Newsletter to Members
February 2007
Next Meeting Monday 5 February – our first for 2007...
The usual venue, level 3 Theatrette, Webster Building, UNSW Kensington 6:30pm
Macworld SF 2007 Report:
Just back from San Francisco and other places, Colin Palmer will give us his first-hand account of the show's highlights.
And we have a unique new tool to draw the Raffle Prizes – which include a 5-port FireWire Hub;"Real World Mac Maintenance and Backups", courtesy of Peachpit Press; blank recordable CD & DVD media; and more.
These Macworld Expo photos are from a huge pool of over 700 snaps taken by visitors and uploaded to Flickr.com – you can view the entire library here:
www.flickr.com/groups/expo07/pool/
Apple Introduces New AirPort Extreme with 802.11n
Five Times the Performance & Twice the Range*
Based on 802.11n, Apple’s new AirPort Extreme Base Station features a simple, new design that is just 16.5 cm square and 3.3 cm tall, and a built-in USB port allows users to print wirelessly to a USB printer or turn any external USB hard drive into a shared drive so they can share files or backup valuable data from multiple computers on a network. New AirPort Utility software included with every AirPort Extreme makes it very easy to set up a secure, wireless network for up to 50 simultaneous users within minutes. Users can also set security restrictions, including Internet access limits on their childrens’ computers.
Features:
- 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking;
- MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out) smart antennas;
- dual-band antennas for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies;
- three 10/100 Ethernet LAN ports;
- one 10/100 Ethernet WAN port;
- one USB port;
- Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA-2), 128-bit WEP encryption;
- built-in NAT firewall.
Compatibility: All Intel Core 2 Duo and Intel Xeon Macs (except the entry 17-inch iMac® with 1.83 GHz Intel processor) support the 802.11n technology, when updated with 802.11n Enabler software, which ships with the AirPort Extreme Base Station.
RRP: $259 incl GST, available February through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com.au/store/) and Apple Authorised Resellers.
*The AirPort Extreme Base Station is based on an IEEE 802.11n draft specification and is compatible with IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g. Achieving the fastest data rates requires that all users have an 802.11n-enabled computer. Actual performance will vary based on range, connection rate, site conditions, size of network and other factors.
www.apple.com/au/airportextreme/
Apple Reinvents the Phone with iPhone
MACWORLD SAN FRANCISCO – January 9, 2007 – “iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone,” said Steve Jobs. “We are all born with the ultimate pointing device – our fingers – and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse.”
iPhone is a:
- Widescreen iPod with Video
- Revolutionary Mobile Phone
- Breakthrough Internet Device
- 2 Megapixel Camera.
iPhone’s Advanced Sensors
iPhone’s built-in accelerometer detects when the user has rotated the device from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display accordingly, with users immediately seeing the entire width of a web page, or a photo in its proper landscape aspect ratio.
iPhone’s built-in proximity sensor detects when you lift iPhone to your ear and immediately turns off the display to save power and prevent inadvertent touches until the device is moved away.
iPhone’s built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the display’s brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light, thereby enhancing the user experience and saving power at the same time.
Compatibility
iPhone includes support for quad-band GSM, EDGE, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR wireless technologies. iPhone requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4.8 or later and iTunes 7. Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended. In the US, iPhone works only with the Cingular mobile phone network. A carrier partner for Australian consumers is yet to be decided.
Pricing & Availability
iPhone will be available in the US in June 2007, Europe in late 2007, and Australia & Asia in 2008. Two models: 4GB (US$499) and 8GB (US$599).
iPod shuffle Now Available in Five Brilliant Colours
The world’s most wearable digital music player is now available in five brilliant colours: pink, green, the original silver, blue and orange. A hit with customers since its initial shipment three months ago, iPod shuffle is just eight cubic centimetres in volume, weighs just 15 grams and features a stunning aluminium design with a built-in clip, making it the most wearable iPod ever. Based on Apple’s pioneering shuffle feature which lets music fans enjoy a continuous mix of their favourite songs anywhere they go, iPod shuffle contains one gigabyte of flash memory and holds up to 240 songs*.
RRP: $119 incl GST, available immediately through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com.au/store/) and Apple Authorised Resellers. iPod shuffle includes an iPod shuffle dock and earbuds.
iPod shuffle requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port and Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 7.0.2 or later. Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended.
* Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; actual capacity varies by content.
Apple TV Coming to Your Living Room
The new Apple TV has a 40GB hard drive to store up to 50 hours of video, 9,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each and is capable of delivering high-definition output*. Apple TV is easy to connect to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theatre systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analogue and optical audio ports. Using high-speed AirPort® wireless networking, Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or stream content from up to five additional computers right to your TV without any wires.
Apple TV requires iTunes 7 or later running on a Mac with Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or later, and an 802.11b/g/n AirPort or AirPort Extreme® wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet network. Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended.
* Requires an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen TV. iPod® games will not play on Apple TV.
