[5/31] Apple released 19 Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' Coding Headstarts for Developers

Apple has now provided 19 Coding Headstarts designed to help developers get the most out of WWDC with Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard.' Coding Headstarts provide step-by-step guidance on creating new and compelling features using the development languages, APIs and frameworks of Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard.'

A developer can view the Coding Headstart Introductory Videos by logging in to ADC on iTunes with their Apple ID and password. To access the complete set of Coding Headstarts, including Lesson Guides and Sample Code, one should purchase a WWDC ticket today. [Bill Fox]

[5/31] Software Special Deal of the Day: ReceiptWallet 1.1.2 (Universal) for 37% Off--$18.95 Today Only

ReceiptWallet is a Mac OS X program that allows you to scan in and manage your receipts. When you scan in each receipt, you enter a few pieces of information about the receipt such as the merchant, the amount, and category and then you can quickly and easily locate your receipts. You can view the receipts right on the screen, print them, email them, or save them as PDFs.

In addition to the powerful search built into ReceiptWallet, you can organize your receipts into collections. These collections can contain whatever you want and even better than that is the ability to create smart collections that automatically create collections based on whatever criteria you like. For instance, you can create a smart collection that contains all of your grocery store receipts or one that contains receipts for a certain year.

The possibilities are endless....

Normally $29.95, ReceiptWallet 1.1.2 (Universal) is offered for $18.95 today only--that's 37% off as Today's MacUpdate Software Promo. [Bill Fox]

[5/31] Adobe released Photoshop CS3 Extended plug-in for the Google 3D Warehouse

Adobe released the Photoshop CS3 Extended plug-in for the Google 3D Warehouse. This new plug-in enables Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended users to take further advantage of the software's powerful compositing, painting and image-editing toolset for editing 3D content.

With the plug-in, users will be able to query and download free 3D content from the Google 3D Warehouse, Google's free online repository for 3D models and content, directly within Photoshop CS3 Extended. 3D Content then can be placed, manipulated and used in composites with the new 3D tools in Photoshop CS3 Extended.

The plug-in is available for free download from the Adobe Labs Web site.

[5/31] Hands-On Report--SeaMonkey 1.1.2, a Security Update for the Netscape-Based Internet Suite

According to the SeaMonkey Project Team, SeaMonkey 1.1.2 closes several security vulnerabilities and fixes several smaller problems found in previous versions. With that, SeaMonkey advances to the same level of security as its siblings, Firefox and Thunderbird, which are issuing updates for the same problems this week as well. The project team strongly urges users to upgrade to SeaMonkey 1.1.2, as the old 1.0 series will not be maintained further. The 1.1 series, on the other hand, is being actively maintained and also features some new functionality such as spell checking in web forms and mail tags.

In addition to users of older SeaMonkey versions, the SeaMonkey team strongly urges users of the old Mozilla Suite and Netscape 4, 6 or 7 to upgrade to SeaMonkey 1.1.2. Those software packages suffer from a large and rising number of security vulnerabilities because they are no longer being maintained. SeaMonkey 1.1.2 is a drop-in replacement, providing the same basic suite functionality plus additional features, without known security problems but with current updates.

The SeaMonkey Project Team took over development of the all-in-one internet application suite after Netscape and later the Mozilla Foundation ceased to work on it. Under the new name, users are provided with current versions of the established software package. SeaMonkey 1.1.2 is available for free download from the open source project's Web site.

One of Macs Only!'s staff, who uses SeaMonkey as their primary Web browser and email client, downloaded and installed v1.1.2 and encountered no probems.[Dana Baggett]

[5/31] Apple increased Apple TV Hard Disk Drive Size to 160GB for $100

Apple announced that it is offering a new Apple TV build-to-order option with a 160GB hard disk drive. The standard Apple TV hard disk drive is a mere 40GB. The new larger hard drive offers four times the storage for up to 200 hours of video, 36,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each. Apple TV is easy to connect to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports. Using high-speed AirPort 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking, Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or stream content from up to five additional computers right to a TV without any wires.

Apple TV with a 160GB hard drive is available today for a suggested retail price of $399, a bargain $100 over the standard Apple TV with 40GB hard drive. [Bill Fox]

[5/31] With iTunes 7.2, Apple launched iTunes Plus and iTunes U

Yesterday, Apple released iTunes 7.2 for DRM-free and higher-quality music. Apple calls this new section 'iTunes Plus' and one can select iTunes Plus as the default place on iTunes to find music. iTunes Plus offers music featuring high quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings—for just $1.29 per song. iTunes Plus is launching with EMI's digital catalog of outstanding recordings, including singles and albums from Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra, Joss Stone, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane and more than a dozen of Paul McCartney’s classic albums available on iTunes for the first time.

