Newsletter to Members
July 2009
- News from the Net:
- Take Control 50%-off Sale ends Tuesday
- 'Take Control of Safari 4' new ebook
- AppleUsers News Feed
- Where is e-tax for Mac?
- ASCCA 2009 Conference
- Microsoft Office 2008 Critical Update
- TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates
- iPhone app remotely controls DSLR Camera
- AUSLAN Tutor app
- Saturday Mac Workshop
- Opt Out
Tonight, Monday 6th July 6.30pm
Room 327 Theatrette, Robert Webster Bldng, UNSW, Anzac Parade, Kensington.
Presentation topic: GENEALOGY WITH FILEMAKER PRO, presented by Ron Lombardo.
Prizes this month:
- Main prize is a Logitech X-530 70-watt, 5.1 Speaker System valued at $150. More info.
- Plus a 4GB USB Thumb drive, iTunes Voucher, recordable CD/DVD media, and more.
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** REMINDER: ANNUAL FEES ARE DUE IN JULY ** |
New Disc-of-the-Month CD
System Maid
Over fifty utilities that help improve and maintain peak performance of your Mac by providing Data Backup, Data Recovery and System Customisation tools.
More info (4-page PDF 264K). DISC ORDER FORM.
Our Disc-of-the-Month software compilation CDs are provided courtesy of Nicholas Pyers and Australian Macworld. Normally $10 for other user groups, they are on sale at our meetings for the specially reduced AMUG member price of just $5 each (or $10 for DVDs, plus $2 postage if required).
Various license types apply to applications supplied on compilation CDs. Some titles require further payment direct to the application publisher to enable full feature sets and continued use.
We are sad to report the passing of Leigh McCormac, who died
at home on 22nd May, after undergoing a period of chemo treatment for cancer.
His funeral was held on 28th May and was attended by committee member Robin
Workman, a personal friend.
Leigh was president of AMUG Sydney from October 2003 to August 2005. He was a self-confessed Mac addict with a "room full of Macs" and became an expert user of Final Cut Pro software. He ran a successful and highly professional video production and photography business, his company's work ranging from covering beauty pageants to filming complex medical procedures.
We express our condolences to Leigh's family, in particular his wife Meow, sons Luke and Daniel, and daughter Samantha.
News from Apple
Apple Camp for Kids
Free workshops in the July School Holidays
Imagine this, your child or grandchild could create a photo slideshow, write and record a song, put on a show for everyone, and have a blast doing it all. At Apple Camp, kids learn how to do cool stuff on a Mac and discover their hidden talents along the way. Suitable for children from 8 years to early teens, those under 13 need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian, so you might learn something too!
Apple Camp for Kids is being held at both Apple Retail Store locations in Sydney – the George Street store in the CBD and at Chatswood Chase – and each free workshop runs from 9am-11.30am. Maximum of 2 workshops per child.
Some sessions are already booked out, so you need to move quickly to register for the waitlist for the remaining sessions. Then get ready for an adventure. Full details and registration here: www.apple.com/au/retail/camp/
Sessions run concurrently at both stores and workshops still on the waitlist at time of writing were:
- Music – Tuesday 14 and Tuesday 21 July
- Photos – Wednesday 15 and Wednesday 22 July
- Presentation – Thursday 16 and 23 July.
- Movies workshops on the two Mondays are booked out.
At the 2009 World Wide Developers Conference on June 9, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller, made some significant announcements. You can watch Phil's 2-hour Keynote Address in the form of a video podcast. Click here to open the link in iTunes, where you can subscribe to (download) the podcast. Announced were:
A new range of MacBook Pro models;- Mac OS X Snow Leopard availability;
- Safari 4 full release (previously Beta);
- iPhone OS 3.0 software; and
- The new iPhone 3G S.
