MacTools • Cool Hardware and Software for Macs

Seven Months Later...

2009-02-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

Seven months have passed since the last post. In addition to our declining economy many new and interesting hardware and software tools have been introduced. These are few items worth taking a look at.

HARDWARE

WD TV

The WD TV box is one of the best things you can buy for $100. Its a small box that will play most digital content, from an external hard drive, on your TV. It can be connected to any USB drive. I have had great success with the $114 WD My Passport Essential 500 GB drives which will hold hundreds of movies. Both items are available on Amazon. When paired with HandBrake and Pinnacle's Video Transfer device producing content for the WD TV device is limitless. Its a very easy way to play your home movies on your TV, via HDMI, without having to produce a DVD. The image quality is far superior to any DVD I have been able to produce. WD's web site also carries all the software updates for the box. Canon G10

Canon has replace the G9 with the G10. This is the best point and shoot camera I have ever owned. My only disappointment is that Canon down-graded the video capture from 1080i to 640x480. Other than that they improved on the G9 which was also an epic camera. I am never without it. Available from Amazon.

Canon 5D Mark II

I have been waiting for the 5D Mark II for a long time. I like to shoot both stills and video when I travel. This new camera allows me to capture both at the highest quality with one device and many lens choices. It sports a new full frame CMOS sensor that will capture both a 21.1 megapixel image and full HD 1080 video. I have used it for several months. I am blown away by both the images and video it can capture.

Check out "Voyage" and "Reverie". Both these films were shot with the 5D Mark II. I created a Google Document to gather some of the reviews and papers out about the camera. This is a blog that someone put up to cover all things related to the 5D Mark II. This is my own test of the camera's capabilities.

PoGo Polaroid Printer

The PoGo is a great little printer to travel with. I use it to share photos with people kind enough to let me make a photo of them. I shoot the photos to be printed with the G10. I then plug the G10 into the printer via USB. The prints cost about 33 cents each. You can buy it on Amazon. The two photos below are scanned prints from the printer. LiveScribe

The Pulse Smart Pen and Dot Paper is a useful pen/paper combination that allows you to take notes and record what is being said at the same time. You can then upload both your notes and audio to LiveScribe Desktop on your Mac or PC. Both the pen and paper can be purchased on Amazon.
GigaPan

The GigaPan is a robotic device which will take highly detailed panoramic photos that can be uploaded to a dedicated web site for viewing. This is their home page. Its a great device designed for point and shoot cameras. I use it with my Canon G9. Thus far I made panorama's of Main Beach in Laguna Beach, Pelican Hill Resort and Morningside Canyon in Laguna Beach. Griffin iPod Power Doc

If you use several iPods this charging station works great!The Monsterpod

The go-anywhere, gravity-defying tripod, will stick to just about any surface and tilt and rotate to any angle, ensuring you’ll get the perfect shot….heads and all. BlackRapid Camera Strap

This is a new take on camera straps. The BlackRapid is designed to be worn as a sling. It allows rapid access to your camera and is extremely comfortable.
Super Travel A/C USB Wall Charger

If you travel with several devices that charge via USB this Super Travel Wall Charger is a great device. iPhone Power

I have tried several external batteries to keep my iPhone running when I am away from power all day. The Mophie Juice Pac and Juice Pac Air is the best I've found. The Richard Solo battery works well also. SOFTWARE

Expression Media 2

I started using this software years ago. It began as freeware called iView Multimedia. It was the best image cataloging software I had ever used. Its far superior to Portfolio in almost every way. Then Microsoft bought the software. They changed the name to Expression Media. For some reason it began to hang on PDF's when I imported any image folders that had PDF's in them. For the last 2 years I was forced to switch back to Portfolio 8 to handle large collections of images (anywhere between 40 and 100,00 images). Portfolio still sucks but at least it didn't crash like Expression did. I still used Expression Media for dealing with small groups of images (under 20,000) and it worked fine.

