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  • MacLife (March 2010)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: MacLife – Issue Number 38 – March 2010

    MacLife was the successor to MacAddict but in my opinion, MacAddict was the much better magazine. It was like Maximum PC but for Macs. MacLife on the other hand is just kind of…boring. But then that is really what Macs have become. From their switch to Power PC through their switch to Intel they kept things pretty interesting with design changes, operating system upgrades, etc. Since then, it seems very little has changed and the things that are changing are questionable. Is ever thinner and lighter really worth it if you have to have a dongle for everything you connect? Is the switch to the M1 over Intel really going to make things better? Is a computer shaped like a beer can really the best approach? In recent years has Mac OS really been getting better or does it just seem more bloated? And so on…

    This issue of MacLife comes 5 years after the last PowerPC Mac was made and all new Macs were Intel based. PowerPC was still supported. OS Support had recently been dropped as the latest OS out at the time (Snow Leopard) had dropped support for the Power PC. I still think Leopard and Snow Leopard were the peak of OS X.

    Anyway, this issue of MacLife from March 2010 includes:

    Features

    • Macs, Home Automation and You – An article about automating your home with your Mac and/or other apple devices. It seems that Amazon and Google have really taken over this space.
    • Modernism Meets Its Mac – Using your Mac or iPhone for interior decorating using, for example, Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.
    • Photoshop, This Is Your Life! – A history of Photoshop as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. Version 1.0 was released in 1990 and required an 8 MHz processor, 2 MB of RAM and fit on one 3.5″ floppy disk.

    Departments

    • Online At MacLife.com – An overview of the latest articles on MacLife’s home on the web, including tips and tricks for Snow Leopard, the 100 greatest iPhone apps of 2009 and more.
    • Consider – MacLife’s editorial section, this month with an overview of changes to their review ratings scale.
    • Share – Letters from readers, this month featuring comments on Internet ownership and Snow Leopard incompatibilities among other topics.
    • Start – News (from CES 2010 this month) including info about Google’s new phone (the Nexus), Intel’s Core i5 mobile processor, Dlink’s Boxee Box, and more.
    • Win – An external MacBook battery from HyperMac given out as a prize plus a new contest featuring an Elgato EyeTV One (a digital over the air TV antenna for your Mac).

    Create

    • Ask – Questions answered about how to watermark images, how to keep bookmarks in sync between different web browsers, parental controls on an iPod Touch, batch renaming image files and more.
    • Sync Your Android Phone to Your Mac – How to sync your android phone with your Mac. A Motorola Droid was the phone used in their example.
    • Master 5 Utilities in 5 Minutes – Quick mini-tutorials on how to use 5 common Mac utilities (on Leopard) including Activity Monitor, Console, Disk Utility, Network Utility and ColorSync Utility.

    Reviews

    • Canon EOS 7D – A review of Canon’s latest mid-range DSLR, featuring 18MP images at a $1,699 price tag…plus the cost of lenses.
    • Python Blur and Boa Flow XL – Reviews of two different laptop backpacks by Booq.
    • CarMD 2100 Handheld Tester – A diagnostic tool for your car that works with your Mac. Oddly, it includes a subscription based service that limits the number of cars you can test and the number of tests you can do per month.
    • Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 – A bluetooth keyboard from Microsoft that works with Macs (but is not designed specifically for them). i guess its better than the Bluetoot Mobile Keyboard 5000?
    • MacSpeech Dictate – $199 dictation software for your Mac. Speech recognition is something that seems to have continued to progress rapidly since then.
    • Path Finder – An alternative file manager for your Mac. It offers not available at the time on Mac’s Finder including multiple tabs, batch operations and more.
    • G Drive – An external 7200RPM hard drive available in sizes from 500TB to 2TB and featuring USB 2.0, FireWire and eSATA ports.
    • Zeo Personal Sleep Coach – A sleep monitor that requires you to wear a headband when you sleep. This is in no way related to Macs that I can see other than if you want to upload your data you have to transfer it to a computer via an SD card.

    Listen

    • Spin – A DJ controller featuring two “turntables” that are really jog wheels for accomplishing the same thing digitally.
    • Squeezebox Radio – A radio streaming device from Logitech that can stream music from your Mac or the Internet.
    • Yurbuds – Silicon covers for your earbuds that supposedly improve comfort and sound quality.
    • Sonos Zoneplayer S5 – Another streaming device for streaming music locally or from the Internet. It can be controlled with your iPhone.
    • Cy-fi Wireless Sports Speaker – A wireless speaker for your iPod or iPhone. It works by connecting a wireless transmitter to the base of your iPod and is designed so that it can easily mount on your bike.

    Play

    • The Secrets of da Vinci – A point and click puzzle/adventure game for your Mac.
    • Bullet Candy Perfect – An arcade shooter reminiscent of Geometry Wars. It had a “pay what you like” price where you could pay whatever you felt the game was worth (with a $1 minimum).
    • The Abbey – Another point and click adventure game, this one featuring monks in a murder mystery. Apparently there is also a PC version called “Murder in the Abbey”.

    …and more!


