Newsletter to Members
March 2006
In this issue:
Next Meeting
Monday March 6 at 6:30pm
Room 327 Theatrette, Sir Robert Webster Building, UNSW Kensington
Presentations:
- President Warwick Harty will give us a fun demo of Comic Life Deluxe
- Colin plans to give us a closer look at iLife 06 – as well as iWork 06 (time permitting).
March Raffle Prizes:
Some great prizes this month...
- Apple iWork 06 and iWork 05 Software
- Comic Life Deluxe software
- Apple Pro Optical Mouse
- Books, blank CDs and more.
Beginners Mac Workshop
Learn Mac OS X basics in a friendly, informative environment. Presented by AMUG Sydney.
Saturday 11th March 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
- Free for AMUG members
To book, phone Rob on 9387 2069 or email sydamug@mac.com
News from Apple
- New Mac mini with Intel Processors
- New iPod Hi-Fi
- About Mac Viruses and OS X Security
- Apple's 30th Birthday on April 1
- Thank You Steve!
Apple Unveils Mac mini with Intel Processors
SYDNEY,1 March 2006—Apple® today unveiled the new Mac® mini with Intel Core Solo or Duo processors, delivering performance up to four times faster than its predecessor and providing even greater expansion in the same innovative and incredibly compact design.
Mac mini comes with iLife® ’06 and iWork 06 Universal apps pre-installed, and features DVI-out port for external display, built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, and audio in & out lines supporting both optical digital and analog; plus the infrared Apple Remote and Front Row so you can play your music, enjoy your photo slideshows, watch your DVDs, iMovies and music videos from across the room.
Two standard configurations:
1.5 GHz Intel Core Solo
- 512MB DDR2 SDRAM
- Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) drive
- 60Gb hard drive
- RRP $999 incl GST.
1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo
- 512MB DDR2 SDRAM
- 8x SuperDrive™ with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- 80Gb hard drive
- RRP $1,299 incl GST.
Monitor, keyboard and mouse not included. Build To Order Options also available. More...
Apple Announces iPod Hi-Fi
SYDNEY, 1 March 2006—Apple® today announced iPod® Hi-Fi, an all-new high-fidelity speaker system that works seamlessly with the iPod to redefine the home stereo system. Designed and engineered by Apple, iPod Hi-Fi delivers unrivaled sound quality, realistic sound imaging and optimal audio performance. iPod Hi-Fi is easily controlled by the Apple Remote for an amazing stereo experience in any room in the house. The innovative, all-in-one design can be powered from a wall socket or by six D-cell batteries.
Apple also announced new luxurious leather cases designed specifically for the fifth generation iPod and iPod nano models. The Leather Case for iPod is made with fine, hand-crafted Italian leather and features a soft and durable interior lining for a secure fit, making it the perfect carrying case for iPod or iPod nano.
Pricing:
- iPod Hi-Fi system $549 RRP incl GST
- Leather Case for iPod $149 RRP incl GST.
Is that a worm in your Apple?
About Mac viruses and OS X Security...
There have been many postings on the net recently about virus and security vulnerabilities on Macs running OS X. It started with this story from a SearchSecurity.com string of posts:
"First Mac OS X worm discovered"
Virex won't help if you're using Tiger
The much-loved Virex anti-virus app – offered by Apple to its dotMac customers – does not work with Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger". Here is Apple's Knowledge Base document on Virex.
Bluetooth Vulnerability
This post from the Open Source Vulnerability Database "Bluetooth File Exchange Traversal" covers another aspect.
Norton Anti-Virus not recommended for OS X
This old post (August 05) on MacFixit Forum was very disapproving of Norton Anti-Virus. (The author's contention that viruses do not exist for OS X is obviously now out of date).
Apple Security Update
All known OS X security flaws are addressed in Security Update 2006-001, recommended by Apple for all OS X users (the latest OS X version is 10.4.5):
Apple's 30th Birthday
April 1: Happy Birthday Apple
Watch for a possible new product announcement from Apple on April Fool's Day.
At the end of his Macworld keynote address in January, Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, noted that the company will celebrate its 30th birthday on April 1, 2006.
"One last thing... you know, Apple was founded on April Fool's Day in 1976. We thought that was pretty funny at the time," Jobs explained, as he stood in front of an image of himself and fellow Apple founder Steve Wozniak.
"And what that means is that Apple will be thirty years old this April Fool's Day... Thirty years, making the best personal computers in the world."
Thank You, Steve!
ThankyouSteve.com, a website dedicated to saluting the innovators who introduced Macintosh, iPod, and a myriad of other revolutionary hardware and software technologies to the world over the past three decades, has been organized by Maccentric, an information technology consulting firm.
Among the goodies on offer are:
- a Dashboard Widget;
- Daily Stevequote;
- ThankYouSteve Podcast;
- 30th Anniversary T-shirt.