This week I discovered that Microsoft released Expression Media 2. I thought I would give it a try to see if they had solved the problems I was experiencing. I am happy to report that it is working flawlessly and is extremely fast. The first test I threw at it was dumping a folder into it that held 45,000 images of all types. EM2 cataloged them all in record time. Just for the fun of it I dropped in another folder bringing the total up to just over 90,000 images! Again, no crashes!

Expression Media 2 has many new interesting features including the ability to handle Geo Tagging. If you camera does not Geo Tag. EM2 allows you to drop an image on a map and it will add the information. I think this is the best image cataloging and management software out there.

Silver Efex Pro

I have written in earlier blogs about Viveza, one of Nik Software's great image enhancement products. Their proprietary U Point selection technology gives you amazing control over the areas of your image you want to enhance. Silver Efex Pro is equally great focusing on manipulation of black and white images.

Safari 4

A beta version of Safari 4 was released this week. It has great speed and a beautiful interface. Check out its new features.

iMovie

The new version of iMovie found in iLife is great. Its now the easiest way I have found to create and export still image slide shows into my films. It has a new camera motion function you can runny jumpy clips through and an interesting option to create animated travel maps for use in films and slide shows.

MacCaching Manager

MacCaching Manager is a useful tool for managing caches you want to find. It painlessly uploads them via USB (finally) to supported GPS devices.

PulpMotion V2

PulpMotion is a new slide show creation tool that can handle both still images and video clips.

Google Docs Tips

I use Google Docs for many things. These tips are good.

DoubleTake Update V2.2

I have written before about this easy to use panorama stitchers. DoubleTake is the best I have found for the price. Version 2.2 is out.

PhotoMatix

I have wanted to try creating some HDR images. PhotoMatix is the easiest HDR image creation software I have found. These three images were created using the software.

Road Trip Effect

If you have ever wanted to create animated maps showing your route of travel to include in your movies Road Trip Effect is simple and easy to use.

RANDOM STUFF

Evolution of the Mac Laptop

Red River Paper Panoramic Card Stock

If you like shooting panoramas Red River now offers appropriately proportioned inkjet printer panorama card stock. The unique size and paper quality of these cards provide great creative opportunities.
iPhone Deal with Verizon

God I hope this is true. I am so sick of ATT.

Momenta Workshops

If you are looking for interesting photography workshops check out Momenta. I participated in workshop in Myanmar with two of the founders. I learned more about making photographs in the two weeks I spent with them than in any other venue I have participated in.

Aptera

I have been following the development of the Aptera vehicle for several years. It looks like they are close to bringing this electric vehicle to market.

Shelby Aero EV

The Shelby Aero EV is another electric vehicle worth watching. Slightly faster than the Aptera!

Time Magazine's Apple's Top Ten Moments

Interesting compilation of Apple Moments from Time Magazine

Every Swear Word on Every Episode of the Sopranos

Be warned this is definitely x rated. Crazy!

First Ever Snowmobile Double Backflip

Damn!!

In my next post I am going to list some of the iPhone Apps that are worth having.

The 3G iPhone Arrives!

2008-07-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

With much fanfare and anticipation the 3G iPhone arrives. I waited in the line below for 4.5 hours to get mine at an ATT store.Because you had to sign up for a plan at the time you purchased the phone the turn around time for each sale was over 30 minutes. As a result the line moved very slow. Due to the demand the iTunes server was down so I could not activate the phone until later in the evening.I am extremely pleased with the 16GB version I purchased. The GPS function is a great addition. The greatest improvement is the App Store which is accessed via iTunes. I download about 20 applications. I was particularly interested in the voice recording capability however the apps that I have used the most have been Vicinity and WHERE. These apps use the GPS funtion to locate you and then offer lists of things like restaurants and entertainment near you.The internet seems to load more quickly using the 3G network. ATT coverage has not improved and I can't see that the phone has any greater ability to draw in a signal than the previous phone.

Google Docs Templates

I have mentioned the virtues of Google docs in previous posts. However, I just discovered their templates. I think there are over 700 document and presentation templates available! They are definitely worth checking out.