RRP: $449 incl GST, available February through the Apple Store® and Apple Authorised Resellers.
More info: www.apple.com/au/appletv/
New “PC-Mac” and iPod TV ads
Apple has posted three new TV commercials in its “I’m a PC – I’m a Mac” series. Titled “Surgery”, “Sabotage” and “Tech Support”, they lampoon PC’s Vista upgrade, mock PC’s self-importance, and highlight PC’s lack of an inbuilt video camera.
See them here in QuickTime:
www.apple.com/getamac/
You might also want to see a clever mix of colour, images and sound in the new iPod TV ads:
www.apple.com/itunes/ads/
Recent security updates from Apple include AirPort Extreme Update 2007-001, released 25 Jan 07 for Mac OS X 10.4.8, and Security Update 2007-001, released 23 Jan 07 for QuickTime 7.1.3. A full list of Apple Security Updates is posted at:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61798
The best way to obtain the correct updates appropriate for your system, if you have not already installed them when prompted, is via Software Update under the Apple menu.
Apple Reports First Quarter Results
CUPERTINO, California – January 17, 2007 – Announcing financial results for quarter ended December 30, 2006, Apple posted record revenue of $7.1 billion and record net quarterly profit of $1.0 billion. These results compare to revenue of $5.7 billion and net quarterly profit of $565 million, in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 42 percent of the quarter’s revenue. Apple shipped 1,606,000 Macintosh® computers and 21,066,000 iPods during the quarter, representing 28 percent growth in Macs and 50 percent growth in iPods over the year-ago quarter.
Parallels Desktop for Mac ‘Update RC’ Wins
MacWorld Expo 2007 "Best in Show"
New Version includes PDA Support, Better Drag and Drop
The "Best in Show" award is presented to the most elite of the several thousand products and services on display at the annual MacWorld Expo and Conference. In addition, Parallels Desktop for Mac – that runs Windows®, Linux® or any other operating system at the same time as OS X without re-booting – has received a number of accolades since its release in June 2006. They include the 2006 MacWorld Magazine "Editor's Choice" Award (known as the "Eddy"), the PC World Magazine "Innovation of the Year" Award, and BBC World News's "Best Tech Product of 2006." The product was also the first non-Apple product to win the MacWorld Magazine Reader's Choice award. The Update RC includes two major new features:
Better USB 2.0 support: Faster support for a broader range of devices, including Palm PDAs and most webcams.
Improved Drag and Drop: Parallels Desktop now shares the entire Mac file structure between OS X and Windows. This means that a user can, for example, drag a Word file directly from OS X to Word for Windows, have the Windows program automatically open, and edit the file without creating a separate, independent copy in their Windows VM. When the user clicks "Save" after modifying the file, the update file is saved directly to their Mac.
Parallels Desktop for Mac is available now for $144.95 incl. GST, through Apple Computer Resellers, The Apple Store, Domayne, Dick Smith PowerHouse and online stores across Australia.
MacFixIt “Year of Fixes” Troubleshooting CD
The 2006 archive CD from MacFixIt offers a packaged installer that places all of the troubleshooting information published on MacFixIt from 2004 through 2006 on your Mac as an Apple Help File (see screen shot). This means you can search through MacFixIt’s past 3 years of fixes without having to visit the Web site – a boon in the event of a network outage or browser launching issue. In fact, they’ve made tutorials for resolving network connectivity issues and application launch problems accessible on the help index page.
In addition to all of the special reports, tutorials, and daily troubleshooting reports, the disc includes copies of the following essential problem-solving/maintenance applications:
- Font Finagler
- iPulse
- Printer Setup Repair
- DesInstaller
- Pacifist
- X-Ray
- Tiger Cache Cleaner
Colin Palmer acquired this CD at Macworld San Francisco and has kindly offered to make the information available via his PowerBook for members to access .
Adobe® to Release PDF for Industry Standardisation
AIIM to Facilitate ISO Standards Process for Leading Electronic Document Format
Adobe Systems Inc recently announced that it intends to release the full Portable Document Format (PDF) 1.7 specification to AIIM, the Enterprise Content Management Association, for the purpose of publication by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). More…
Adobe Production Studio To Be Available for Both Mac and Windows
Adobe's Complete Video Post-Production Suite Goes Cross-Platform
Adobe has announced that the next version of Adobe Production Studio will be available for both the Macintosh and Windows platforms. Film, video and web professionals currently using Adobe After Effects®, Adobe Photoshop® and Adobe Illustrator® on the Mac will soon be able to harness the power of completely new Macintosh releases of Adobe Premiere® Pro, Adobe Encore® DVD and Adobe Soundbooth™ – all key components of an upcoming milestone revision to Adobe Production Studio, expected to ship in mid-2007. The software had its first public demonstration during the Macworld 2007 Conference and Exhibition, held from January 9-12 at The Moscone Center in San Francisco. More…
Adobe Debuts Photoshop Lightroom 1.0
Over 500,000 Beta Testers Help Shape New Digital Photography Software
Adobe Photoshop® Lightroom™ 1.0 software is now available for pre-order and is expected to ship in mid-February 2007. Photoshop Lightroom enables professional photographers to import, manage and present large volumes of digital photographs, helping photographers spend more time behind the lens and less time at the computer. Recognizing the photography community for their efforts, Adobe is offering Photoshop Lightroom at a special introductory price of US$199 through April 30, 2007 at the Adobe Store. Photoshop Lightroom will later sell for an estimated street price of US$299. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is a Universal Binary application that will run natively on PowerPC and new Intel-based Macintosh systems. More…
Arctic Quest for Mac:
Catch it, Turn It, Put It in Place and Watch Spring Come to the Long Frozen World.
