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Office For Mac Steps Closer To Windows Version Of Software
Raskin Simplifies Interaction With Computer Files Spatial Memory At Core Of User Experience
Macintosh Owners Have Unfair Advantage In Information Business
Camping With Your Mac - 2010
Could an Apple iCar Be Down The Road?
You can view a video of iStream designer Gordon Murray discussing the T.25 here:
The Tragic Death of Practically Everything
Opera: Firefox Tab Sets? We've Had 'Em For Years
Problems After Snow Leopard Graphics Update 1.0
IE at 15: Kind Of A Punk, But Still On Top
One In Five Workers Still Clinging To IE6
OWC Confirms 2010 Mac Pro Single Processor Models Can Use 32GB RAM
Taking a Peek Inside The 2010 Mac Pro
Sonnet Announces New MacCuff Mini Back of Monitor or Under-Desk Mounting System for New Mac mini
Sonnet Technologies has announced that its MacCuff mini, the back-of-monitor mounting system for Mac mini computers has been updated for the latest Mac mini line. MacCuff mini provides users a practical way to mount their computer to the back of an LCD display (or under a desk or table) while retaining full access to the power switch, the SD card and optical disc slots, and all of its ports.
In spite of its small size, the Mac mini can be inconvenient to place. On a small desk, the Mac mini takes up valuable space, a problem compounded by cable clutter. MacCuff mini moves a Mac mini off the desktop and behind the monitor or to under a desktop.
Many LCD monitors have open VESA mounting holes on the back that provide an ideal spot to attach a MacCuff mini. Mounted securely to the back of a display, a Mac mini disappears. Sonnet helps cut the cable clutter by providing a 13-inch HDMI to DVI-D monitor cable that connects the Mac mini to the monitor, without ever touching the desk. Included cable ties secure the power cord and other cables to the bracket to prevent accidental disconnects. MacCuff mini can just as easily be installed under a desk or shelf. Regardless the mounting method, MacCuff mini s design leaves the computer s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas uncovered to allow normal operation.
MacCuff mini can help secure Mac mini to whatever it is mounted. An included locking bar slides through slots at the front of the MacCuff mini bracket that, when used with a lock, secures the Mac mini from the front, while a tall lip prevents removing the Mac mini from the back of MacCuff mini.
MacCuff mini is constructed of rugged steel, and its double powder-coated finish won t scuff or scratch the computer s finish. Installation is easy. For back-of-monitor mounting, just locate the empty VESA mount screw holes on the back of the monitor, and then use the supplied machine screws to secure the MacCuff mini. For under-desk mounting, simply tape the included drill template to the surface, drill pilot holes, and attach the bracket using the supplied wood screws. Mac mini simply slides into the MacCuff mini.
The new MacCuff mini will be available the week of September 6, 2010 for the suggested retail price of USD $59.95.
More information on MacCuff mini is available at:
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/maccuffmini.html
Office For Mac Steps Closer To Windows Version Of Software
The Register's Kelly Fiveash reports:
Office for Mac 2011 should be released in October this year, according to Microsoft's roadmap.
Redmond said in a video posted on its Office for Mac website yesterday that the company would give Apple-loving customers the opportunity to edit photos from within Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/19/microsoft_office_mac_2011_features/
Raskin Simplifies Interaction With Computer Files Spatial Memory At Core Of User Experience
Raskin Software LLC ( http://raskinformac.com ) has announced the arrival of Raskin - its zoomable single surface desktop software application. An alternative to Finder on the Mac, Raskin simplifies interaction with your computer.
Raskin was named after and inspired by the work of Macintosh visionary and widely acclaimed "father of the Macintosh" Jef Raskin.
"We developed a crude prototype back in 2002 after reading Raskin's book, The Humane Interface," says Raskin's Chief Software Engineer, Martin Halter. "To quote Jef himself: 'A computer shall not waste your time or require you to do more work than strictly necessary.' That s very much what we're trying to adhere to with Raskin."