BLURB Books

I have also mentioned the on-line book design and print service BLURB. I recieved the two books I created using their software and was extremely pleased with the printing quality of the photos and text. The binding was beautiful as well. If you are thinking about producing a book this is a great way to go. Their free software works well and uploading the finished book was painless.

As a rule I try not to put anything in this blog that I have not tested personally. However I am going to break the rule and mention two interesting new products:

Pinnacle Video Capture for Mac

Several posts back I mentioned a great Pinnacle device I use to capture video onto small USB drives. Its a great device I use constantly. Pinnacle recently came out with a Video Capture device that looks interesting. It looks like a very simple way to get average quality video into your iTunes library from any analog source. If anyone tries it let me know how it works.

Planon DocuPen 800

The second device I discovered was the Planon DocuPen 800. While its made for PC's the article I read said it was basically plug and play for the Mac as well. The thing that interests me most about this device is it's ability to scan unique textures and patterns. The article I read said it opens up some intresting creative opportunities. I will let you know if it works.

Counting Down the Days to the New iPhone!

2008-06-15T17:00:00.001-07:00

I am excited about the new iPhone 3G. Lots of new features and 3rd party applications. Should be amazing.

Found a few interesting new things this week.

SOFTWARE

Apple awarded 3rd party software developers at the recent WWDC. I checked out several of the award winners and found two that I have been playing with.

ScreenFlow

ScreenFlow captures in video anything on your computer monitor. After capturing, it has a great list of export functions to create QuickTime clips of many sizes. It uses the camera built into your monitor to capture audio and video of you as well. Great for adding audio to Keynote slide shows.
Timeline

Just as it's name suggests this software creates stunning timelines. The 3D time line is amazing.
Blurb

I want to put in another good word for Blurb, the online book publishing site. I used their free software to design and publish two books this weekend for my family. The software works great. The books and photos uploaded easily. I should see the books in 5 days. I will follow up and write about the quality of the books when I receive them.

Fun Outside

2008-06-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Geocaching? If not you are missing out. We started doing it in 2004 but had not done it until our visit to NYC over the three day weekend. Once you start you will never look at the world in the same way again. To do it you need to visit the official Geocaching web site and buy a hand held GPS. Per the site:

Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache.

Caches exist all over the world and come in a complete range of sizes. To find caches near you all you do is type in your zip code. If you sign up for a free account you can see our profile and the caches we have logged. There are many more caches than there were in 2004. This map shows some along the Back Bay trail in Newport Beach.These are photos of the caches we found this weekend.If you don't have a GPS unit Garmin makes a great one called the eTrex Legend HCx.It has a built in map of the world although not detailed it works. There are a couple of things I like about this unit. The interface works well and is easy to use. Its small and compact. The best part is it can be connected to your Mac via USB so you can upload cache coordinates directly from the Geocaching web site. Garmin provides the free software to make it work. It also has a micro sd card slot so you can add more detailed road and topo maps.

HARDWARE

Fastmac External Battery Charger

I ran across this useful device on one of the Mac news sites. If you have several batteries for your laptop you can use this device to charge your batteries outside the laptop. Very useful for travel. Check out the stand-alone charger at FastMac.

iPhone Version 2.0 Countdown!

2008-05-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

I can hardly wait for the launch of the new iPhone and applications. There is speculation everywhere about how and when it will happen. Most are predicting June. The functionality of some of these apps is really exciting. It will truly be a small computer that also has a phone built into it.

iPHONE APPS

ReQall

While we are waiting for the new iphone to arrive I found this site that has solved one of my issues with the phone...the inability to use it as a voice recorder. ReQall offers a free service that provides you with the ability to call in a note, a reminder, a shopping list item etc. using a number they provide. Your voice note is then converted to text that appears on your ReQall web page. The service will also email or text message a reminder to you. I have been using it all week and love it. This service is not just for the iphone. It will work with any cell phone. WEB APPLICATIONS

