDive - $79 (US) reduced to $59.25 (US)

Visit and purchase: http://www.aquafadas.com
This worldwide offer is valid through October 31, 2009.

Missing Sync: Improving iPhone Sharing

a review by Tom Piper

Now that you have this marvelous portable microcomputer (which also makes phone calls), you want to be able to take your information wherever you go, and to transfer and update it easily. It seems to all of us that the pieces and parts are there to do it, but there is a missing wireless link.

Mark/Space, an innovative company providing computer-to-device linking services for almost 20 years, has provided a great solution. As their website says, the Missing Sync for iPhone 2.0 provides true, two-way syncing of notes, tasks and documents between the iPhone, iPod touch, Mac and PC. It can sync iPhone notes, iCal tasks, folders to Mac, and files with PC via WiFi, as well as save voicemail to Mac.

In addition, using Fliq, you can wirelessly send and transfer notes, tasks, documents and other data between your computer and iPhone or iPod touch without iTunes. Fliq can ransfer docs with WiFi, send files to others, use as flash drive, send tasks to iCal, transfer w/o cables, and send notes. As if that isn’t enough, you can use the free apps Fliq Notes, Fliq Docs, and Fliq Tasks to share notes, tasks, documents, music, photos, video and more via WiFi with iPhone or iPod touch friends and family, and have fun at the same time.

Missing Sync and Fliq are available for Mac and PC. It works not only with the iPhone, but also Blackberry, Palm Pre & OS, Sony PSP, Symbian S60 & UIQ, Windows Mobile and other devices in communicating with Mac and Windows operating systems. This is a versatile product that believes in sharing information. I’ve used Missing Sync in the past very successfully with my Palm products, and it works even better now with the iPhone.

If you want to take more of your computer information with you, and do it easily and conveniently, I believe that these Mark/Space products are among the best you can find. Not only that, for a limited time, you can get it at a third off the regular price (see below). These are robust and durable ways to get, keep and share your information.

Buy The Missing Sync, Get Fliq for Mac Free

The Missing Sync for iPhone lets you sync notes, tasks, documents and files between your iPhone and Mac, and archive notes, text messages and call logs to your Mac. Fliq for Mac is a powerful way for Mac users to send and receive photos, contacts, notes, tasks and documents with others over a network, and exchange notes and memos.

Regularly priced at $59.95 (US), user group members qualify for a reduced price of $39.95 (US) during this offer.

Order: http://tinyurl.com/UGPromo            
Learn more: http://www.markspace.com/iphone

This worldwide offer is valid until September 30, 2009.

iPhoto: How to burn a CD or DVD with pictures for a Windows-based computer

Ever wanted to send some photos to a friend except they were unfortunate enough to use Windows.  Apple has a great article on how to take photos in iPhoto and export them out to a CD or DVD that a Windows user can read and use.

Read the article on Apple's support website here.

Omniverse 13” Universal Case: A Nice Mac Fit and Finish

by Tom and Jason Piper

You spend a good chunk of change to get a great Mac laptop, so you want to protect it against the rigors of travel and stress of portability. You look for durability, value and good looks . . . we have a good choice for you.

The Uniea Store has a new selection available that we’ve used for a new 13” MacBook Pro. The Uniea Omniverse for MacBook 13-inch laptop is a universal tote that really fits the bill for quick and easy-to-use case that will hold just about any cable you might need for a lightweight trip. The demo unit we received is in black nylon, but the case is also available in a  black “silk fiber”. The inside is padded with wavy material that Uniea says "absorbs and dissipates heat", although I can't say the laptop ran any warmer or cooler while in the case.

The design of the case is very well thought out as the zipper goes all the way around the laptop which gives easy access to all the accessory ports and the CD/DVD drive, also allows you to keep the laptop in case at all times. This case does offer excellent shock protection as the wavy material covers both sides of the laptop, but the corners do leave a bit to be desired since the only protection is basically the zipper.

This case will function in either briefcase or slipcase modes thanks to the two small handles easily packing away into mini-snap pockets on either side of the case. These pockets also work to hold little items like a flash drive when the handle is not tucked away. This case also has elastic triangular panels in the corners that keep it attached to the computer while it is open. They might be a tad thick for the latest Mac unibody designs as the laptop does not close all the way, and the laptop could turn back on.  The fit and finish of this case is very good, and creates a snug fit.