With minimal features, user experience is front of mind for Raskin's team of Swiss developers. Described by Macworld's Stuart Gripman as a "huge sliding, zooming bulletin board with buttery smooth animated transitions," and by OSX Magazine as "a revolutionary app," Raskin's strongest selling point may be how closely it resembles the physical world, albeit flattened. By seeing the contents of the computer on one surface, users can rely on visual and spatial memory to find documents. Once a file is located, the user can zoom-in to preview the document before opening.
"It's a productivity tool for the future," says Raskin Co-Creator, Michael Rosewich. "Apart from usability addicts, early adopters will likely be people who work in the creative industry. Photographers, art directors, graphic designers and the like who are by default visual people. When you re trying to find things it helps when you can see what you re looking for. That's something most people will find useful."
"Navigating Raskin on a MacBook Trackpad or with Apple's new Magic Trackpad on a Desktop will be familiar to iPhone and iPad users. The gestures are all the same, so it s immediately friendly to use," says Gregor Battig, Raskin s Head of Usability. "This puts Raskin on the right side of current trends in HID technologies and interface design."
In April 2010, Google purchased a company called BumpTop, that had developed a 3D desktop alternative. And in late July, Jef Raskin's son, Aza, who develops software for Firefox, released a beta version of Tab Candy - a plugin for the browser that picks up on many of the principles found in Raskin. ..
Raskin Version 1.0.2 is based on early user feedback and input from the developer community, including Apple engineers the Raskin team met while attending WWDC10 this past June. This release improves stability, speed and performance for seamless navigation and a better user experience. Raskin s first major update with new features is scheduled for October 2010.
Raskin is a zoomable desktop alternative to the Macintosh Finder that simplifies interaction with your computer.
Raskin Features
Interaction: A Seamless Experience
• Zoom and pan to open, find, edit and organize documents
• Quickly navigate across the Raskin Surface [#%#2 to show entire Surface #1, #2, & to go to Places]
• Trackpad, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse gesture enabled
• Works together with Finder and Spotlight
Select single or multiple items anywhere on the Raskin Surface, across multiple folders
• Zoom away from any document straight into Raskin [#%#-Scroll or #%#R]
• Zoom in to open document in its application
• Real-world animated zoom transitions
• Improved Open with over Finder
• Fast and easy to install
• Built-in support and automatic updates
Organize: Getting and Staying Organized is Easy
• Initial Raskin Surface arrangement built from Finder Places and folders
• Easily create and group documents into new folder [#G]
• Rename documents, folders and Places on the fly
• Sort by document meta data (including last opened )
• See all applications with open windows [#1]
• Create custom arrangements to personalize Raskin Surface
• Select and group documents [#G] across Raskin Surface
• Color-code to visually separate and highlight areas on Raskin Surface
• Display, hide, resize, and arrange, documents, folders and Places to fit your needs
• Folders scale automatically to show all documents inside
• Changes made in Raskin are reflected in Finder and vice-versa
• Uses common file system
Visual: See What You're Looking For
• See all your documents on a single Surface [#%#2]
• Smoothly zoom and pan anywhere
• Zoom-in on any selection [#R]
• Color-coded documents and folders help you distinguish easily
• Hide documents, folders and Places you don t use
• Preview the contents of all QuickLook enabled documents
• See all custom folder icons
• Shows open document screenshot at location
• Displays bigger (dimensions) documents bigger and vice-versa
• Real-world animated zoom transitions
• Spatial Memory: Just Like the Physical World
• Remember where you put something, not in which folder
• Zoom and pan to the right spot
• Arrange Raskin Surface items to fit your needs
• Reveal any document on Raskin Surface quickly
[#%#R in Finder]
• Surface shows your documents, folders, Places and all open applications
• Create landmarks within Raskin Surface by color-coding or resizing items
• Drag and drop to rearrange Raskin Surface items
• Resize any document, folder or Place
• Multiple display enabled (one for Raskin, the other for your open applications)
Download Raskin Free Trial Version (Free 30-Day Trial):
http://raskinformac.com/
Raskin Company Website:
http://raskinformac.com/
Jef Raskin Wikipedia Page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jef_Raskin
BumpTop:
http://www.bumptop.com/
Tab Candy:
http://www.azarask.in/blog/post/tabcandy/
Macintosh Owners Have Unfair Advantage In Information Business
[Press Release]
Missouri based Backyard Gazette Publishing shows how a Macintosh computer is the best tool to create an information marketing business. This computer already has the tools "built in" to make creating information a breeze. "Having a Macintosh computer gives business owners an almost unfair advantage," says Millard Grubb, owner of Backyard Gazette Publishing.
