appleJAC meeting-"Apple Folders, Messages, and AirTags" April 4, 2023, at 7:00pm. This will be an in-person meeting at Kennedy Hall at the Immaculate Conception School, 1208 East McCarty St, Jefferson City, MO 65101. There will also be an online video stream you can watch on our Facebook page (previous meeting videos are also available there).
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Peggy Landwehr, George Kopp and Tom Piper were interviewed by Hal Dulle and Warren Krech during the KWOS Open Air Saturday, January 14, 2012, episode.
A variety of topics were covered from Apple products to appleJAC activities. It is an entertaining and educational half hour of radio fun.
You can listen in by clicking on OpenAirSaturday (this file might take a minute to load, then it should start automatically so you can hear all of the show without commercials).
a review by Tom Piper
We have all used movie cameras for years, and are now delighted with the ability to capture videos on our iPhones and iPads. This has all been done in “real time”, but what if you are trying to capture a fast-moving object using a higher frame-rate, or a really slow-moving object with a low frame-rate? Such an app is now available from the makers of iSupr8.
Speed Machine from MEA Mobile is a fast and slow motion video recorder which enables you to record videos with an output frame rate ranging from 4 frames-per-second (fps) to 56fps. It does not record audio. You can first record your videos with a playback frame of 4fps, then watch these videos in slow motion, or record at 56fps and watch your movies in fast motion. Features of this app include:
This is not a complicated video app. As the screenshot at right shows, there is the shiny LED button (turn iPhone light on), red Record button, the Preview button, and the Settings button. The viewscreen consuming the left 80% of the screen is a picture of the Setting frame rate dial and quality buttons. Once set, this is very much a point-and-shot app with the results saved in the Photos area.
Learn more about this and other apps at http://www.meamobile.com. Speed Machine is available from the App Store for $1.99. This is a cool app for specialized effects.
a review by Tom Piper
You have a delightful picture, or valuable text that needs to be preserved, so you want to print it . . . but, how and where? iOS device printing still seems more difficult than it should be, particularly when you are away from home. Yet, there is hope with some new apps.
Printer Pro is the application that lets you print wirelessly from the iPad or iPhone. It can print directly to many Wi-Fi printers, and to any printer attached to your Mac or PC via helper application installed on your computer. It broadens your opportunity to get a paper product from your iOS device.
The first step is to “Add printer” to your list (this allows you to select any printer it can see on your Wi-Fi network, or send it to networked computers, or your Dropbox). It then prints out a test page to verify (even allows for calibration of image). Next is displayed all the possible sources of documents like iDisk, Dropbox, Clipboard, Photos, Documents and more, which allows you to retrieve anything you want to print.
Once installed, Printer Pro also appears in the "Open In..." list on your device. This lets you print documents from Mail, Safari, ReaddleDocs and many other applications on your iPad that supports this function, as well as many popular online storages including Dropbox, MobileMe iDisk, GoogleDocs. Its just a matter of a few taps to download your file and send it to the printer.
To print a web page, just change "http" to "phttp" in the address bar in Safari and tap Go. The page will immediately be opened in the Printer Pro with print button right above your finger. You can print web-based documents as well using this approach. I’ve even printed to the office printers of my auto dealership with a simple select-and-print procedure.
Printer Pro is available at the App Store for either $4.99 (iPhone) or $6.99 (iPad), and you can learn more from http://readdle.com/products/printer_pro_ipad/ (change “ipad” to “iphone” in the URL to get the other version). Get the free helper application for your computer to print more types of documents and with better quality. You can download it at support.readdle.com/ppd. All in all, this advanced printer app works quite well.
a review by Tom Piper
Getting tired of the same old accounting programs on your Mac, and looking for a fresh new approach to keeping a record of your revenue and expenses? Want to do it on an iOS device so it is always there when you need it most? This new app may well appeal to you.
CoinKeeper, by i-Free Innovations (St Petersburg, Russia), was released for iPhone and iPod Touch. The game-style expense tracker app came to iTunes AppStores in North America, UK and Australia on October 17th.
CoinKeeper is a beautiful and easy budget and expense tracker with iOS native feel. You begin with a default or customizable budget, and start adding transactions with the drag-and-tap interface designed to save time and add fun. CoinKeeper gives an immediate and comprehensive one-screen view of the current state of your personal finances in a neat visual style. Rewards for consistency in budget planning and spending are introduced to inspire first-time adopters of personal finance planning and add a game flavor to experienced users. Their website provides some excellent observations:
How it differs from existing financial apps:
Other features:
What's new in version 1.4:
Its a rather novel idea to use the “coin metaphor” to do your accounting, yet it seems to be quite delightful in the execution. It is quite the bargain at only $2.99 from the App Store, learn more about it from http://coinkeeper.me/. They even have a cool YouTube video to provide a quick journey through all the features.
IK Multimedia on the first day of CES has announced four incredible new products:
a review by Tom Piper
Are you tired of browsing the greeting card stores for something that exactly fits your mood and intent? Do you want to create cards that are refreshing and expressive? Need a source for terrific photos and thoughtful content? I believe I have the answer for you.
Sophie's Cards is a greeting card program that allows you to produce studio quality cards in minutes for virtually any occasion. More than five years in the making, version 6 of this program now contains exclusive photography not available anywhere else.