For more information, visit www.unieastore.com where you will find this nylon case for $39.95 (also available in Silk Fiber, which is a quilted look). Uniea's entire line of products includes cases for 13-, 15- and 17-inch MacBooks, 10.2-inch Universal, Large/Small Digital Cameras, Hard drives, and iPods. They are also made in similar materials and designed very much in the same manner. Their cases are also water-resistant, although we did not test this functionality. They range from $14.95 to $39.95, which is priced very competitively for similar cases, although these cases excel in places others fall short.

Evouni Style: Protection and Performance

by Tom Piper

Having a stylish portable speaker for your computer is sometimes a confusing decision, particularly if you need something other than the usual 2.5 or 3.5mm plug.

Evouni has just released its new PUSH-PUSH Speaker in a stylish white or black package. PUSH-PUSH touch speaker is a 2.0ch speaker, circular in shape and made from aluminum alloy. Just one finger touch provides easy control for PUSH-PUSH touch speaker. The volume is managed with a circular touch, moving the finger clockwise and counter-clockwise on the outer edge of its surface. Equipped with a retractable USB cable that charges the unit from your desktop or laptop computer, with no need for an extra AC adapter. Cable tidies away nicely. Its features include:

• PUSH-PUSH design
• Touch top volume control
• Built-in retractable USB cord
• Compact carry case (3.88 oz., 3.31” dia. x 0.94” thick)

Similar to the Push-push Card Reader I previously reviewed, this unit’s speaker’s “grills” pop-up when the top is firmly pressed down, and the logo glows a nice blue hue. The USB cable easily pulls out an cord up to 18” long, and you will need to change your sound output in System Preferences to this USB Audio Device. Its important to charge this unit before using it, then you will get a respectable personal sound.

When looking for an iPhone case, you should also consider Evouni’s Hard-shell Protective Case which is designed to protect the device against scratch and scuff damage. For the finest in sleek, durable protection of your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3G S, Evouni utilizes hard-shell plastic and aluminum alloy casing. This offers a dualistic approach to allow for a stylish and elegant look, with a soft feel. Interior silicon rubber provides shock absorption plus impact and scratch protection.

This case offers greater protection while giving you full access to widescreen touch controls. With the streamlined, low-profile design, it forms to the sleek lines of your iPhone 3G to create a custom-finished look. In addition to the case with the removable base (for easy insertion onto iPhone stand), a screen protector and Microfiber cleaning cloth are also included. When fully assembled with the iPhone, it has a sound, well-protected feel.

This unique speaker is available at www.evouni.com/store for $50 (also www.amazon.com). The iPhone Case is available at the same locations for $35. If you want style and protection, these items could be a good buy for you.

CrashPlan: Backup for Home and Business

by Tom Piper

How many time have you been asked the question: “Have you backed up your hard drive?” Well, did you? Storage media is volatile and will fail, sooner or later. There are many ways to do this, but you must do it. In case of fire, flood, burglary or worse, offsite storage is vital.

I’ve been using CrashPlan for the past month to automatically backup key parts of my User Folder to the CrashPlan Central off-site location (a set of remote servers). It’s pretty easy and automatic with no buttons to push or CDs to burn. I simply installed CrashPlan, and it now quietly runs in the background protecting my files without slowing down my desktop activities.

And, best of all,it's free to back up my files to my own local and offsite destinations. These files are encrypted at my choice of multiple offsite destinations. I could backup to my old PC, a friend's desktop, an external hard drive, or whichever I want (see below). As indicated earlier, only offsite backup protects these files from theft, fire, and other local disasters. CrashPlan also insures my privacy by encrypting these files before they are sent, keeping personal files personal. I’m not limited to just one, but can select any or all local and remote backup destinations.

There are many ways to customize a backup by way of scheduling, frequency, destinations, exclusions, verifications, file size, old file deletion, status, alerts, and more. CrashPlan flags changes, has unlimited versioning (move backward in time), backup priorities (new vs. old, local vs. remote), data is compressed, and setup is quick. I would recommend that, if backup up over the Internet, pay close attention to limiting the sending rate to ensure that other access (like mail and browser activities) are not restricted (my initial settings shut out all other Internet access for everyone in the house because my backup was “filling the pipe”).