Vimeo

I am probably one of the few people not addicted to YouTube although it has occurred to me that, rather than filling up my .Mac site with video, using one of the video sharing sites might work well. One of the Mac magazines reviewed video sharing web sites recently so I decided to take the plunge. The site that sounded most interesting, Vimeo, is set up to handle HD video. I checked out the site and signed up. This is my Viemo homepage. As a test I loaded a clip shot with the pocket sized DVG-567V HD Camera. It loaded easily. I plan to test an HD clip from Myanmar soon. This is a great way to share video!SOFTWARE

TreeMaker

OK, I have not tried this software and it probably should be under the Random Stuff category however I could not help mentioning this. Robert J. Lang was one of the speakers at the Serious Play conference. He is an Origami Master (I don't know who bestows the titles?). Check out his homepage.

He developed free software called TreeMaker that will allow you to use the computer to create complex origami forms. You can download the software here. If any of you try it let me know how it works!

A Few New Additions

2008-05-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

RANDOM STUFF

Art Center Conference

While not related to the Mac I just have to put in a pitch for the conference I attended this week. Every two years Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, puts on one of the most amazing conferences I have ever attended. The conference theme this year was Serious Play. They posted a great blog summarizing the speaker's presentations. The theme two years ago was Radical Craft. I cannot recommend attendance at this conference enough. It will change the way you look at the world.

JPL Phoenix Mars Rover Landing

One of the speakers at the conference is the head of JPL. They are all excited about the newest Mars lander named Phoenix, which is due to land May 25th. Check out their web site devoted to the Phoenix.

TED

I also should mention TED, another outstanding, but very exclusive conference held in Monterrey California. The great thing about TED is that they have created very high quality podcasts of each of their speakers. Check out the TED download site. You will not be disappointed!

HARDWARE

DVG-567V HD Camera

Last week I mentioned Steve Holley turned me onto the FLIP Video camera. This week I am going to push the concept of that camera even further. I got one of the fantasy catalogs from B and H Photo this week and came across the DVG-567V HD video camera. It has the same form factor as the FLIP however it is a far superior device.It records to SD cards which you can plug directly into your computer for quick download. (Even easier if you use the SanDisk SD/USB card) It has an internal zoom lens and a macro/infinity switch for distant and close up video. Here is the best part! It shoots in 720p high definition!! You can also select among three different qualities/sizes of video capture.It is about the size of an iPod. Check out the specs and features below:I used it all for several days at the Serious Play conference. It is an outstanding device. Best part..it only cost $140 dollars. Be warned it does not ship with an SD card. If you add the cost of the camera and the cost of an SD card it is more expensive than the FLIP. The larger the SD card you use, the more record time you have. It only comes with PC software however the software is unnecessary because you can down load the QuickTime clips directly from the SD cards onto your Mac. Check it out at MacMall.

WEB APPLICATIONS

Photoshop Express

Adobe released a beta version of their free web-based photo tool called Adobe Photoshop Express.
iPhone News Application

Associated Press released a nice news aggregator this week for the iPhone. Check it out on your iPhone at http://www.apnews.com/ It can be customized to deliver news targeted to your area, multiple areas and world wide coverage. It works very smoothly.

This Weeks Discoveries

2008-05-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Below are this week's new software, hardware and web gems!

SOFTWARE

NIK Photoshop Plug-Ins

NIK Software makes great plug-ins for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. I downloaded and experimented with one of their new offerings called Viveza. From within Photoshop you can use it to adjust color, saturation, contrast and a whole bunch of other stuff. What makes it unique and easy to use is their technology called "U Point powered Color Control Points." The software is not cheap however I am blown away by how well it works. Make sure and check out their demo video's. I also like NIK Color Efex as well.

WhatSize and Spring Cleaning

Periodically I take the time to remove files from the primary hard drives on my computers so they operate more efficiently, to make room for new projects and to back them up. Both WhatSize and Spring Cleaning help by identifying large files, duplicates and other stuff. They both work great.
Google Notifier

If you use Google Gmail as your primary email source definitely download Google Notifier for Mac's. It sits in the tool bar at the top of your screen and will notify you when you receive new mail and provide quick, direct access to your Gmail account.

