Newsletter to Members
October 2008
Next Meeting:
Monday 13 October 6.30PM
Main Presentation: Adobe Lightroom presented by member Bernard Hanlon.
Raffle prizes include "Mac OS X Support Essentials, Second Edition" by Kevin M White (courtesy of Peachpit Press), 4GB USB Thumb drives, iTunes Cards, recordable CD/DVD media – and more!
STAY TUNED for news of our 30th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS in December.
News from Apple
Let's Rock!
Apple has been very active since the last AMUG newsletter (September issue, compiled 30 August). At that time, anticipated new product announcements for the iPod line were just a rumour. How quickly the Apple marketing machine swings into gear once Steve Jobs announces new or updated consumer products to the world. He did so – just four weeks ago – on 10 September. Of course, thanks to saturation advertising in all media, we are now so familiar with the new iPod nano range it seems like they have been around for ages.
Also released at the same time were the new iPod Shuffle range in vivid new colours, the second generation iPod touch, and beefed up iPod Classic models. Here’s a recap:
All new fourth generation iPod nano
In a significant departure from the previous ‘squat’ shape, this is the thinnest iPod ever, featuring a sleek new design with a curved aluminium and glass enclosure. The new iPod nano features a refined user interface, a high resolution 640-by-480 pixel portrait display and a built-in accelerometer that automatically switches to Cover Flow when rotated and automatically goes into Shuffle mode when lightly shaken.
The new iPod nano range comes in nine vibrant new 'nano-chromatic' colours:
(above, l to r) silver, black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, (PRODUCT) RED™ and pink.
Apple claims the new model can deliver up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback on a single charge. The 16GB model holds up to 4,000 songs, 14,000 photos and 16 hours of video, and the 8GB model holds up to 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos and eight hours of video.
New Genius Technology
The new iPod nano incorporates Apple’s breakthrough Genius technology – new with iTunes version 8 – which automatically creates playlists from songs in your music library that go great together, allowing you to automatically create playlists while on-the-go with just one click. Users can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save Genius playlists to enjoy again later.
Pricing and Availability
The new iPod nano is available immediately through the Apple Store (www.apple.com/au/), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers.
8GB model: A$199 RRP inc GST
16GB model: A$279 RRP inc GST. Both models come in all nine colours.
iPod nano requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later and iTunes 8; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3) or later and iTunes 8.
iPod shuffle’s vivid new colours
The new iPod shuffle (far right) comes in silver plus four vivid new colours borrowed from the new iPod nano range – blue, green, (PRODUCT) RED and pink. Price: A$65 RRP inc GST.
Second-generation iPod touch – “The Fun-est iPod Ever”
The new iPod touch (pictured, on left) is smaller and lighter than the original, with a sleek new design that features a contoured metal enclosure with integrated volume control buttons and a brilliant 3.5-inch widescreen glass display. With its rounded edges, flush display and curved, more compact design, the new iPod touch is more comfortable to hold and more portable than ever.
“iPod touch is the fun-est iPod we’ve ever created,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. “Users can listen to millions of songs, watch thousands of videos and now, thanks to the App Store, download and play hundreds of great games on their iPod touch.”
With up to 36 hours of music playback or six hours of video playback on a single charge, the new iPod touch is the ultra-portable way to enjoy your favourite music, TV shows, movies and games on the go.
The 32GB model holds up to 7,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 40 hours of video; the 16GB model holds up to 3,500 songs, 20,000 photos or 20 hours of video, and the 8GB model holds up to 1,750 songs, 10,000 photos and 10 hours of video.
Pricing and Availability
The new iPod touch is available immediately through the Apple Store (www.apple.com/au/), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers.
8GB model: A$329 RRP inc GST
16GB model: A$419 RRP inc GST
32GB model: A$549 RRP inc GST.
Existing iPod touch users can update to the latest 2.1 software for just A$12.95 inc GST to add the new Genius feature. iPod touch owners who already have the 2.0 software get the 2.1 software update for free. Simply download the latest version of iTunes onto your Mac, and purchase the 2.1 software update via iTunes.
iPod touch requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later and iTunes 8; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) or later and iTunes 8.
iPod Classic now comes in ONE slimline model with 50 percent more capacity for the same price – 120GB of storage for just A$339 RRP inc GST. Colour choice for the Classic is still black or silver.
Breakthrough New Genius Technology with iTunes 8
Concurrently with the release of new iPods, Apple released iTunes 8, the next major release of Apple’s ubiquitous music and video player for Macs and PCs which is seamlessly integrated with the most popular online content store in the world (www.itunes.com/au/).
iTunes 8 includes the breakthrough Genius feature, which lets you automatically create playlists from songs in your music library that go great together – with just one click.