 

Did I say that CrashPlan is FREE? The initial basic license is immediately downloadable (www.crashplan.com) and can be up in running in five minutes. For more advanced features (continuous protection, free upgrades, priority support), you can get CrashPlan+ for up to 10 computers for $59.99. For an additional $49.80, you can buy a-one year subscription to 50 gigabytes of storage online (remote backup like what I’m using). You can even buy a combo package with CrashPlan+ and a 500GB LaCie hard drive for $119.98. There are even more variations on these concepts to choose from, for home and business.

I am also particularly impressed by their support which includes a special support wiki, frequently asked questions, email support, user forums, PRO service, and more. This system has worked well for me as an adjunct to Time Machine that I use for incremental local backups, and Carbon Copy Cloner that I use for bootable external drive backups. If your data is as important to you as mine is to me, having multiple local and remote backups is a good insurance plan.

ecamm BT-1: World’s First Bluetooth Webcam

by Tom Piper

The iSight video “tube” camera was a terrific FireWire-tethered tool to capture images, and the built-in iSight camera in new Mac laptops and monitors is an excellent resource, but both have limitations of distance and direction. Wouldn’t it be great to have a wireless A/V device you can use almost anywhere?

Announced at Macworld Expo 2009 as “Best of Show”, and released for purchase in June, the very new BT-1 from ecamm is the wireless solution for which we’ve been waiting. This Bluetooth Webcam includes a mini-tripod, USB charging cable and very simple instructions. With the download and installation of a small interface file (requires Mac OS X 10.5 or newer, and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR or better), this webcam is immediately usable by iChat, Skype, QuickTime, Evocam, and virtually any other software that access a camera.

Like the iSight, the BT-1 is 640x480 H.264 video with 48 kHz stereo AAC audio and 4-hour battery  capacity, plus Bluetooth range of 10-30 feet, depending on age and type of Mac (extendable up to 200 feet line-of-sight with a Class 1 Bluetooth USB dongle, for about $10). Its really small at 2”x2.5”x0.6” in size, and very lightweight. It is rechargeable with the provided USB cable (it will work while charging too, about 2-hour charge time), and has a standard 3.5mm audio port for an external microphone. The tripod legs extend from 2.5” to 7.0”, making for a very stable platform (the legs on some tripods have been known to jam). Bluetooth pairing begins automatically with a simple “0000”, and controls on the BT-1 are extremely simple with an on/off button, a power light, and a charging indicator light, and a nice preferences icon in the top menu of your screen  . . . that’s it.

 So far, I’ve used this unit with Ustream to share an hour at the Coffee Zone, on iChat to conduct a video call with a local friend and another a thousand miles away, on QuickTime to record a walkabout inventory of the house, via Skype with my son from his laptop to mine, and with Evocam to monitor the activities of my grandson (on both my Mac and iPhone). I’m sure that there are many other creative ways to use it, particularly since it is compatible with any camera mount (C-clamps, photo bags, gorilla tripods, etc.). It has excellent screen quality, even in low light situations. Color rendition is amazingly good, focusing well from 10” to infinity at 15 frames per second, and sound reception was good even 20’ away (a powered microphone would work even better in the sound jack).

The ecamm BT-1 can be yours for only $149, plus shipping, at www.bt-1.com (and probably in your local stores soon). I fully endorse this innovative product as yet another in a long line of successful products that you can see at www.ecamm.com. The “ecamm network” also includes iUSBCam, iGlasses, Conference Recorder, Huckleberry, PhoneView and Call Recorder (all of which I have), as well as PowerBoost, DockStar and CardRaider (which I hope to get soon), and iMage USB Webcam (this is what got me interested in the webcam when a friend first showed it to me). For a pair of great interviews with co-founders Glen and Ken Aspeslagh, go to www.bt-1.com and click on the Media tab.

Easy simplicity, high quality, excellent reliability, thoughtful service, and competitive pricing make the ecamm BT-1 Webcam a great value for many of our video needs. I can’t wait to see what the Ecamm Network comes out with next!

End of August appleJAC Digest