HARDWARE

OWC 500 GB Portable Drive

OWC introduced a 500 GB portable, bus-powered drive this week. I have traveled with several of these during the last year and used them to back up digital photographs in the field. I have had no problems with the drive. It is compact and light. You can get it with multiple interfaces. I highly recommend it if you are in need of portable storage.
Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse

While I like the touch pad on my MacBook I use a mouse when I can. Until Dennis Cadorniga introduced me to the Logitech VX Nano I have been using an Apple Bluetooth mouse. They work OK but tend to drop their connection when I move my laptop. I've had good luck with wireless mice except that the USB antenna protrudes so far out from the side of the laptop they always get knocked off. Not so with the VX Nano. The USB antenna is tiny and the mouse is a joy to use! Thanks for the tip Dennis!
FLIP Video Camera

During breakfast last week Steve Holley turned me onto an interesting little pocket video camera called FLIP Video. It is tiny, simple (one button) and inexpensive. I was amazed at the quality of video he showed me on his laptop that he made in Hawaii on vacation with his family! It is designed specifically for uploading to YouTube and your own web site. You can't beat the price! My daughter has it at a Lakers Game as we speak. I will post some footage next week.
WEB SITES

MacUpdate Promo

Some of my favorite software is from small developers in the form of shareware or freeware. I discovered a site this weekend called MacUpdate Promo that offers a-deal-a-day on Mac software. It's a site worth checking periodically.

Soundsnap

I visited a site this weekend that I read about in one of the Mac magazines called Soundsnap. It is a great site where you can download free sound effects to add to your films.

PRODUCT FOLLOW UP

Cradle Point Router

I have been using the Cradlepoint Wireless Hotspot Router all week. This is a device I mentioned last week that Dennis Cadorniga showed me. I works perfectly!

PRODUCTS TO AVOID

Laptop Sweater

I could not resist adding this photo to the blog. Damn, this is bad!!

More Cool Stuff!

2008-04-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading "Inside Steve's Brain" by Wired writer Leander Kahney. Interesting book, fast read. There are many good ideas in this book no matter what profession you are in.I re-connected with an old friend of mine, Dennis Cadorniga, on Friday. Dennis has a technology consultancy based in Vancouver, Washington. Many of his clients are in Orange County. He is down about once a month to meet in person however he is able to help most people via Remote Desktop. Remote Desktop is an amazing piece of software that allows you to control, view and communicate with other computers from any location. I use it to control three computers with one screen and keyboard. It works flawlessly.If you need computer, blog, web support check out Dennis at CADCO.Dennis showed me an amazing WiFi device. It's called the PHS300 Personal Hotspot.

It creates your own personal WiFi network using a cellular USB modem such as those from Verizon. Rather than plugging the modem into the USB port of your laptop you plug it into the Cradlepoint device. The device broadcasts a WiFi signal that up to 11 people can use to connect to.

Another friend showed me his Nike Amp sports remote control. Besides being a cool watch it is designed to control your ipod when using it with the ipod sports kit.

Finally, to add a bit of humor, Sarah sent me this link months ago to a blog called "Stuff White People Like". It is absolutely hilarious!! Satire at its best!

This graphic showing Apple's tipping point is also interesting.

NEW TOOLS

2008-04-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

Below are some recent hardware and software discoveries.

