On October 17th, Applelinks' Charles Moore gave a great review of Bento 2. What I'd like to do here is provide a more detailed exploration of FileMaker and Bento, and explain why both are excellent database programs which serve two completely different customers. The fact is, Bento is an amazingly simple, easy to use database that requires no knowledge on how to create a database. FileMaker is an amazingly powerful database that is very simple (when compared to other databases), but requires creating every field, every relation, and every structure of a database. Admittedly, this is much more complicated and more work than many people need. Thus, there is Bento (and to borrow a phrase from the early days of Apple), a database "for the rest of us."

Cool Mac Gear


iTunes_RGB_9mm
image DriveSlim should prove especially popular with MacBook Air Users and those who go with the 128 GB Solid State Drive option on other model MacBooks
Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Moore’s MailBag - Wednesday, April 14, 2004166

• Memory Usage snapshot
• BiblePod
• Biometric Hard drive
• May be a cool idea
• Distance collaboration
• Article on American-Canadian relations


Canadian Government Sides With Big Music, MusicBiz Out To Kill iTMS?, Google Local Cometh, Windows F228

• Canadian Music Pigopolists Strike Back
• Are The Record Companies About To Kill Legal Downloads?
• Downloaders Aged 18-25 Are A 'Lost Cause' - Apple Spokesman
• Back Up Your Data Before Sending iBook For Logic Board Replacement
• PC Mag: Google Local in Beta Review
• iPod Fans Report "Static" Problems
• Apple Offers 15GB iPods As Mini Substitutes
• The Structural Failures of Windows
• Calif. Lawmaker Moves To Block Google's Gmail
• 'Universal' Hard Drive System To Ship This Month
• Iomega Ships 35GB 'Son Of Jaz'
• Vonage VoIP Pioneer Goes To Canada
• *NIX - UNIX: What Does It Mean To Choose Open Source?
• Apple FY 04 Second Quarter Results Conference Call Today
• Tech Night Owl: Making Speakerphones Listenable
• Mac Night Owl: The One Paragraph eMac Update Report
• Taiwan's Quanta Reaps Revived PC demand, LCD boom
• Applied Micro Circuits Corp. (AMCC) Powers Up


Shareware Beat - Wednesday, April 14, 2004132

• BiblePod 1.0 - The Bible On Your iPod [OS 10.2 up]
• Urly 0.9 Manages Temporary Bookmarks [OS 10.2 up]
• SweetMail 2.2r6 Email Client [OS 8.6 - OS X]
• FaxEmailHelper 1.3.1 Enhances Fax Forwarding By Email In Panther [OS X 10.3 up]
• VCD Builder 1.1.2 Creates VCD/SVCD Discs From Pictures, MPEGs [OS X 10.1 up]
• VolumeInfo 1.1 Menu Bar Item Shows List Of Mounted Volumes [OS X 10.3 up]
• xBack v3.0 Desktop Picture Utility [OS 10.2 up]
• Saft 6.5.5 Safari Plugin For Shortcuts, Full-screen, Kiosk Mode... [OS X 10.3 up]
• IPer 1.4.3 Finds Your IP Or A Web Site's IP [OS X 10.1 up]
• Path Finder 3.2b3 Finder-Like File Manager With Integrated Utilities [OS X 10.3 up]


Notable New Product News - Wednesday, April 14, 2004157

• New DiskGO! Portable Hard Drives
• Protect Your Music Investment with Trendy Geek's Pod Shields for Apple iPods
• ScrapX 1.3.2 Released
• SmartSound Software Inks New Distribution Deals with WYNIT and D&H
• MacGPS Pro 5.0.3 Connectivity To GPS Receivers
• Garage Organizer X 7.0 Manages An Auto Garage With POS Abilities
• BRU LE 1.2.8 Backup & Restore Utility
• MacPlay and Buena Vista Interactive Announce TRON 2.0 for the Mac Platform
• Aurora Introduces and Ships New PipeSDI
• Don't Go to Your Computer, Let Your Computer Come to You
• The Matrix Online Game Will Feature Integration of AOL Instant Messenger 'AIM' Service



Recover MP3 files deleted from your portable MP3 player140

SubRosaSoft.com Ltd., a New Zealand based software company focusing on system utility and privacy software, has announced the immediate availability of MP3Restore version 1.0. MP3Restore is an easy to use application designed to recover music files that have been deleted intentionally or accidentally from your portable MP3 player or your hard disk.


Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Apple Announces a Faster, More Affordable eMac170

Complete DVD Burning Solution Now $999


[url=http://store.blueworld.com]Spring Into Lasso Sales Promo[/url]216

Blue World Communications, today announced the immediate availability of special pricing on all Lasso products. For all orders placed from April 13th thru May 31st 2004, a discount of $50 for Lasso Professional 7 and $25 for Lasso Studio 7 will apply. The special sales promotion celebrates success this Spring within the Lasso community.