Apple has updated the aluminium unibody MacBook Pro line to
include 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch models, all featuring a new built-in
lithium polymer battery for longer battery life. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is
a significant upgrade at a lower price than the original aluminium MacBook it
replaces, and now includes FireWire 800, previously missing from the standard
MacBook.
www.apple.com/au/macbookpro/
Configurations and Pricing:
- 2.26 GHz 13-inch MacBook Pro: 2GB RAM/160GB HD, 58WHr battery – A$1899 inc GST
- 2.53 GHz 13-inch MacBook Pro: 4GB RAM/250GB HD, 58WHr battery – A$2399 inc GST
- 2.53 GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro: 4GB RAM/250GB HD, 73WHr battery – A$2699 inc GST
- 2.66 GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro: 4GB RAM/320GB HD, 73WHr battery – A$3199 inc GST
- 2.80 GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro: 4GB RAM/500GB HD, 73WHr battery – A$3699 inc GST
- 2.80 GHz 17-inch MacBook Pro: 4GB RAM/500GB HD, 95WHr battery – A$3999 inc GST
Snow Leopard will be available in September 2009 as an upgrade to Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard. For Tiger users with an Intel-based Mac, the Mac Box Set will include Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife ’09 and iWork ’09. Details will be available at launch.
Any new Mac system purchased without Snow Leopard between now and 26 December 2009, is eligible for the Snow Leopard upgrade package for just the shipping and handling fee of A$14.95. Upgrade info.
Apple says Snow Leopard users will notice a more responsive Finder; Mail that loads messages 85 percent faster and conducts searches up to 90 percent faster; Time Machine with up to 50 percent faster initial backup;* a Dock with Exposé integration; a 64-bit version of Safari 4 that boosts the performance of the Nitro JavaScript engine by up to 50 percent and is resistant to crashes caused by plug-ins. Snow Leopard also includes an all new QuickTime X, with a redesigned player that allows users to easily view, record, trim and share video to YouTube, MobileMe or iTunes. Snow Leopard is half the size of the previous version and frees up to 6GB of drive space once installed.
* Tests based on pre-release version of Snow Leopard.
Snow Leopard Server will also be available in Setember and is a full 64-bit UNIX server operating system based on open standards that is up to twice as fast as its predecessor. Server info.
Introduced as a beta in February of this year, Safari 4 features the Nitro engine that runs JavaScript up to 4.5 times faster than Safari 3 (depending on system configuration). Safari 4 makes browsing more intuitive and enjoyable with innovative features such as Top Sites, Full History Search and Cover Flow (pictured), and support for modern web standards like HTML 5 and advanced CSS Effects.
Also among a list of 150 features are Full Page Zoom, Smart Address Field, Smart Search Field, Phishing & Malware Protection, and advanced Developer Tools.
In Snow Leopard, available later this year, Safari runs as a 64-bit application, boosting the performance of the Nitro JavaScript engine by up to 50 percent (depending on system configuration). Snow Leopard makes Safari more resistant to crashes by running plug-ins in a separate process, so even if a plug-in crashes, Safari continues to run and the user simply has to reload the affected page.
Safari 4 is available for both Mac OS X and Windows as a free download at www.apple.com/au/safari.
System Requirements:
Safari 4 for Mac requires OS X Leopard v10.5.7, or Tiger v10.4.11 with Security Update 2009-002, minimum 256MB RAM and is designed to run on any Intel-based, PowerPC G5 or G4 Mac, or on a G3 FireWire Mac.
Safari 4 for Windows requires Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista, minimum 256MB RAM and 500 MHz or faster Intel Pentium processor.
Available as a free software update via iTunes 8.2 or later for all iPhone customers. iPod touch customers can purchase a software update for A$14.95.
New iPhone OS 3.0 software boasts more than 100 new features including: Cut, Copy & Paste; MMS messaging; Spotlight Search to search across iPhone or within Mail, Contacts, Calendar & iPod; landscape keyboard for Mail, Messages, Notes & Safari; expanded parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and the ability to capture and send audio recordings on the go with the new Voice Memo app.
New iTunes® features available with iPhone 3.0 software include wirelessly downloading movies, TV and audio programs.
iPhone 3.0 software also includes a new Find My iPhone feature that works together with MobileMe so you can locate your lost iPhone on a map, send a message that will appear on the screen or play a sound to help you find it even if your phone is set to silent. If you cannot find your iPhone, you can erase all data and content on your iPhone with the new Remote Wipe feature. New MobileMe features for iPhone require iPhone OS 3.0. MobileMe is available for an annual subscription price of RRP A$119 inc GST.