With a Mac, you can create products quickly and bring them to market faster than you ever thought possible," continues Grubb. "One of my friends, Joe Sabah, had an idea in the morning, and by the afternoon had a product on the market."
Millard Grubb created Backyard Gazette Publishing several years ago when he found that it was easy for him to create information products using his Mac. Apple has made it easy for the average person to create information that can be distributed quickly.
"I first started selling stories of how my career began, on ebay," says Grubb. "After recording several audio CDs, I placed ads and sold dozens of copies of several products. I realized I was on to something." Grubb has continued to publish courses, audio programs, books, ebooks, and other assorted materials from his home in the midwest.
"I owe a lot of what I can do to my Macintosh," explains Grubb in a news release."Frankly, if you've got an idea, you can make a product. Getting it to market and making a profit is when you need a system, in hand. After losing my shirt a couple of times, I learned how to make sure I stacked the cards in my favor. It takes a little work, but I'm convinced that working from your home selling information is the best business to be in."
Using a Mac to make it happen, just makes it easier. Grubb is willing to teach a few Macintosh owners how to do what he does. He is now offering private coaching for a month.
"In this economy, the information business is flourishing," enthused Grubb.
"If you've got an idea, the Mac is the best way to get it to market."
For more information you can contact Macintosh Money Coaching:
http://www.macintoshmoney.com
Camping With Your Mac - 2010
ZNet blogger Jason D. O'Grady has posted the 2010 version of his recurring summer series of guides to traveling and camping with your Mac (and iPad/iPhone/iPod).
Jason says he can't go anywhere without his computer and tends to take it everywhere, but in order to do so, you need some accessories to both protect your gear and to help you get where you re going at the same time.
Jason says people define "camping" variously, ranging from driving to a state park with the family and sleeping in a tent (his version) to parking a luxe RV at a posh beachside escape (that would be my version if I could afford the RV! - Ed.).
If you're heading out into the wild (or even not-so-wild) this summer with your Mac and iGadgets in tow, check out the tips in this arfticle at:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/camping-with-your-mac-2010/7891
Could an Apple iCar Be Down The Road?
Pocket-Lint's Stuart Miles reports that a new iStream manufacturing process could open up car making to electronics firms.
"Someone like Apple could very easily make a car", said Gordon Murray, founder of Gordon Murray Designs and creator of the iStream manufacturing process told Miles, who notes that Apple has been slowly making a march into the automotive industry in recent years, with Apple iPod docks now a factory optional extra in Mini and BMW cars, and that "sources" within Apple have confirmed to Pocket-lint that there is a secret internal department within the company that specialises in transport, although it's not 100 percent clear whether that means car accessories, car information systems, or a full blown iCar.
For more information, visit:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/35046/could-apple-icar-become-reality
You can view a video of iStream designer Gordon Murray discussing the T.25 here:
http://bit.ly/9OYmkY
The Tragic Death of Practically Everything
Technologizer's Harry McCracken says that for years, once-vibrant technologies, products, and companies have been dropping like teenagers in a Freddy Krueger movie, and he's thankful that tech journalists have done such a good job of documenting the carnage as it happened, noting that without their diligent reporting, we might not be aware that the industry is pretty much an unrelenting bloodbath.