I found that using Sophie's Cards is straightforward whereby that you can just select an occasion (including holidays), and the program offers you a menu of appropriate images and verses, and you can even add your own words and import your own pictures to create a completely personalized card (the ability to print envelopes with an easy-to-use address feature is.
To make a new card, you need to select card stock (portrait or landscape, full page or half-fold or quarter-fold), choose inside or outside of card, then step through each of four tabs for Photos (629 in 18 categories), Verse (549 in 17 categories), Accents (16 Borders, 36 insets in any corner), and Personalization (Cover Text, Left/Top Text, Right/Bottom Text for Salutation, Address, Closing Greeting and Signature). Obviously, you have lots of choices and flexability.
Once your card is done, you can create custom envelopes with selectable print and pictures, which can be printed one at a time, or batch printed from a list (it will even auto-import your Address Book). Who its from and to whom it is going is all customizable. If you need help, a quick click on the “?” in the top margin of the window will yield four different illustrated and labelled graphic representations of the working screens . . . very easy to follow, and a fairly quick set of instructions.
After completion, you can even track and recover cards you have saved and move them back to the Design Screen for re-design or re-use exactly as you had originally designed them. Its nice to be able to print in nine different card sizes, and matching envelopes, including note card, half fold, postcard, and "frameable art", in both U.S. and international sizes.
In order to use, you need at least a PowerPC G5 computer with at least 256MB of RAM, running at least Mac OS v10.5 or greater with a minimum of one GB of available hard disk drive space, and a photo-quality inkjet printer (a CD-ROM drive is needed for CD versions of Sophie's Cards). For best results, a Mac with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core Duo processor or faster, with at least 4GB of RAM, running Mac OS v10.6.x, or 10.7.x, and one GB of available hard disk drive space (same printer and CD drive needed as previously mentioned). You also need appropriate sizes and types of card stock (although you can use regular 8.5” x 11”.
Sophie's Cards can be purchased from the Kagi Store for $39.95 (this provides a registration code to fully enable copies originally downloaded as a demo). A free demo of version 6 is available at http://www.sophiescards.com/Sophies_Cards/Home.html. To get Sophie’s Cards on CD from the Kagi Store, it will cost. $39.95 + $7.99 S&H. To order a demo from the Kagi Store, it will cost $7.99. Its nice to be able to design and produce your own greeting cards, particularly if you have a creative nature. This program is a terrific tool to help you be as expressive as you wish.
a review by Tom Piper
Author: J.D. Biersdorfer
Publisher: O'Reilly Media / Pogue Press
Released: October 2010
Pages: 304
Print ISBN: 978-1-4493-9047-1 | ISBN 10: 1-4493-9047-1
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4493-0182-8 | ISBN 10: 1-4493-0182-7
As stated on this book’s website, “Apple's iPod still has the world hooked on portable music, pictures, videos, movies, and more, but one thing it doesn't have is a manual that helps you can get the most out this amazing device. That's where this book comes in. Get the complete scoop on the latest line of iPods and the latest version of iTunes with the guide that outshines them all — iPod: The Missing Manual.”
The ninth edition is as useful, satisfying, and reliable as its subject. It is filled with high-quality color graphics, each page helps you accomplish a specific task — everything from managing your media and installing and browsing iTunes to keeping calendars and contacts. Whether you have a brand-new iPod or an old favorite, this book provides crystal-clear colorful explanations and expert guidance on all of the things you can do.
The Table of Contents provides a useful overview of the topics described (each chapter has many subchapters that go into tremendous detail):
This is a delightful book that was first produced almost 10 years ago, then repeatedly updated to recognize all of the versions of the iPod as time marched along. It is not only educational, but also quite entertaining as we journey through all the audio and visual aspect of this incredible product. It definitely has a place in your library, whether paper or ebook. The prices are very reasonable.
By going to the O’Reilly website (http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920010876.do), to can purchase the print version for $19.99, or the book (APK, DAISY, ePub, Mobi, PDF) version for $15.99. If you are an Amazon fan, then the paperback version can be acquired there for $12.99, or the Kindle ebook version for $9.99. As with all Missing Manual publications (of which I have many), this is another treasure for your collection.
a review by Tom Piper
When I do podcasts, recording the sound of an interview is very important. I’ve used Skype in the past, and increasingly am using iChat and FaceTime as they become more popular. Perhaps you, too, have such a need, even for family and friends? Now, there is a cool way to do it, quickly and simply.
From Rogue Amoeba comes Piezo 1.1 which brings VoIP Recording to Skype, iChat, FaceTime and more. This simple audio recording app provides full support for recording from a variety of VoIP apps. What really caught my attention is that this new app will now separate out the audio of the caller and recipient, recording them to the left and right audio channels, respectively. This is a really great feature for podcasts and other recordings.
Piezo can avoid feedback effects, and provides the user more control during post-processing. It has a stunning interface, featuring a gorgeous retro-modern look, requires almost no configuration, and allows for recording from microphones and other audio devices too.
 Using this app is so easy. Select a sound source from the pop-up list on front, click on the red record button at right, and its recording (watch the VU meters dance) — click the record button again, and you are done. Settings are straight-forward (file name and five levels of sound quality). Preferences allow you to select where you want the file saved, and whether you want it to show after recording is done.
Piezo requires Mac OS X 10.6 or higher, and can be purchased via the Mac App Store, or directly from Rogue Amoeba’s online store (http://rogueamoeba.com/piezo/) for just $10. A fully-functional free trial is also available on the Rogue Amoeba site.
