appleJAC Users Group

President's Place

by Tom Piper

Are you having fun yet?

 Has Spring been good to you, or are you feeling waterloaded? Summer solistice (the longest day of the year) is now behind us (that means the days are getting shorter, even with Daylight Savings Time), so we need to make the most of each day.

Our last gathering was the Annual appleJAC MUG Picnic where 42 members, families and friends enjoyed wonderful food (outstanding selections), great companies and splendid weather. It was so nice to be able to just sit, eat and talk with all of you who attended (and we missed those of you who couldn't). Letha and I were so happy to share our new home and grounds with you, and appreciate all of the nice comments.

Next month we return to Kennedy Hall at Immaculate Concept School to cover our annual topic of iOS and Mac OS Maintenance (formerly known as MacFixIt). Because today's cases are mostly sealed, we will no longer offer hard drive and memory replacement, but instead, George and I will be focusing on how to protect your Macs and iDevices, improve their performance and Mac them look better, while Joe will remind us of some things NOT to do with them. It will be a great session.

Mark your calendars for July 2 (yes, only two days before firecracker time) at 7:00pm. We will also be offering a sneak peek at the newest Mac 10.9 (or 11.0) Mavericks operating systems, as well as iOS 7, both of which will be major performance and feature improvements, hopefully to be introduced by the last week of September. As always, bring family and friends to join us for fun and education . . . 

PS: don't forget the iOS Photo Contest . . . the rewards could be yours!!! Don't miss my review below about backups and recovery, two important features of Maintenance (there's a lot more at the next meeting).

  

Mac Data Recovery v.6: Regain Just About Everything

a review by Tom Piper

Backup, backup, backup . . . this is the mantra of computer volume protection! Yet, even backups get corrupted, and boot drives fail to boot . . . this is when you need reliable data insurance to bring back those precious files. I’ve been using Stellar recovery products for many years, and their latest release does it all.

The all new Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery Version 6 software recovers just about everything, ranging from files, folders, music, photos, videos to other important documents that may have been lost due to accidental deletion, corruption or formatting. It is one solution for my data recovery requirements after almost all instances of data loss. I can restore lost data from volumes that are corrupted, damaged, deleted and even reformatted.

This powerful Mac data recovery application provides a good balance of simplicity and advanced recovery features to suit a broad spectrum of Mac users like me. Here is a quick description of the many functions Mac Data Recovery software handles:  

• Mac Data Recovery: Stellar Mac Data Recovery brings me plenty of functionality at my fingertips to help safely recover everything I lost on my Mac. I can retrieve irreplaceable files on my hard drive lost due to media formatting, accidental deletion, malicious software attack or other similar issues. The tool's easy-to-use approach coupled with the ability to perform different recovery options (Quick Recovery, Deleted Recovery, Formatted Media & Search Lost Volume) helps me make the most of this data recovery application. 
• Deleted File Recovery: This software makes it exceedingly simple to undelete all your my, folders, documents even after completely emptying the Trash or by hitting 'Command+Shift+Option+Delete'. The software works flawlessly to scan any large Mac volume or drive for deleted files. This utility can now recover all my recently deleted files with their original names.  
• Deleted Volume Recovery: I can now recover lost or deleted volumes on my Mac with minimum fuss using this Mac recovery application. If I no longer see existing volumes on my iMac and MacBook Pro (or Mac Pro, MacBook Air, or Mac Mini, if I had them), the software can locate and rebuild those deleted volumes conveniently to help you get your valuable data back. The software can recover entire volumes deleted from any HFS, HFS+, FAT, NTFS, or ExFAT formatted drive.  
• Raw Recovery: This application has a built-in fingerprint of every common file type that helps better recognize different types of files stored on my hard drive and conveniently perform data recovery based on file signatures. With advanced Raw Recovery feature, I can recover more than 122 different file types with the software.  
• Mac Photo Recovery: I can even recover lost, deleted or formatted photos from any internal or external Mac hard drive, USB drive, digital camera, memory card, SD card, flash card, or others. • System Startup Disc: This tool acts as a data rescuer even when my system fails to boot. Mac Data Recovery is available with a Bootable system startup DVD that comes handy in times of boot failure. 
• Recover Data from NTFS Partitions on Mac: The ultimate usability of the software is realized with its support for Boot Camp partition recovery. The software supports data recovery from NTFS partitions on Mac and gives me a hassle-free experience when recovering files from Windows Boot Camp partition.
• Create Image: This software includes a suite of free additional utilities for data safety, one of which is 'Create Image'. When my media develops bad sectors, and there are chances of impending drive failure, I can create and keep a mountable image of my Mac hard drive, volume, or selected region so that even in case of media failure, I will have a complete backup.
• Recovery from FAT and ExFAT Formatted Drives/Volumes: This software can safely bring back files lost from FAT or ExFAT formatted drives and volumes. The software introduces two levels of scans for FAT and ExFAT volumes including Quick Scan and Deep Scan for either extremely fast scan or time-intensive scanning, which performs a thorough sector-by-sector scan to dig out all the data lost from the drive.
• Resume Recovery: This is very helpful and important feature to recover data from the image file (. ) created at any LATER point of time. This user-friendly software allows me to restore lost or deleted data from any previously created image file of the corresponding Mac media.
• Optical Media Recovery: With this Mac recovery solution, I get the ability to easily grab all my seemingly inaccessible files stored on damaged or improperly burnt optical media (CD, DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray Disc etc).
• Preview During Scan: While the software scans my media behind the scenes, I can see my images, songs, and videos displayed in the main interface on the fly. If I want, I can hide this on-the-fly preview by deselecting the option from preferences. In addition, after completion of the scanning process, the software allows to right click on any recoverable file and see its preview using Quick Look.
• iPod Data Recovery: As if Mac volume recovery is not enough, I can also recover my lost or deleted music files, videos, photos, pod casts and other files from any Mac-supported storage media, including iPods, USB drives and such, including even the iPod Classic and Shuffle.  
• Simple and Interactive GUI: This new version of the Mac recovery software has a simpler and more appealing graphical user interface. With detailed instructions for each step of data recovery, this software can be used by of us without needing any further technical assistance.
• Selective Recovery: On completion of the scanning process, the software lists all recoverable files and folders in a tree-view, from which I can check mark the required ones to perform selective recovery. Here, the software provides an easy recovery option with which I can simply right-click on the selected files or folders to recover them.