Tunes U is a dedicated area within the iTunes Store featuring free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours provided by top U.S. colleges and universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University and MIT. [Bill Fox]

[5/31] Delayed Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter 4.1 Update Now Available for Download

On Tuesday, we noted that the release of Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter v4.1 had been delayed until later in the week. They are now available from this Adobe Web page. [Bill Fox]

[5/31] Tonight on The Tech Night Owl LIVE--The Biedny Zone, Andy Ihnatko and the Geek with Laptop

Tonight, host Gene Steinberg enters "The David Biedny Zone," as David entertains you with cutting-edge commentaries about Apple's DRM-free music, the future of the music industry, the iPhone, and Microsoft's new computerized coffee table.

Author and raconteur Andy Ihnatko will be on hand to bring everyone up to date on the latest goings on in the Apple universe.

And if you ever wanted to set up your own Web site for business or personal uses, you'll want to hear the sage advice from long-time Web consultant Sean, affectionately known as the "Geek With Laptop."

You can tune into the Web broadcast tonight from 6:00 to 8:00 PM Pacific, 9:00 to 11:00 PM Eastern.

[5/30] Hands-On Report--iTunes 7.2--Some DRM-Free, Higher-Quality Music

Apple released iTunes 7.2 and it is available via Software Update or as a stand-alone updater for download from this Apple Web page. According to Apple,

With iTunes 7.2, preview and purchase iTunes Plus music—new higher-quality, DRM-free music downloads from participating music labels.

We downloaded and installed iTunes 7.2 via Software Update without a problem. In addition, we used iTunes with our library of music and encountered no problems. [Dana Baggett & Bill Fox]

[5/30] Hands-On Report--Security Update (QuickTime 7.1.6) 1.0 released by Apple

Apple released Security Update (QuickTime 7.1.6) 1.0. It is available via Software Update or as a stand-alone updater for download from this Apple Web page. According to Apple,

This update is recommended for all users and improves the security of QuickTime 7.1.6.

Here are the details:

QuickTime--CVE-2007-2388--An implementation issue exists in QuickTime for Java, which may allow instantiation or manipulation of objects outside the bounds of the allocated heap. By enticing a user to visit a web page containing a maliciously crafted Java applet, an attacker can trigger the issue which may lead to arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue by performing additional validation of Java applets. Credit to John McDonald, Paul Griswold, and Tom Cross of IBM Internet Security Systems X-Force, and Dyon Balding of Secunia Research for reporting this issue.

QuickTime--CVE-2007-2389--A design issue exists in QuickTime for Java, which may allow a web browser's memory to be read by a Java applet. By enticing a user to visit a web page containing a maliciously crafted Java applet, an attacker can trigger the issue which may lead to the disclosure of sensitive information. This update addresses the issue by clearing memory before allowing it to be used by untrusted Java applets.

We downloaded and installed Security Update (QuickTime 7.1.6) 1.0 via Software Update on our MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo and iMac Core Duo with no problems. We tried a number of Web pages with QuickTime content and played several movie clips with no problems.

[Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]

[5/30] Software Special Deal of the Day: SQLGrinder 2.0.5 (Universal) for 49% Off--$29.95 Today Only

SQLGrinder is a SQL editor and developer tool which allows database developers to easily create, edit and execute SQL queries as well as browse their database structures.

Using SQLGrinder and JDBC drivers, developers can connect to any databases that supports JDBC, including Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, FrontBase, Openbase SQL, Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise. Because SQLGrinder is built using Apple's Cocoa framework, it looks and feels like a Macintosh OS X application and adheres to Apple's Aqua Human Interface Guidelines.

Normally $59.00, SQLGrinder 2.0.5 (Universal) is offered for $29.95 today only--that's 49% off as Today's MacUpdate Software Promo. [Bill Fox]

[5/30] Me and My Computer--Episode 5 of Exploring Frontiers of Assistive Technology on a Mac is Out

AssistiveWare released Me and My Computer, a new HD video and video podcast, featuring Elina, who was born with athetoid cerebral palsy. About a year ago, when Elina was 9 years old, she got a computer and in this 4 minute video she demonstrates how it has revolutionized her life. The computer has given her independence as she can now draw and write by herself. She accesses her Apple iBook with an adapted joystick and uses AssistiveWare's KeyStrokes on-screen keyboard with word prediction for writing. She is also experimenting with Proloquo and the Infovox iVox voices for speech feedback while she types. At home and at school her computer means life to her!

This new video is available as episode 5 of the "Exploring the Frontiers of Assistive Technology" podcast series, which can be found in the iTunes store's podcasts section and at this AssistiveWare Web page. [Bill Fox]

[5/30] From the Dark Side--Some Mac Users will be screwed by Microsoft Office 2008

Some Mac users who need to have complete interoperability with Microsoft's Office 2007 face a serious problem when Office 2008 for the Mac arrives late this year.