HARDWARE

Pinnacle Video Transfer Device
This is a unique device is designed to digitize any S or Composite video signal to a USB device without a computer. The final Quicktime files can be viewed on your video iPod, iTV or on your computer. I use it to digitize movies and TV shows directly from the TV. I also use it to digitize TV programs I have recorded on my Cox digital recorder. Its a great way to create free video content for you iPod. You can use this device to convert home videos to a digital format as well. I have experimented with several types of USB devices and have found the SanDisk 8GB Cruzer Slide to work the best.This is a great USB drive! Check out the Pinnacle Video Transfe r.Canon G9 Camera
This is an outstanding camera. I took it to Myanmar as a back up to the two 5D's. I also used it to make group snapshots and film clips. There are several things that make this a great camera. It will record both RAW and JPEG 12.1 MB images at the same time. You can use it in a completely manual mode. I like shooting in this mode because you get real time feed back on the big LCD regarding the exposure of your image. I gave up using the Kodak I have mentioned previously because other than its great panorama function its images are poor quality. I solved the problem of shooting pans with the G9 by using the great pano stitching program DoubleTake. I am never without this camera. Check out the G9 and accessories out at B and H.iPod Touch
When Apple upgraded the memory of the Touch to 32GB I broke down and bought one. I am glad I did. It is a phenomenal device. I highly recommend it. I use it primarily to watch movies when traveling. The screen size is great, its clear and sharp. The battery will last across the country. Beyond films it is really a tiny computer when connected to a wireless network. You can send and receive email, surf the web and all sorts of other stuff. Check out the iPod Touch!
iPod Touch and iPhone Case
I love good cases for all my gear. I hate scratches on anything. I ran across this case recently and decided to try it out. It is unique because it completely covers your iPod Touch or iPhone. The surface of the case is designed to telegraph your touch through to the device screen. So far it works great. Its very thin. Check out the iPod Touch Retro T2 Case.
GeekPod 100
I may have mentioned these amazing rechargeable batteries before. They are epic! I loaned my battery to my daughter's boyfriend who took it to Fiji with him on a surf trip. He use his iTouch on the 12 hour flight and it went from four green lights to three. He used it all week and on the return flight and had power to spare. Check out the GeekPod 100, its the best external battery I have found! Great company also!

ScanSnap S300M
I have been patiently waiting for this device to come out since MacWorld in January. They are finally shipping. This is a great portable, duplex, sheet fed color scanner. I have been using it for about a month with no problems. I also use their ScanSnap S510M at work. Its small and not portable, nor will it run off USB port power like the S300M. In the past these scanners suffered from having unreliable feed rollers. It seems ScanSnap has solved that problem in both devices. Its a great tool.IntelliScanner SOHO
I finally broke down and bought the IntelliScanner SOHO bar code scanning device. I had an early device like this several years ago however you had to use it plugged into the computer. You use this tool to catalog your books, DVD's, CD's, Wine etc. I ships with software called Collector. The beauty of the device is that it is cordless and will hold in its memory 2500 scans. After scanning you plug it into your computer via USB and it downloads its contents into Collector. Collector then checks the internet to gather an image and data on the item you scanned. The following are screen shots from Collector.The thing that finally sold me on re-scanning all my stuff is the built in tool Collection has for publishing your collections to the web. You can access your library and search it from any location, even on your iPhone. Check out my book and film libraries! As you add titles you just hit the Publish button to update the info on the web. Intelliscanner hosts the site. Check out the IntelliScanner SOHO.

Trihub 7
I have been eagerly awaiting the delivery of MacAlly's USB Hub called the Trihub 7. I plan to use this hub as a device to charge our iPods and other things that use the USB connection for charging internal batteries. I won't even hook it up to the computer. I will let you know if this idea works.Altec Lansing iM207 Orbit
This is a battery powered speaker for your iPod or other mobile device that uses a small stereo phono plub. The speaker sounds good but is not as small as I thought it would be. Check out the iM207 Orbit.

SOFTWARE

eMedia Guitar Instructional Software
This is the first instructional software I have used on my laptop to advance my playing ability. I started with the intermediate version and then purchased the Blues version as well. I think its a great learning tool. The only thing I don't like is that you have to use the CD while the software is running. Other than that it is great. There are a whole range of other versions eMedia offers.

Google Maps
Until recently I had not tried making my own custom maps via Google Map. I experimented with the tool by making a map of places we like to visit in New York City. I was blown away by how easy it is and have plans for a whole series of custom maps. Check out the NYC Map!

iToner
If you want to create custom ringtones for you iPhone this software works great! Check out iToner.

Monocle and GOOD Magazines
I know its not Mac hardware or software but I had to put in a plug for two interesting magazines I am enjoying. Both Monocle and GOOD are about world culture, issues and design.