WWDC: Introduction to Final Cut Pro 4284

Final Cut Pro has created a paradigm shift in the worlds of video and film post-production. This session will provide an overview of Final Cut Pro and provide a walk-through of the basics, such as editing, transitions, audio mixing, and titling. No video editing experience is necessary.
Harness the potential of Mac OS X Tiger at WWDC 2005



FasterMac.net announces toll-free customer support166

FasterMac.net, a services division of Other World Computing (OWC), today announced that toll-free telephone customer support services are now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-869-9152 for users of the nationwide dialup Internet service created specifically for users of Apple Macintosh computers.


New The Road Warrior On MacOpinion - The 1 GHz Pismo129

Which is more desirable, G3 clock speed or G4 Altivec grunt?


OS X Odyssey 541 - Eudora 6.1 Adds WebWords Integrated Google Web Search121

New release tweaks and refines this venerable and powerful email client


End Of 99¢ Music?, Pink iBooks, Shift or Switch?. Jail For Spammers?, Trojan Tempest In A Teapot, m190

• Labels Seek End To 99¢ Music Downloads
• A Pink iBook Is a Girl's Best Friend
• Apple Trojan Fears Exaggerated
• Mac Night Owl: The Great Mac Trojan Horse Conspiracy Theory
• Shift, If Not Switch
• Processors: The Road To Tomorrow
• Launchers for Mac OS X
• Jail For German Spammers?
• Apple DMCA Sends iTunes DRM Decryptor Offshore
• Registration Opens for the 2004 O'Reilly Open Source Convention
• eWeek: Can Microsoft Grow Up?
• How Do Computer Mice Work?
• Samsung Makes Breakthrough In 0.10-Micron Process
• Mac Night Owl: AOL Quietly Opens its Mail System to the Rest of the World
• eWeek: Microsoft's Security Dilemma



Notable New Product News - Tuesday, April 13, 2004143

• VueScan 7.6.83 Scanner Software For Flatbed & Film Scanners
• Keyspan Ships Revolutionary USB Server for PCs and Macs
• dotPhoto Announces Free Online Photo Editing With Advanced Editing Tools For Everyone
• PANTONE colorist Ships; Provides Easy Access to PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM Colors and Recommended Color Schemes
• PowerSchool Announces Version 2004
• Kingston Technology Introduces One Gigabyte CompactFlash Elite Pro Card
• Studiometry 1.2 Released


Shareware Beat - Tuesday, April 13, 2004210

• SuperCal Display Calibrator for LCDs, CRTs and Projectors
• LightWayText 3.1.3/E for Mac
• ImageBuddy 2.9.7 Multi-page Photo Printing Software [OS 8.5 - 10.3.x]
• OpenOSX TrojanDefuser
• Dock Switch 1.0 Menu Bar Item For Switching Between Dock Configurations [OS X 10.3 up]
• DMG Maker 2.0.6 Disk Image Creation Utility [OS 10.2 up]
• In-Out Board 1.0 Employee Status Tracker [OS 8.6 up/ OS X]
• iKey 1.0.7b1 Automate Actions With Shortcuts Via Hot Keys Or Menu [OS 10.2 up]
• ResFool 1.0.3 Resource Editor With Full ResEdit Template Support [OS X 10.1 up]
• Madena 2.45 DICOM Viewer & Medical Image Processing Application [OS 10.2 up]
• FoldersSynchronizer 3.4.8b Syncs & Backs Up Files, Folders, Disks [OS 10.2.6 up]


Monday, April 12, 2004

WWDC: Developing Bluetooth Applications306

Apple is leading the way in popularizing Bluetooth by making this wireless technology available on all Mac systems. This session will outline the variety of methods that applications can use to access Bluetooth devices. Topics will include how to detect when Bluetooth devices are present as well as best practices when using Bluetooth serial ports, headsets, cell phones, and HID devices.
Harness the potential of Mac OS X Tiger at WWDC 2005


OWC reduces prices on processor upgrades as much as 10%159

Other World Computing (OWC) today announced that it has reduced prices by as much as 10 percent on its highly rated Mercury Extreme line of G4 processor upgrades for Apple Macintosh computers.



New Hot Deals From Apple Posted490

• iPods and Refurb Systems from the Apple Store • Printers, Drives and more from CDW/MacWarehouse


New The Road Warrior Mailbag On MacOpinion234

• Pink Pismo Screen
• Tibook LCD Crack, Apple Not Living Up To Warranty
• Re: New Apple Portables?
• Re: 5300 SCSI Disk Mode troubles
• Care and Feeding of Batteries--a response to a reader's comment
• RE: Type of computer box
• Computer Boxes; Apple lawsuit, ect.
• Mellel


OS X Odyssey 536 - OmniWeb’s Progress: Checking Out Version 5.0 beta 5144

Plus: • Very little promise • Far more effective for me than any browser I've used to date


Moore’s MailBag - Monday, April 12, 2004203

• Preview
• Your knowledge & wisdom
• How I use my iPod
• Thank you.
• Re: -_?
• Plum Keyboard
• First Mac OS X Trojan Horse Comments