You can check it out at:
http://bit.ly/cUjPCF
Opera: Firefox Tab Sets? We've Had 'Em For Years
The Register's Cade Metz notes that Mozilla recently unveiled a fresh Firefox interface designed to better organize open tabs, and as this "Tab Sets" prototype - Tab Candy - works its way into the Firefox 4 beta, Opera would like you to know that it's been offering something similar for ages.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/19/opera_on_tab_grouping/
Problems After Snow Leopard Graphics Update 1.0
AppleToolBox says that while most users experience a performance improvement:
Some users are reporting a variety of issues after applying Snow Leopard Graphics Update 1.0, which (for the majority of users) fixes longstanding issues with several games and provides an OpenGL performance boost.
The reported problems are outlined and workarounds suggested here:
http://bit.ly/aGt1Q0
IE at 15: Kind Of A Punk, But Still On Top
Government Computer News's Kurt Mackie notes that at 15, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is still the top Web browser despite accusations of bullying, occasional run-ins with the law, and increased competition from Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari [not to mention Opera and a host of niche browsers, al,so obseerving that it's the go-to browser for the federal government and the only one used by the General Services Administration.
Mackie takes a take a look at how IE got to this point, viewing this teenager as a person, rather than a piece of code.
You can check it out at:
http://gcn.com/articles/2010/08/19/ecg-happy-15th-birthday-ie.aspx
[Editor's note: I am abidingly mystified as to how mediocrem clunky IE maintains its dominance against the availability of so many superior browsers (that would be all of the other big name browsers and most of the niche ones as well. The mentality that makes it so helps explain how Windows retains its grip on the OS market. - Ed.]
One In Five Workers Still Clinging To IE6
The Register's John Leyden notes that Microsoft's IE6 web browser remains widely used in the enterprise, despite its many performance and security problems, and that one in five enterprise workers continue to use the nine-year-old web browser.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/19/zscaler_web_securitystudy/
OWC Confirms 2010 Mac Pro Single Processor Models Can Use 32GB RAM
OWC blogger Michael says:
The OWC MaxRAM Certification Program determines the maximum amount of memory that can be installed in a Mac as validated by a series of comprehensive, in-house laboratory tests. While OWC MaxRAM configurations exceed Apple s officially supported maximums, all OWC brand memory upgrades are assured to perform flawlessly and are covered by a Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty and Money Back Guarantee.
Recently added to our growing list of machines are the 2010 Mac Pro single processor (Quad-Core and 6-Core) systems. Whereas Apple lists the supported memory as four memory slots supporting up to 16GB of main memory using 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB DIMMs, OWC has confirmed that our 8GB memory modules perform to their fullest capacity allowing us to support 8GB DIMMs for up to 32GB of memory in your Quad-Core or 6-Core Mid 2010 Mac Pro.
For the full report visit here:
http://bit.ly/94tars
Taking a Peek Inside The 2010 Mac Pro
OWC blogger Grant says:
While unboxing photos are fun for a brand new product line like the iPad or even the iPhone 4, showing the same for a model that doesn t change a whole lot - like the Mac Pro - is a little like going to an ice cream shop and ordering vanilla. Really, how many times do you need to see the styrofoam corner protectors or the little sleeve with the owner s manual and restore discs?
So what we thought you would find interesting is what's inside this new computer; since as we learned with the 2010 iMacs sometimes, you find something unexpected.
This time around though, despite offering up to 12 cores of computing power and beefed up video capabilities, the internal layout looks to be pretty much the same as previous versions. But sometimes you can t get enough of a good thing and in this case, we ve verified there is still plenty of room for easy upgrading! But don t take our word for it, heres what it looks like inside.....
You can check out the photos at:
http://blog.macsales.com/6611-taking-a-peek-inside-the-2010-mac-pro
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