AVOID THESE PRODUCTS

Iris
IRIS just released a new TINY USB-powered sheet scanner called the IRIScan 2. It totally sucks. I have never been able to get a scan out of it without big black stripes across the image. Total piece of shit. The ScanSnap S300M is larger but far superior.

MacWorld Has Come and Gone

2008-01-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

I didn't get as much out of MacWorld this year as I did last year. I finished walking the expo floor after lunch and headed home. There were a few things that were interesting:

HARDWARE

Invisible Shield
If you don't like bulky cases for your ipod's, iphones and other gadgets this looks like a great product. Invisible Shield is a clear, polymer-like coating that is impermeable.

Rhino • Skin
A beautiful, light aluminum hardcases for both macbooks and macbook pros. Comes in either black or aluminum finish. I am taking one to Myanmar and well let you know how it works. The only thing I am suspect of is the cover latches. They seem a little flimsy.

iSkin
They have created a beautiful leather laptop case called Soho. Beautiful.

ScanSnap
Fujitsu just released their new portable color sheet fed scanner for the Mac called the ScanSnapS300M. It will operated on USB power from your laptop. It will hold 10 sheets at a time and do duplex (two-side) scanning in one pass. Looks like a great portable tool. It does not ship for a couple of months

IntelliScanner
The IntelliScanner Mini is an interesting device. You can use it to organize your books, dvd's, cd's etc. It's cordless and has a memory so you can scan a bunch of items and load them into it's data base. I have an old one with a cord, which is a hassle. The thing I was most interested in is that you can create a web-based data base of your books, films, etc and access the data base from any computer and from the iPhone. This is a breakthrough for me because you don't have to transfer the data base from computer to computer and you can access you library remotely.

Iris
IRIS just released a new TINY USB-powered sheet scanner called the IRIScan 2. It scans only one side but it weighs almost nothing. Scan quality is not to bad. I bought one and will let you know how it holds up.

SOFTWARE

Blurb
Blurb books, that you can order on-line, have come a long way. Their product is beautiful and affordable. I looked at several hard and soft cover books. The printing and binding was excellent. You download their software called "Blurb Booksmart", layout your book/cover and upload it. The product is far superior to Apple iBooks.

Recosoft
They have developed two interesting conversion programs. PDF2ID converts PDF's to InDesign documents and PDF2Office converts PDF's to files editable in Word, PowerPoint, RTF, AppleWorks and others.

Three Days to MacWorld

2008-01-12T19:00:00.001-08:00

I didn't find much to add the the list this week. I'm sure I will find some great stuff next week at MacWorld.

SOFTWARE

Soundslides
I forgot to add one great program to the list. It's called Soundslides. It was designed for photojournalists to quickly get images organized into a Flash based slide show that could be uploaded to the web. It creates great slide shows with sound for the web.

MarsEdit
I also discovered MarsEdit. If you post to a blog this software allows you to compose off-line and then upload your post and images to your blog. Red Sweater Software offers this software. The guy that wrote the software and owns the company previously worked for Apple.

HARDWARE

Logitech
If video chat or use the video mode in Skype you will love this new, compact but powerful, Logitech camera. It is far superior to the camera built into the Mac Book and Mac Book Pro. I like it for two reasons. First, it has a wide angle lens. Second, it produces a bright, sharp image. It connects to your computer via USB. It has a built-in clip designed to attach to the top of your laptop screen. It also ships with a useful stand if you want to use it on your desk top.

Welcome to My New Blog

2008-01-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

I enjoy investigating new hardware and software for my Mac. I decided to create a platform for sharing useful tools I discover as I read Mac magazines and RSS feeds on the web. I also intend to write about both things that have worked and not worked for me.

This first post will be longer than those that follow because I have quite a backlog of discoveries.