When you turn on iTunes 8’s new Genius feature, information about your music library is anonymously sent to the iTunes Store, where it is combined with the anonymously gathered knowledge from millions of other iTunes users and processed through Apple-developed algorithms. The Genius results, specifically tailored to your personal music library, are sent back to your computer to enable you to automatically create Genius playlists in iTunes and on your iPod, even when you are not connected to the Internet.
The Genius sidebar appears right in iTunes and recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don’t already have, based on the songs you select.
iTunes 8’s new visual browsing interface displays your music and video libraries using your album and video covers, and also provides a great way to navigate your movies, TV shows, iPhone apps, podcasts and audiobooks.
With iTunes 8, television fans can now watch their favourite programs in stunning HD for just A$2.99 inc GST per episode, perfect for viewing on their Mac or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV.
Other pioneering iTunes features include Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone.
Pricing & Availability
iTunes 8 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Store and is available as a free download from (www.itunes.com/au). Purchase and download of songs and videos from the iTunes Store requires a valid credit card from a financial institution in the country of purchase. Video availability varies by country.
App Store Downloads Top 100 Million Worldwide
Apple announced last month that, as at 10 September 2008, iPhone and iPod touch users had downloaded more than 100 million applications from its groundbreaking new App Store since its launch on 11 July 2008. More than 3,000 applications are currently available on the App Store, with over 90 percent priced at less than US$10 and more than 600 offered for free.
Applications from the App Store take advantage of iPhone’s large display, innovative Multi-Touch user interface, fast hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, built-in accelerometer and location-based technology to create mobile applications unlike any seen before.
Developers of some of the more popular paid apps speak of “…a significant new income stream and exciting new career choices”; “…the most lucrative summer job I’ve ever had”; and “…these are revolutionary times for us and for iPhone and iPod touch users.”
The App Store on iPhone works over mobile networks and Wi-Fi, so users can wirelessly download applications directly onto their iPhone or iPod touch and start using them immediately. Applications are free or charged to the user’s iTunes account and the App Store notifies the user when updates are available for their apps. The App Store is also available on iTunes (www.itunes.com/au/) for Mac or PC, which syncs applications to the iPhone or iPod touch using a USB cable.
News from the Net
Adobe unleashes Adobe® Creative Suite® 4
Top row CS4 apps: InDesign / Photoshop (Ext/Std) / Illustrator / Fireworks / Acrobat / Dreamweaver /
Flash / Contribute / After Effects / Premiere Pro / Soundbooth / Encore. Images from Adobe.com web site.
In a major worldwide promotional blitz, Adobe has unleashed its biggest software product launch ever, eclipsing the current CS3 suite with a comprehensive suite of up to 14 new and revamped applications. Although not actually shipping until late October, Adobe is elevating the CS4 hype with roadshows, online demos and pre-order sales.
As with CS3, there are various product bundles targeted to different user categories, and products can be purchased individually – although the marketing emphasis is on bundled suites, which provide far better value and take advantage of seamless integration between apps.
Marketed under the umbrella slogan “Your Shortcut to Brilliant”, Adobe says Creative Suite 4 can help you keep the creativity flowing, express ideas consistently across multiple media, and easily share your work with clients and fellow creatives. Here is Adobe’s list of the top five features of new Creative Suite 4:
1) Photoshop's Content Aware Scaling
Content Aware Scaling means you can interactively resize and reshape images without changing the general content and makeup of the image. The image is scaled by keeping detailed or protected areas the same, and up or downsizing the parts of the photo that are featured less, letting Photoshop fill in the gaps.
2) InDesign to SWF/Flash
Build rich, interactive documents by exporting an InDesign layout and adding animation in Flash CS4 Professional.
3) Flash Animation
With motion presets and 3D controls, the new Flash animation timeline model in Flash CS4 is a huge leap ahead.
4) Photoshop to Fireworks to Dreamweaver
Prototype websites by opening Photoshop or Illustrator mockups in Fireworks CS4, and then producing in Flash CS4 Professional and Dreamweaver CS4.
5) Video Power
The "never rendering story": move back and forth between Premiere Pro, After Effects, Soundbooth and Encore, without needing to render at high res until the project is finished.
The subscription edition provides the same full-featured product as Creative Suite Design Premium, but made available on a month-to-month or annual subscription basis (from US$129/month). Subscribe to Creative Suite 3.3 Design Premium now and you'll automatically receive Creative Suite 4 Design Premium Subscription Edition when it ships in late November.
30-day Trials
Register here to be notified by e-mail when CS4 suite installer DVDs are available. Trial downloads of individual CS4 apps should be available in November.