Apple's new iPhone 3G S was released worldwide on 26 June
and promises improved speed and performance – up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G
– with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy
to use video recording, a built-in digital compass and hands free voice
control. iPhone 3G S offers twice the capacity with a 16GB model and a new 32GB
model, in either black or white. The slower iPhone 3G 8GB with 2 megapixel
camera is still available. All come pre-loaded with the new iPhone OS 3.0
software.
www.apple.com/au/iphone/iphone-3g-s/
Purchase, Plans and Pricing
iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G can be purchased outright from Apple Retail Stores (George Street Sydney and Chatswood), the Apple Online Store, or at Optus, Vodaphone, Virgin Mobile and Telstra shops around Australia. For locations visit www.apple.com/au/iphone/buy/.
The major Telcos offer a complex range of capped and prepaid call/data plans. Some are reporting they are temporarily out of stock because of worldwide demand and are accepting back orders. Compare Plans:
News from the Net
50%-Off Take Control Sale until Tuesday
As members of an Apple Users Group, we can buy always TidBITS ebooks online for 30% discount, thanks to the generosity of Adam and Tonya Engst in their support of user groups worldwide. But for the next couple of days, the deal is even better...
TidBITS Publishing is having a 50%-off sale on all Take Control ebooks and Macworld Superguides that ends this Tuesday July 7th.
Topics covered include Macs, Mac OS X, iLife '09, AirPort networking, and more. To take advantage of this limited-time sale, visit their catalog Web page using this coupon-loaded link.
Prices listed on the catalogue page are the full cover price in US dollars, but when you select one or more ebooks and click through to the cart, prices are converted to AUD and the 50% discount is applied to the total.
"Take Control of Safari 4" eBook
takes readers beyond basic web browsing
Close on the heels of Apple's release of the Safari 4 Web browser, TidBITS Publishing Inc. has published "Take Control of Safari 4," by Sharon Zardetto. The 92-page book – published in the usual downloadable ebook form as well as a hard copy print version – helps beginning and intermediate Mac users learn new Safari 4 features like Top Sites and searching the page content of bookmarks and history, and it provides essential advice on smart ways to manage bookmarks, load multiple Web pages at once, fill out forms automatically, keep track of passwords, download files, keep up with favorite Web sites via RSS, and manage Web-browsing history.
The ebook is available for US$7 after the 30% MUG discount via this link.
AppleUsers.org is pleased to announce a new service, the AppleUsers News Feed. It is an aggregated news feed combining articles from a variety of Apple focussed news sites from around the world, including:
- Various Apple Inc newsfeeds like Hot News, Apple Games – What's New, Apple Support – Most recent and Apple Seminars
- The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
- TidBITS & Take Control Books
- MacLevelTen – The MUG Center, MacNotables, MacMouseCalls.
The AppleUsers News Feed page is at news.appleusers.org.
The Australian Taxation Office has a product, e-tax, for completing your tax return on a home PC and forwarding it securely electronically into the ATO and it also ensures that most refunds are issued in 14 days. Unfortunately e-tax is only available for the Windows platform. For a number of years the ATO has been promising to produce a version for other operating systems, but have failed to deliver. The ATO says: "e-tax is not compatible with Linux or Apple Macintosh computers. However, e-tax has been tested successfully on an Apple computer running Mac OS X v10.4.3 with Virtual PC 7 software emulating a recommended Windows operating system."
The ACT Apple Users Group is spearheading a lobbying campaign to influence the ATO bureaucracy and the product’s development people to provide a Mac-compatible version of e-tax that runs natively on Mac OS X.
All members who would like to use e-tax are encouraged to shoot off a letter or email asking for Mac users to be given a fair go.
Postal address to send complaints is:
Complaints
Australian Taxation Office
Locked Bag 40
Dandenong Victoria 3175
But you may also like to include an email to one or more of the following:
- Bill Gibson, Chief Information Officer, Australian Taxation Office
- The Board of Taxation
- The Commonwealth Ombudsman
- The Inspector-General of Taxation
And you could also write to your Federal MP, local newspaper, community radio station, or post a comment to your favourite blog site. Let's get writing and join the lobbying efforts of Mac users Australia-wide!
ASCCA 2009 Conference invites Apple as Keynote speaker
The Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association (ASCCA) is holding its 11th annual conference in Sydney at the Powerhouse Museum on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 August 2009. Although the majority of attendees are likely to be Windows users, it is significant that this year, the first Keynote presentation will be from Next Byte, Australia’s largest Premium Apple Reseller chain.