SOFTWARE

Vaja Cases
Their laptop and iPhone cases are elegant and beautiful! The cases are made of leather. The fit and finish is beautiful. They can be customized in a innumerable ways. They are one of the few companies that create an elegant, thin "hard sided" case for your laptop.
http://www.vajacases.com/home/home_en.html

Axio
These folks also create a true "hard sided" laptop case that I like. It's far less expensive than the Vaja because it is not made of leather. This is a great travel case. Very light.

booq
The folks at Booq create a great, thin, zippered laptop case. They are great if you are not looking for true "hard sided" protection.

Stilleto 10
If you have a subscription to Sirius satellite radio you might be interested in the Silleto. It's a portable device that's a little thicker that an iPod that you can use to listen to Sirus programming out side your care. It costs about $6 dollars to add it to your Sirus account. It works great. You can record up to 10 hours of programming on it. If you spend time outside this is a great tool.
I found the best price on Amazon.

HARDWARE

iPhone Applications

Initially I hacked my iPhone to gain access to more applications for my phone. I chose to go a different route after the last software upgrade for the phone. I have been using Safari based app's and have been pleased with them.This is the link to Apple's collection of Safari based applications for the iPhone. Generally there is nothing to install. You just go to the link directly on your iPhone then bookmark it.
http://www.apple.com/webapps/

iDo
To-do list app for iPhone. This is one of my favorite app's because you can update your lists either from your computer or phone. Very functional and useful. Worth the small fee they charge.
http://ido.pmade.com/

Google Labs
I am a devoted fan of Google's products. This blog was created using Google's Blogger. I use Google Reader, Google Notebook, Google Doc's and Spreadsheets and Google Desktop. To access these and other tools all you need to do is sign up for a gmail account. The thing I like most about using Google's products is that they "live" on the web. As a result I can use any computer, PC or MAC, to access my documents.
http://labs.google.com/

Gmail
This is the account page link if you want to set up a free account which will allow you to get started using all the great tools.
https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount

Skitch
This little program is in beta. I find it useful for adding notation to photos and screen shots although it is designed to do far more.
http://plasq.com/skitch

DoubleTake
This is the best and most simple panorama creation software I have found.
http://echoone.com/doubletake/

HandBrake
This is the software I use to rip movies from DVD's to my iPod or iTV. It is an outstanding program.
http://handbrake.m0k.org/

Audio Hijack Pro
I use this software to capture audio clips from iTunes and Sirus radio stations. It will capture any sound generated by your computer. I play the resultant clips on my iPod or through my computer to the sound system in our home.
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/

Sharpshooter
This a great little app that automatically pops up when you make a screen shot so you can rename it before it hits your desktop. If you create a lot of screen shots you need this tool.
http://www.iwankerl.com/Software/Sharpshooter/

VisualHub
I use this software to convert various video formats into clips that my iPhone, iPod or iTV can read. I also use it to make self contained Flash clips. It is fast and can be set to convert a large queue of films.
http://www.techspansion.com/visualhub/

PhotoToMovie
This is the best software I have found for animating still photographs and converting them into QuickTime clips that I can add into my films which I edit in Final Cut Pro.
http://www.lqgraphics.com/software/phototomovie.php

FotoMagico
This software produces the most beautiful slide shows at a super high resolution. I use this for photography slide shows. You can add text and a sound track.
http://www.boinx.com/fotomagico/overview/

PhotoZoom Pro 2
I use this software to enlarge images to make big prints without loss of quality. It works very well.
http://www.benvista.com/main/content/content.php?page=ourproducts&section=photozoompro_1

ShutterBug
I used this software to build my web site. I love it. Easy to use. I often use it to create html slide show files that we load on the web. The slide shows on the UPD site were built with this software. I prefer this software over iWeb because it is easier to manage several sites.
http://xtralean.com/SBOverview.html

AVOID THESE PRODUCTS

Elagato Turbo
This product is a software/hardware combination. The device plugs into a USB port. In theory it is supposed to vastly decrease the time it takes to convert video and movies to a format your iPod can use. I have found it very slow. The VisualHub software described above is faster and less expensive.

Maxtor Hard Drives
Do not be deceived by the cheap price of the Maxtor 1.5 TB drives. I have had two fail within the last 6 months! I have decided to use GDrives exclusively.