Compare Creative Suite 4 editions here:
www.adobe.com/ap/products/creativesuite/compare/
Take Control ebooks from TidBITS
Updated "Take Control of Buying a Mac" and New Macworld Superguide
Take Control has two new ebooks that make using a Mac even better: the third edition of Adam Engst's "Take Control of Buying a Mac" and the new "Macworld Digital Music and Video Superguide," created by TidBITS colleagues at Macworld.
As always, the links below include the 10% MUG discount coupon code.
"Take Control of Buying a Mac":
Deciding that you want to buy a new Mac is easy, but embarking on the project immediately raises questions like "What Mac will best meet my needs?", "Should I buy now or wait a month?", "How do I move my files from my old Mac to my new one?", and "What should I do with my old Mac?" Mac guru Adam Engst has answered these questions countless times, and he has distilled the answers into the 98-page "Take Control of Buying a Mac." Worksheets in the book help you match your needs and budget to the right Mac model, and a chart of Apple's model launches over the last 5 years helps predict when new Macs will appear.
Adam also explains when you can purchase to get the most bang for your buck, compares different venues for where to shop, gives advice and step-by-step instructions for transferring files from an old Mac to the shiny new one, and offers thoughts about how to get the most out of the Mac that's being replaced.
It's only US$10 and will easily pay for itself in helping you buy a Mac with the desired extras for less. Order here.
"Macworld Digital Music & Video Superguide":
With a colorful layout and cheerful writing, this Superguide helps you collect all your audio and video in iTunes, and play it in iTunes or on a variety of devices. You'll find help with digitizing and organizing content in iTunes, whether from old tapes and LPs, music or audiobook CDs, or a pile of DVDs. The book also looks at how to find free (and not-free) media online through various Web sites and the iTunes Store. Once your content is in iTunes, Macworld's experts provide advice on keeping iTunes organized, finding your stuff, fixing problems, and generally getting the most out of iTunes.
Although you can enjoy your content in iTunes, the book also helps you sync it to an Apple TV, iPod, or iPhone, and discusses what to do if your content doesn't sync properly or plays incorrectly. It closes with a look at the choices available – and recommended picks – for iPod/iPhone cases, headphones, speakers, and car attachments. It's US$12.95. Order here.
50% off eBooks – if you’re quick!
To celebrate its 5th anniversary of producing ebooks, TidBITS Publishing is offering a 50% discount on all the ebooks in the Take Control shopping cart until October 14th, 2008. This link contains the necessary coupon code.
Bits from TidBITS
Extract from TidBITS #948 06-Oct-08:
Font Puns Galore in Extensis's Bravefont Trailer
by Adam C. Engst
Extensis has set a new standard for pre-release promotion of a software product – the font management tool Suitcase Fusion 2, due out soon – with a hilarious spoof trailer for Bravefont, "a historical, romantic, action-adventure, science fiction drama" featuring Stone Serif (Citizen Kern), Lucida Blackletter, Sean Symbol, and Corvina Skyline (My Big Fat Greeking Wedding) and with a supporting cast including Gill Sans (The Fontographer's Wife) and Dom Casual (It's a Wonderful Ligature). Go watch the video, and pay close attention so you don't miss any of the jokes.
Extracts from TidBITS #946 22-Sep-08:
StuffIt Deluxe 2009 Keeps Evolving After 20 Years
by Adam C. Engst
The world has changed over the last 20 years, but one constant for Mac users has been the premier compression and archiving software StuffIt Deluxe. Starting out life as shareware from teenage programmer Raymond Lau and riding along through multiple versions as its parent company Aladdin Systems became Allume and was then acquired by Smith Micro, StuffIt Deluxe has continued to add features and improve its lossless compression capabilities.
Most notable among the changes in this version, StuffIt Deluxe 2009 adds support for new technologies in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Thanks to Quick Look support, Leopard users can now look inside archives without having to expand them first, a major boon. This works within the Finder, Mail, or any other Quick Look-capable application. Similarly, you can preview archives while browsing in Time Machine.
See Smith Micro’s Stuffit web page. Read Adam’s full article.
VMware Fusion 2.0 Released
by Joe Kissell
Version 2.0 of this virtualization program for running Windows on an Intel-based Mac is now shipping, and it's a doozy… more than a few of the new features strongly resemble features already available in the product’s competitor, Parallels Desktop.
VMware Fusion 2.0 now raises the bar with features like driverless printing and support for Leopard Server, making it a compelling choice. Fusion 2.0 is a 248 MB download. It's a free upgrade for owners of version 1.x; the retail price for new customers remains unchanged at US$79.99. A free trial is also available.
Fusion 2.0 web page. Read Joe’s feature list and full article.