Workshop sessions are scheduled over the two days and most could apply equally to Mac users, for example:
- Emerging Technologies – IPv6 and Digital Switchover
- 10 years younger in 10 minutes: Adobe Photoshop Elements
- Creative Email & Watermark Stationery
- Social Networking
- Broadband for Seniors
- Newsletters; Email etiquette; and Google Shared documents
- Coles Shopping Online
- Network Security and Malware
Although AMUG Sydney is not currently a member club of ASCCA, Seniors Card holders are welcome to attend and enjoy a discounted registration fee of $90 for one day or $115 for both days.
Conference Program: www.ascca.org.au/conference2009/Program.html
Registration: www.ascca.org.au/conference2009/Registration.html
Microsoft Office 2008 Security Update
The Microsoft® Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.9 Update improves security. It includes fixes for vulnerabilities that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of a computer's memory by using malicious code.
This update was released on 9 June 2009 and is listed as 'Critical'. Microsoft recommends that all Office 2008 users apply the update immediately.
This update includes all improvements that were released in previous Office 2008 updates from 12.1.1 through 12.1.9. It requires that Office 2008 Update 12.1.0 or later be installed, on a system running Mac OS X 10.4.9 (Tiger) or later.
support.microsoft.com/kb/971822
In addition, this update readies Office 2008 for Mac for the installation of Microsoft Entourage 2008 for Mac Web Services Edition, which provides integration within a corporate environment between Entourage, Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Outlook. Entourage now uses Exchange Web Services (currently in beta) instead of WebDAV for better compatibility, performance and reliability, according to Microsoft.
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates
Extracts from information compiled by Doug McLean for TidBITS
Apple TV 2.4 Update includes support for the iPhone/iPod touch Remote app, enabling users to control an Apple TV with finger gestures. Available via Apple TV's Software Update menu. More info.
Time Capsule and AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.4.2. Apple suggests that AirPort Utility 5.4.2 or later be installed before upgrading. Install via AirPort Utility > Check for Updates or download here.
Bluetooth Firmware Update 2.0 should be installed on any Macintosh system whose Bluetooth support is based on the Broadcom chipset (use System Profiler to identify the manufacturer of your Mac's Bluetooth chipset). Available via Software Update or from this Apple Support Downloads page. (1.78 MB)
Safari 4.0.1 is a maintenance update from Apple. Available via Software Update or from the Safari download page. (43.5 MB).
AirPort Utility 5.4.2 for Mac is a maintenance update from Apple. Available from the AirPort Utility Download page. (16.9 MB).
iLife '09 Updates available via Software Update or as standalone downloads from the following links:
- iPhoto '09 8.0.3 Update (96MB)
- iMovie '09 8.0.3 Update (35MB)
- iDVD '09 7.0.4 Update (27.5MB)
- GarageBand '09 5.0.2 Update (108MB)
- iLife Support 9.0.3 (55MB)
- Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.6 (3.9MB)
New iPhone app remotely controls DSLR Camera
On-One Software has released DSLR Camera Remote, which they are touting as the next-generation
cable release for Canon Digital Photographers. The camera is connected to a
WiFi enabled Mac or Windows computer and the DSLR Camera Remote software enables the photographer to use an
Apple iPhone or iPod touch to wirelessly adjust cameras settings, fire the
shutter, review images, even get a live viewfinder preview (pro edition). Ideal
for remote shooting applications like high or low angles, self portraits and children. More info.
Initially the app supports only pro-level Canon DSLR cameras (view list of compatible cameras) but the company plans to add compatibility for Nikon DSLRs in July.
DSLR Camera Remote is available from the App Store via iTunes: Professional Edition for AUD$23.99 or Lite (limited features) for AUD$2.49. Also requires installation of DSLR Camera Remote Server software on the connected Mac (free download from On-One Software).
AUSLAN Tutor from the App Store
The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children at North
Rocks has produced RIDBC Auslan Tutor, a video-based Australian Sign Language (AUSLAN) teaching application developed
specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch. The app is designed to assist
families of deaf children to communicate with them by learning Auslan. More
than 500 Auslan signs are included.
RIDBC Auslan Tutor costs $49.99 and, being video-intensive, is a hefty 812MB download. Available from the App Store via iTunes at this link.
Saturday Workshop
Saturday July 11, commencing 10am. Room 136C (Computer Lab), Ground Floor, Webster Building, UNSW Kensington.
One-on-one Mac Help from AMUG Committee members in a friendly, sharing environment. Bring your own Notebook or use one of the Uni's iMacs.
Enquiries and bookings, phone Rob on 9387 2069 or email
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