This is very awesome software with lots of features while remaining easy to use (see the initial operating screens at right). It can be used on any Intel or PowerPC (G3 or later) Mac running Mac OSX 10.4.1 or later which has at least one gigabyte of RAM and 50 megabytes of free hard drive space. Even with more features than before, this version runs 30% faster than former versions. It is designed even for the novice user, and provides 24-hour online support, if needed. And, just to give you an added level of confidence, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery Version 6 is available by download for $99.00 from www.stellarinfo.com (a premium version also available for $114). Add $20 if you want have them ship you the Recovery CD. And, if you want to try it out before buying, a free download and evaluation version allows you to preview any of their products first. Stellar offers a broad spectrum of other recovery software for Mac, Windows and other platforms, plus a hard drive or CD/DVD recovery service worldwide. This is a robust company with fine products that have been fully developed and are very reliable.

xPrintServer: Terrific iDevice Printing

a review by Tom Piper

Ever since the iPhone was introduced, I’ve wanted to print items from it, then later from my iPod Touch, and iPads. There have been promising apps, and the appearance of AirPrint on some hardware, but results have often been disappointing. I found a great solution at Macworld/iWorld this year.

Printing from my iPhone and iPad is now a breeze with the xPrintServer from Lantronix, making it instant and intuitive. All I have to do is simply plug it in, and it detects any USB printer that I choose (wired or wireless). I don’t have to worry about configuration, or added software, or new apps, or even a new printer . . . one xPrintServer can support all the devices in my house.

This device is perfect for my home office, and my portable Canon printer. It handles everything including photographs, receipts, airline passes, movie tickets, business papers, PDF documents and more, directly from my print menu. xPrintServer is the easy-to-use, affordable solution I’ve been waiting for.

It offers automatic discovery and set up of up to eight USB printers (an optional USB hub is required for this connection). It will also recognize up to two network printers, and USB printer sharing over a network. Although I don’t need it now, I could also get enterprise security or the ability to print to multiple network printers with the xPrintServer Office Edition. Almost unbelievably, the xPrintServer is compatible with over 4,000 top-brand USB, network, wired and wireless printers.

There’s no need to configure anything. Simply select Web pages from Safari, Pages documents or even Photo Stream pictures, hit “print” from my iOS device print menu, and I’ve got a paper copy in my hand. Truly, it works just as advertised and is almost magical in how easy it works . . . and it doesn’t matter which printer I plug into it. 


This incredible solution is available for only $99.95 from http://xprintserver.lantronix.com/home-edition/. The office edition is available on special for $199.95 from http://store.lantronix.com/office-edition. I have no hesitation in recommending this solution (even though I wish it were less expensive).

VersaStand: The Amazing Folding Desktop iPad Holder

a review by Tom Piper

I have had four iPads (orig. iPad, iPad2, new iPad and iPad mini) since they were introduced. With each I’ve been challenged to find a stand that is sturdy, versatile and convenient. At Macworld/iWorld 2013, I found a very satisfying solution.

This amazing VersaStand desk stand folds down to less than 1″ thick and weighs slightly less than one pound. It may well be the most portable, stowable, versatile solution ever created for use with the iPad. The VersaStand has a quick connect and disconnect feature that allows me to use the it with other members of the Ergotech family.

I’ve been very impressed by this stand’s secure stability, and how it displays my iPad at optimal ergonomic, glare-free viewing angles. The VersaStand features 360 degree rotation for portrait and landscape viewing. This portable iPad stand is easy to fold and transport, stowable for mobile professionals and students, and uses a fully-articulating arm which simplifies still photography, video, Skype,and FaceTime apps. The anodized aluminum finish matches the iPad coloring too, and the polycarbonate back cover snaps on very securely.

This has been a handy way to carry this sturdy stand with me. I’m looking forward to the release of the iPad mini mounting back (to be sold separately) so I can attach it to my existing stand. Everyone I’ve shown it to has marveled at its simplicity, utility and beauty (yeah, the would like to “borrow” mine too).

Its also nice to be able to display my iPad using the Versacase with the Surface Mount. Whether I want to mount to my kitchen cabinet, any wall, or a desk surface, this fixed solution is perfect for home and office. It has all the versatility of the stand.

The basic VersaStand (fits iPad2 and new 9.7” models) is available for $69.99 from http://www.sharperimage.com/si/view/product/iPad-Stand/201517?trail. To learn more about this product, and the full series for fine ErgoTech products, go to http://ergofreedomline.com/ipad-versastand/.