Exclusive Games LLC and Stargaze Interactive announce the release of Arctic Quest for Mac, an amazingly beautiful game, which will fascinate you with thought-provoking puzzles, wonderful graphics and great gameplay. Arctic Quest offers you a lot of fun and a good chance to test your agility, strategic abilities, reflexes and quick thinking.
The way time and weather change in the game is almost mesmerizing and the ocean landscape of Arctic Quest is a great one to escape to from everyday duties.
Arctic Quest for Mac Features at a Glance:
- 60 enjoyable levels
- Six valuable bonuses
- Simple mouse-based controls
- Beautiful hand-drawn graphics
- A final duel with the Snow King!
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.3.9 - 10.4 on either Power PC or Intel-based Mac.
Price: US$19.95. Registered customers are entitled to unlimited gameplay, free upgrades and technical support. A trial version of Arctic Quest, limited to 60 minutes of gameplay, is available as a free download (14 Mb) here:
www.exclusivegames.com/download/arctic-quest-mac.dmg
Two new TidBITS Take Control eBooks
"Take Control of Your Domain Names" by Glenn Fleishman
New eBook Explains Registering, Configuring, and Managing Domain Names
Having your own domain name – like <mywebsite.com.au> – is fun for individuals and essential for organisations, but the details of managing a domain name can be perplexing. TidBITS networking expert Glenn Fleishman demystifies the jargon and tells you everything you need to know, beginning with how domain names work behind the scenes. He then explains the best ways to decide upon and find an available domain name, register it, configure it with a DNS host, and use it for your Web site and email address. Additional sections cover using dynamic DNS; special problems and troubleshooting; explain how to change your registrar, DNS host, Web host, or email host; and offer tips for buying or selling a registered domain name.
[Note: This book is written for the US market (eg .com domains); although the information in this eBook is broadly relevant to all domains, I recommend an Australian domain name (eg .com.au) and Australian hosting arrangements—KD]
Book Details: PDF format, 103 pages, free 24-page sample available.
Publication date: December 5, 2006. eBook price: US$10.
Download "Take Control of Your Domain Names" here.
“Take Control of Mac OS X Backups, Second Edition” by Joe Kissell
Is your data safe? What if your hard disk fails? Or a burglar ransacks your office? A backup is essential, but not all backups are created equal. You need a rock-solid backup strategy that ensures you can restore quickly and completely, no matter what catastrophe arises.
The second edition of the best-selling Take Control of Mac OS X Backups, provides the straightforward advice you need to go beyond the false security of copying a few files to CD. You'll find an at-a-glance comparison of different backup strategies (low-cost, easy, safest) for backing up and restoring data, including digital photos and video projects. You'll learn the pros and cons of each type of backup media, including hard disk, recordable disc, tape, and more; discover how to pick the best backup software for your needs; and find time-tested recommendations for setting up, testing, and maintaining backups, complete with instructions on how to restore after a crash. Includes over 20 pages of step-by-step directions for Retrospect!
New coverage in the second edition includes:
- How the forthcoming Time Machine feature in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard might work in your backup strategy.
- Backup-related advice for people who are running Windows on a Mac.
- Recommendations for how to back up while traveling.
- Info about offloading seldom-used data to recover drive space.
- Advice on setting up an easy-to-use backup system for a relative or friend.
Book Details: PDF format, 176 pages, free 33-page sample available.
Publication date: January 25, 2007. eBook price: US$10.
Download “Take Control of Mac OS X Backups, Second Edition” – and save 10% off the cover price with the MUG discount embedded in this link.
Learn Mac OS X basics in a friendly, informative environment. Presented by AMUG Sydney.
Saturday 10th February 10am-2pm.
Room 136C (Computer Lab), Ground Floor, Webster Building, UNSW Kensington.
- One Mac per person
- No questions too silly
- Use one of the Uni's eMacs or bring your own Notebook
- Get Apple's latest Software Updates on CD, without the big downloads
- Get MacFixIt's "Year of Fixes" archive Help files
- Free for AMUG members
To book, phone Rob on 9387 2069 or email sydamug@mac.com
If you do not wish to receive any future editions of this online newsletter, please send an email to AMUG Sydney.