    Computer Arcana Macintosh 📎and tagged

  • MacAddict (June 1999)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: MacAddict – Issue Number 34 – June 1999

    There can be do doubt that the late 1990s/early 2000s were the best of times for Apple’s Macintosh line. Before that, the company was nearly dead. But Steve Jobs had come back and performed a miracle with a line of very distinctive computers that were in some ways ahead of their time. I admit, I was no fan and they look far better through the eyes of nostalgia. The iBook and iMac line of the time were underpowered and overpriced and while getting rid of floppies and legacy interfaces was forward looking, it could also be inconvenient. But it’s still a little sad that Apple has retained none of the whimsy factor from this time. I think a modern retro styled iMac or iBook would be immensely popular today…if they could make them relatively inexpensive. MacAddict was essentially the Macintosh version of Boot (now Maximum PC). It covered Macs with an almost religious fervor. It was an excellent magazine if you were a Mac lover. The June 1999 issue includes:

    Highlights

    • We Got Game – The Mac gaming market is about to explode with a slew of hot Mac titles, new-to-the-Mac developers, and simultaneous platform releases! In our preseason exclusive report, we give you the stats on all the major industry players and fill you in on their secret game plans.
    • The Great Graphics Cliche Giveaway – We’re such a sneaky bunch! This month we tricked three professional artists into revealing their trademark illustration secrets, then turned around and printed them as step-by-step how-tos complete with screen shots! What else would you expect from a former Prison Guy?
    • XXIII Reasons You Should Care About Mac OS X Server – OS X Server – why should you give a rat’s behind about it? We brief you on Mac OS X Server’s selling points, show you how it differs from Mac OS X, and dish all the dirt you need t know about the latest addition to Apple’s system software family.
    • Oh #%@*!!!!! What to Do When Undo Just Won’t Do – Oops! Why me? D’oh, not again! Whether you just launched the wrong app, lost all your bookmarks, or trashed vital extensions, we can help you right your wrongs. We’ve got more than 30 quick fixes for your most bonehead boo-boos, so dry your tears, quit shouting, and for goodness’ sake stop shaking that monitor!

    How To

    • Build Interactive QuickTime Movies – Think you need Macromedia Flash to make cool interactive animations and rollovers for a Web site? Think again, bucko! Couple QuickTime with Totally Hip Software’s LiveStage and you’re ready to, um, roll.

    Every Month

    • Editor’s Note – It;’s been a hell of an issue – we’ll tell you all about it.
    • Letters – Funny? Serious? Funny? Serious? You just can’t decide, can you?
    • Get Info – We perform a little exploratory surgery on the open source movement, voyage into space with Motorola, hail an iCab, and figure out how to turn off all those annoying “helpful” features.
    • Scrapbook – What’s the well-dressed Mac addict reading these days? Peruse our snapshot of an Apple-obsessive bookshelf and pick out some summer reading.
    • Reviews – Does Virtual Game Station steam up PlayStation games on your Mac? Will Klingon Honor Guard make your blood boil hotter than a dishonored Klingon’s? We answer all these questions and more as we pass judgement on 14 products, including Adobe After Effects 4.0, Kai’s Power Tools 5.0, Dreamweaver 2.0, and MacLinkPlus Deluxe 10.003.
    • Ask Us – Some say Owen W. Linzmayer has gone insane. Other’s say he’s just overworked. Either way, he’s got the answers to your questions! This month he resolves your printer problems and upgrade issues, and even puts an end to your Power Mac identity crisis.
    • Shut Down – We poke fun at everyone, even ourselves! Ouch, that hurt!

    …and more!


    Computer Arcana Macintosh 📎and tagged

  • MacLife (February 2010)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: MacLife – Issue Number 86 – February 2010

    It’s hard for me to think of these Macs as “retro” but this issue of MacLife is over 10 years old now. A decade is a long time in the computer world. This issue includes:

    Features

    • 50 Killer Mac Apps Under $50 – We present the staff’s picks for the 50 must-have apps under 50 bucks that will realign your universe. Or at least make your day-to-day much more efficient, productive, and pleasant.
    • Shop Different – iTunes may have revolutionized the way we buy music, but it’s not the only fish in the song-buying sea. We examining and rate nine other MP3 stores to gauge how they stack up.
    • Appstravaganza – Where all the best iPhone stuff comes to party.
    • Odd Jobs – How Amos Winbush secured venture capital funding and launched a successful business, all from is iPhone.

    Departments

    • Online at maclife.com – Get the dish on all the latest Mac rumors and news in articles, how-tos, and videos and podcasts on MacLife.com.
    • Consider – In search of the perfect laptop bag.
    • Share – Buggy things and family scenes.
    • Start – What’s really behind all the hubbub on net neutrality? Hint: follow the money.
    • Win – Check out a smattering of the 10 can’t-live-without iPhone apps offered up by this month’s winners. Plus, show us your coolest vintage Apple gear and enter to win a Mysterious Box of Mystery.

    Create

    • Ask – Need to transfer photos from your iPod, make backup copies of software discs, send video messages to your grandma, or email your iTunes playlist to a friend? You ask, we show you the way.
    • Make a Bootable Rescue SD Card – If your new Mac has a built-in SD card slot, you can make the smallest rescue disk ever.
    • Back Up Your Gmail – Keep a local copy of your Gmail messages – thanks to Mail, Automater, and iCal.

    Reviews

    • Droid
    • MacHighway Easy
    • PHS300 Personal WiFi Hotspot
    • Bluetooth Comfort Laser Mouse and Compact Optical Mouse
    • InfoSafe
    • OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro “Triple”
    • Store ‘n’ Go USB Drive for Mac OS X
    • Sanyo Xacti HD2000A
    • Pentax Optio P80
    • SuperDuper!
    • BusyCal

    Listen

    • Quiet Comfort f15
    • iTunes Dupes Barrier
    • Winshield/Vent Car Mount with Sound Amplified Cradle for iPhone
    • iBlink

    Play

    • Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
    • Machinarium
    • The Movies Superstar Edition

    …and more!


    Computer Arcana Macintosh 📎and tagged