Extracts from TidBITS #946 22-Sep-08:
Mac OS X 10.5.5 Update
Provides specific improvements and big fixes for Time Machine, Mail, MobileMe and iCal sync reliability. General improvements include better Spotlight indexing performance, an improved Speech Dictionary, and extensive graphics enhancements.
Mac OS X 10.5.5 is available via Software Update, or as standalone downloads:
- Single update, for updating from Mac OS X 10.5.4 (316 MB)
- Combo installer, for updating Mac OS X 10.5.0 through 10.5.4 (601 MB).
Security Update 2008-006, installed as part of 10.5.5 Update and available separately for Mac OS X 10.4.11, includes dozens of obscure items that only system administrators can love, as well as several important fixes related to DNS (the conversion of a human-readable domain name into a machine-usable number).
Security Update 2008-006 for Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) is available in PowerPC (67.7 MB) or Intel version (157 MB), plus separate Server configurations. It’s easiest to just let Software Update do its thing.
Read the full TidBITS article.
iPhone 2.1 provides highly anticipated bug fixes
by Jeff Carlson
iPhone 2.1 rolls in a handful of security fixes, including a resolution for the workaround that bypassed the Passcode Lock feature. The update is available for all iPhone owners, including those still running iPhone 1.0 software, and addresses a number of high-profile bugs and annoyances. Apple has listed them online and in the release notes. Read Jeff’s full article.
iPhone 2.1 is available via iTunes as a 231 MB download; after connecting your iPhone, click the Update button on the iPhone Summary screen.
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates
Apple TV 2.2 – security update; also brings the Genius feature to Apple TV. (Free).
Firefox PDF Plugin – for Firefox 3.0.x on Intel-based Macs running Mac OS X 10.4 or later. (Free).
iTunes 8.0.1 – fixes several bugs related to new features introduced in iTunes 8.0. (Free, 58.5 MB).
OmniWeb 5.8 – support for the latest version of WebKit, to have the same capabilities as Safari 3.1. ($14.95 new, free update from OmniWeb 5.x, 19.4 MB)
Firefox 3.0.3 – fixes a number of bugs with focus on improved security and stability. (Free, 17.2 MB).
Java for Mac OS X 10.5, Update 2 – improves security, performance and compatibility for Leopard. Requires Mac OS X 10.5.4 or later. (Free, 136 MB).
Java for Mac OS X 10.4, Release 7 – improves reliability and compatibility on Tiger 10.4.11 and later. (Free, 80 MB).
Front Row 2.1.6 – updates the media interface with iTunes 8 compatibility and unspecified bug fixes. Requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, QuickTime 7.5.5 or later, and iTunes 6.0.4 and iPhoto 6.0.2 or later. (Free, 12.5 MB).
Akvis Software releases new versions of Coloriage and Sketch
AKVIS Coloriage v6.0
Coloriage (above left – French for ‘colouring book’) is a cutting edge tool for coloring old black-and-white photos. Piles of ancient black-and-white photos will shine with all the original colors, helping users bring lost memories back and warm the hearts of their dear ones. With automated operation and class-leading usability, even inexperienced users can achieve genuinely realistic results.
AKVIS Coloriage comes packaged as either a Photoshop plug-in or as a stand-alone application. A fully featured 10-day trial is available. The product costs US$97 for a standard home user license or US$121 for the Home Deluxe version. More info.
AKVIS Sketch v8.0
AKVIS Sketch (above right) is an award-winning program for conversion of photos into pencil sketches and watercolor drawings. Make any photo look like a B&W or color drawing, imitate the technique of graphite or color pencil, charcoal or watercolor painting.
AKVIS Sketch is available as a stand-alone application, as well as a plugin compatible with Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and other image editors. Requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or above. Home License (plug-in or standalone) costs US$72; also available for download as a 10-day trial. More info.
With Akvis products, one license key allows activating the software on two computers, for example on a desktop and a laptop.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh
Creative Suite 4 too high-end for you? Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh has a number of new features that make it a breeze to enhance and create with your photos – like new compositing capabilities to create group photos. And new, professionally designed, flexible layouts let you make finished scrapbook pages, photo books, and imaginative creations in minutes. Compare features with the previous Mac version here.
Adobe has also announced Photoshop Elements 7 & Premiere Elements 7 for Windows, to be available bundled or separately. No word yet on a Mac version 7 of either app.
www.adobe.com/ap/products/psprelements/
Saturday Workshop
One-on-one Mac Help from AMUG Committee members in a friendly, sharing environment.
Saturday October 13, commencing 10am. Room 136C (Computer Lab), Ground Floor, Webster Building, UNSW Kensington.
Bring your own Notebook or use one of the Uni's iMacs.
Enquiries and bookings, 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.