appleJAC Users Group

President’s Corner: August Meeting in Columbia

 
by Tom Piper, aJMUG President

Summer is passing quickly, and hot-weather activities and vacations are coming to an end . . . did you get everything done this summer that you wanted to? (no, I didn’t either!!!) Hot, muggy, and wet, but school is approaching quickly, and last minute vacations and time away must be wrapped up. Mac projects are also beckoning for our attention.

At our last meeting delightfully held at the Coffee Zone, George Kopp showed his mini-DVI-to-HDMI cable as his favorite gadget; Charlotte Hubbard described “Pandora” on her iPad as her favorite app; and Mark Snell displayed the Mizzou Tiger iPad case that he had gotten from Columbia. I introduced the topic of iOS4 as the latest iPhone/iPod operating system, immediately followed by George’s presentation of the iPhone 4G which had received earlier that day (quite an involved setup process he had involving AT&T and Apple.

After break, we went around the room with various attendees expressing their thoughts on Apple product maintenance highlighting topics like computer backups, repairing permissions, emptying caches, cleaning screens and equipment, and more. Alice Kopp again provided another interesting perspective on our website. The evening’s door prize winners included:

•     Bento 2 (member contributed)    Larry Garvin
•     Photography book                      Greg Perry
•     appleJAC bag clip                      Karen Keeney
•     appleJAC red flashlight              Tom Vaughn
•     appleJAC blue flashlight             Bill Webb
•     appleJAC silver flashlight           Sue Snell
•     appleJAC mobile clip                 Brenda Hancock
•     appleJAC stress ball                   Alice Kopp

       
Our next meeting will be the Missouri Press Association headquarters, which is located at 802 Locust Street, Columbia, MO 65201. They are extensive users of Macintosh computers, as are the majority of their members. Julie Smith has made these arrangements for us.

Mark your calendar NOW for the appleJAC “Mac at Work” meeting on Tuesday, August 3, 2010, at 7:00 pm. Carpool to travel, and bring family, friends and new members to get the most out of your Mac and Apple products.

August 2010 Agenda

 

IPEVO Point 2 View USB Doc Cam: A Great New Viewing Device

 by Tom Piper

How many times have you seen us trying to demo an app on an iPhone, a screen on an iPod, or a view of the iPad, or a closeup view of a small object? We’ve tried various cameras and overhead scanners, even the venerable iSight camera (handheld and built-in), but all have either been bulky, or unclear, or had other shortcomings.

I’ve just discovered a delightful new camera from IPEVO which is sharp, light, portable, easy to position, and fun to use, which meets almost all of my criteria (and a great price too). Out of the box it is simple to assemble, and efficient to install the software from the CD that comes with the package. It plugs into a regular USB port on the computer, and focuses automatically up to 1600 x 1200 resolution. There are so many things it can be used for including the following broad list from the manufacturer:

You Can Do More:

• Capture real-time video for large-screen presentations in a business or educational environment;
• Toggle between continuous and single-click autofocus to ensure a razor-sharp image;
• Take advantage of the camera's macro mode to capture fine details and small text;
• Use the Point 2 View with Skype, Google Talk, and more to share docs remotely in real-time; and
• Save document images to your hard drive as JPEG files, to refer to them later or send them via email.

You Can Get More Done:

• Project architectural models, 3-D molecules in chemistry class, fine camera parts, circuit boards, drawings from a sketchbook, handwritten math equations—the possibilities are endless;
• Conduct product demos, demonstrate apps, and show information or video from your smart phone or iPad;
• Project text to be read aloud to enhance learning in remedial, ESL, reader's theater, and other teaching contexts;
• Avoid the hassle and costs of making copies of a class textbook or business report; just project it;
• Take the portable and lightweight Point 2 View with you from classroom to classroom, and use it in e-learning and remote learning environments; and
• Keep students engaged with effective multimedia, interactive learning.

This versatile little camera will probably come to every meeting with me because of its great functionality, quick setup, and excellent compatibility with our digital projector. Everyone will be able to see what we are doing now, and you will be able to see our favorite apps live and in color! My only suggestion for improvement is to make one of the arms adjustable length to show the whole iPad screen without having to elevate the base with a box (their company engineers are already working on this for the next model). I’m sold on this unit, and really believe that it is a great value at only $69 . . . and the special user group member offer takes another 10% off that price for the next few months.

 
IPEVO Point 2 View USB Doc Cam: 10% Discount


The Point 2 View's versatility starts with its multi-jointed stand and weighted base. Three points of articulation mean that you can position the camera at most any height and angle. And the camera's ergonomic grip, as well as a universal monitor clip, give you even more view options. 


   - Great tool to demo your iPhone or iPad

   - Plug-and-play for your Mac, no driver required.

   - 2.0 Megapixel CMOS sensor

   - Full auto-focus with up to 1.5" macro

   - Compact, versatile and portable


The Point 2 View MSRP is $69.00 (USD); this special Apple user group member price is  only $62.10 (USD).



Show and tell at: http://www.ipevo.com


This US-only offer is valid through September 30, 2010.

End of August appleJAC Digest/Blog