The T-shirt costs US$14.95 plus shipping and can be ordered here:
News from the Net
- Quark 7 Free Upgrade
- MacVoices Podcasts with Chuck Joiner
- New In-car iPod Player
- New Instant Music Converter
- The Pope gets an iPod!
QuarkXpress 7 Free Upgrade
Modulo Systems (Drummoyne) are offering FREE upgrades to QuarkXPress 7 when it becomes available, if you upgrade to or buy v6.5 now.
- Upgrade to QuarkXPress 6.5 from versions 3, 4 and 5 for $525 and receive FREE Upgrade to QuarkXPress 7.
- Or purchase QuarkXPress 6.5 full product for $1575 and receive FREE Upgrade to QuarkXPress 7.
Offer ends April 30th 2006. Other Australian Quark resellers currently have similar offers.
QuarkXPress 7 is expected to start shipping around May/June 2006. More...
MacVoices Podcasts with Chuck Joiner
Check out MacVoices with Chuck Joiner – podcast interviews covering a wide range of topics.
Use the link on our own site's home page, or visit the MacVoices web site to listen online or subscribe in iTunes to keep up with the talk of the Mac community.
New In-car iPod Player
“Drive + Play”™ provides uncompromised iPod use and functionality on the road.
Sydney, 16 February 2006: Harman Kardon, a leading provider of audio products for the home, computer and automotive industries, unveiled the Australian Version of Harman Kardon Drive + Play, an integrated iPod docking system specifically designed for automotive use. Unlike other products on the market, Drive + Play provides complete iPod control, including full browsing and playlist handling capability, while minimizing distractions for drivers.
The system includes three integrated components:
- A backlit LCD screen, large enough to present five lines of iPod menu text, yet small enough to be mounted anywhere it can be easily viewed by the driver.
- A five-button navigation control unit with universal mounting options mimics the iPod’s user interface and can be mounted on the center console or other location for easy access while driving.
- “The brain” serves as an information processor and connecting port, housing a wired FM transmitter with five factory-set frequencies and one definable by the user.
Price: RRP $299.95 incl GST, plus installation. This item needs hard wired in-car installation by a professional audio installer, typically around $160. Contact Australian Distributor CONEXUS for the name of your nearest stockist.
Harman Kardon and Harman International are trademarks of Harman International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Drive + Play is a trademark of Harman International Industries, Incorporated. iPod is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the United States and/or other countries.
Instant Music Converter:
Convert Analog Music into Digital Audio Formats
Low-cost Solution for Capturing Music from LPs, 45s and Cassette Tapes, and Recording to Audio CDs and MP3s
SYDNEY 1 March 2006 – ADS Technologies has announced the Australian release of Instant Music, a new external USB 2.0 analog-to-digital audio converter for consumers.
Instant Music includes all of the music capture, conversion, editing and CD publishing tools users need to convert their analog music to the most popular digital music formats in just four easy steps. Using the stereo (right and left RCA) or SPDIF Digital Audio (TOSlink) inputs and outputs, they can capture music from any analog audio source (cassette, turntable, TV, radio) and save it as an MP3, AAC, WAV, or .WMA (Windows Media 9) audio file.
The converted digital audio files can be archived on a computer or burned to a CD. When combined with Garage Band (included in iLife) or Sound Studio, Mac users can export directly to their personal iTunes music libraries.
Australian Distributor CONEXUS . RRP $134.95 incl GST. More...
The Pope gets an iPod!
Posted March 3 to CNet news.com by by Ina Fried
Pope Benedict XVI got an iPod on Friday, thanks to a group of workers at Vatican Radio.
According to a Catholic News Service story, the pontiff got a 2Gb white Nano, loaded with, among other things, the radio station's programming in English, Italian and German, as well as classical tunes from Mozart, Chopin and Stravinsky.
The Nano was given to the Pope following a visit to Vatican Radio, CNS reported. Talkback...
Review:
Netgear DG834GT Router by Warwick Harty
What is a router? Why do you need one? Which one should you buy?
Warwick explores these questions and shares his own router experiences in this article, posted on our AMUG web site.
Diary Dates
Meeting dates for 2006
(Dates and venues subject to change)
Monday night meetings
First Monday of each month (except January and public hols).
Room 327 Theatrette, Sir Robert Webster Building, UNSW.
Mar 6, Apr 3, May 1, Jun 5, Jul 3, Aug 7 (AGM), Sep 4,
Oct 9 (deferred because of Labour Day long weekend), Nov 6, Dec 4.
Saturday Beginners SIG (Special Interest Group):
Held the Saturday morning after each monthly meeting.
Room 136C Computer Lab, Sir Robert Webster Building, UNSW.
Mar 11, Apr 8, May 6, June 10, Jul 8, Aug 12, Sep 9, Oct 14, Nov 11, Dec 9.
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