We've already written about the problems with Mac Office versions reading and writing Office 2007 (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) documents in Microsoft's new format, the so-called Open XML format, that is the default format. Supposedly, this translation issue for Office 2004 and v.X will be resolved by Microsoft after Office 2008 is released, a huge delay from the previous Microsoft "promise." There are already Mac translators available for Word 2007 and Excel 2007 but they are beta or fairly limited in capability. We'll only believe Microsoft when we actually see the promised fully functional translators from Microsoft.

The big problem for some is that Microsoft is dropping Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in Office 2008. No longer will Window's Office documents with VBA macros and scripts work in Office 2008 as they do in previous Office for Mac versions. This is a huge problem for some whose workflow includes those cross-platform actions. Their choice is to stick with Office 2004 which does not run natively on Intel-based Macs, develop AppleScripts which accomplish the same thing as VBA macros/scripts if they do not need Windows/Mac OS X interoperability or run the Windows version of Office 2007 using Apple's Boot Camp or virtualization software like Parallels Desktop for Mac.

Microsoft has stated that it would delay Office 2008 too much to include VBA. But if that were true, why wouldn't Microsoft simply announce a delay in providing VBA capability? Something else must be cooking. More... [Dana Baggett & Bill Fox]

[5/22] Commentary: Displays Again--Class Action Suit to Sucker-Punch Apple?

Do you remember when 13" computer displays were 13" wide? Of course you don't because they never have been. The industry standard for measuring CRT displays has always been, at least as long as we remember, a diagonal measurement and it included up to the edge the CRT's internal mask. The display's case or bezel almost always extended a bit beyond the mask making the visible screen even a tad bit smaller than the naked CRT measurement.

Well, several purchasers of Apple displays became so incensed and claimed to be grossly injured because Apple never overtly stated that the measurement was diagonal rather than horizontal nor that the measurement was to the mask and not the case's/bezel's edge that they filed a class action suit against Apple. Like in almost all of these kind of suits against industry, Apple eventually settled.

We don't recall the exact terms of the settlement (a small discount on a purchase of another Apple product, maybe) but almost all such suits yield virtually nothing to the class members (except, perhaps, for the injured parties named in the suit and they usually don't get that much) and much to the lawyers. Subsequently, Apple (and everyone in the industry) always has to state that the display size is a diagonal measurement and the measurement is of the portion of the screen that is actually visible. Nothing actually changed except the display's description is now slightly more exacting and obvious.

Now, don't get us wrong. We certainly have nothing against lawyers per se and nothing against those who pursue really important consumer safety issues or major financial frauds. But some consumer-related actions seem to us to be of questionable value to consumers.

Fast-forward to May of 2007 and here comes another such lawsuit--or is it? Two individuals have filed a lawsuit against Apple (Greaves vs Apple Computer, Inc. [sic]) alleging:

• Deceptive advertising
• Unfair competition
• Violation of CLRA (California Legal Remedies Act)
• Misreprentation

and requesting summary judgement via a trial (see this PC World link for a PDF).

Both gentlemen purchased a MacBook and a MacBook Pro in 2006 and apparently dislike the screen quality of each product and, perhaps, dislike Apple's handling of their subsequent complaints about it although there is no mention of either in their complaint.

The crux of their lawsuit is that the notebook Macs are technically only able to display directly some hundreds of thousands of colors while Apple claims that they provide "...support for millions of colors...." The plaintiffs claim that Apple does so through an "illusion." The "illusion" is a so-called dithering technique that produces more colors to the eye. The plaintiffs claim that this has caused them monetary harm and are asking for a jury trial to find Apple guilty of their allegations, issue an injunction against Apple's advertising practices, award them and members of the class unspecified damages and award them costs and expenses, including attorneys' fees.

Our MacBook Pro (April 2006) and MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo (November 2006) have the very best screens of any notebook that we have ever used or have ever seen at the time of their purchase. They clearly have brighter screens with more vivid colors. They are not the more recent glossy variety. Does our observation lead us to believe that Greaves vs Apple Computer, Inc. [sic] is effectively frivolous and predatory? For the most part, we think the answer is yes but not completely yes.

Why do we say, "but not completely yes?" It hinges on how a jury might see a relatively technical issue, one that really only affects graphics professionals who might err or lose time in a color adjustment job by reasonably relying on Apple's representations and suffering damages as a consequence. As such, we see this as more of a case by case issue and less as a class action for all purchasers.

There is a claim circulating on the web (e.g. see colorblindmac.com) that MacBook and MacBook Pro LCD panels have only 6-bit pixels yielding 262 thousand colors rather than 16.7 million. The claim is that Apple (and presumably all notebook manufacturers) use lower bit LCDs and then use software dithering to make the LCD display show millions of colors to the eye from the lower number of actual direct colors. We don't know this to be true [Correction: this Apple article confirms 6-bit pixels but only specifically mentions dithering for the 17" Intel-based iMac] because there is no simple way to tell and Apple does not post these specifications. Some claim to have looked up the manufacturers' specifications for their MacBook/MacBook Pro displays and found they produce 262 thousand colors, not millions. Still, 262 thousand colors is far more than the 65.5 thousand normally associated with "thousands of colors." To us, it's a fine line with regard to most people as to whether dithering that effectively displays millions of colors to the eye is really deceptive advertising, unfair competition a violation of CLRA or misrepresentation. To us, what we see is more important than the technology that produces it and, with regard to the screens of our MacBook Pros, we like what we see--a lot.

When we open System Profiler on our 15" MacBook Pro C2D and look under Hardware->Graphics/Display, we find that its color LCD display is listed as having a depth of 32-bit color. This is also the same for our older 12" PowerBook G4, our 24" iMac Core 2 Duo and several-year-old 30" Apple Cinema Display. 32-bit color is millions of colors. If we open the Displays panel of System Preferences for each Mac and the Cinema Display, there is a popup menu with separate selections of 256 colors, Thousands and Millions. Thus, it would seem that all are the same and that all display millions of colors.

But Apple does not use exactly the same words in the listed technical specifications of all three situations:

MacBook/MacBook Pro: "support for millions of colors"

iMac Core 2 Duo: "Millions of colors at all resolutions"

Cinema: "16.7 million colors"

So there is at least a hint that there may be a difference, if indeed there is.

Finally, to graphics professionals who must match colors exactly, LCD displays are known to be problematic, not to mention notebook LCDs, and they have always used CRT displays if color matching really counts for something. Shouldn't real professionals be expected know the tools of their field? Isn't that what makes them successful professionals?

This will be an interesting case to follow. [Bill Fox]

[5/22] Software Special Deal of the Day: KIT 1.3.5 (Universal) for 40% Off--$14.95 Today Only

KIT (Keep It Together) is like a magic scrapbook for everything you want to keep. Text, documents, images, movies, sounds, web pages and bookmarks can all be dragged to KIT for safe keeping, previewed, collected together in different ways and found again immediately.

Files can be tagged, color-coded with categories and sorted into groups; unlike folders, these work like iTunes playlists so that a file can exist in more than one group at a time. KIT's smart groups will do all the hard work of staying organized for you.

KIT shows previews for most popular file formats, meaning you don't have to open other applications to review files. KIT also creates and saves bookmarks and web archives. KIT will save web pages that preserve all the original links and content and work with popular web browsers such as Safari and OmniWeb. KIT indexes the contents of all kinds of files so they can be found again as quickly as you can type.

Normally $24.95, KIT 1.3.5 (Universal) is offered for $14.95 today only--that's 40% off as Today's MacUpdate Software Promo. [Bill Fox]

[5/22] Apple scores Six on PC World's List of 100 Best Products of 2007

Apple's products on PC World's 100 Best Products of 2007 include:

9. Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" -- Top OS

11. Apple TV -- Top TV appliance

26. 80Gb iPod with video -- Top MP3 player

45. iPod nano -- Second highest MP3 player

61. iTunes software

82. MacBook Pro -- HP's dv9000t notebook is #14

Apple's top winner at #9 was beaten by Intel's Core 2 Duo CPU (#2) and Parallels Desktop virtualization software (#6). The top pick (#1) is Google's Google Apps Premier Edition. Microsoft placed four on the list and it's top listing is #18 for the Xbox 360 followed by Office 2007 (#56), Process Explorer (#75) and Windows Media Player 11 (#91). More... [Bill Fox]

[5/22] Maine iBook Program strongly supported as Effective--Scientific Evidence coming soon

Five years ago Maine's Learning Technology Initiative provided every seventh and eighth grade student in the state and their teachers with a notebook computer, an Apple iBook, wireless networking and support. $37 million in state funds were spent to lease 30,000+ iBooks for four years. Last year Maine overwhelmingly approved $41 million to extend the program for another four years with 38,000 new iBooks.

In addition, fourteen Maine school districts have extended the program to their high schools on their own funds. One school district has even extended the program to 5th through 12th grade.

Some school districts outside of Maine have experimented with notebooks for students but have since dropped the programs citing expense, repair and misuse issues along with a lack of evidence that the program was doing any good. But Maine has experienced no significant issues--only a 2 percent repair rate over four years and the special software and school protocols prevent misuse.

A study undertaken by researchers at the University of Southern Maine should provide scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of the iBooks in learning, something that standardized tests have failed to pick up. The study included 240 mathematics classes in 45 school districts should be out this summer.

In other studies, polls and surveys support increased attendance and increased interest in learning caused by the iBooks and writing scores have improved. More... [Dana Baggett]

[5/22] 250GB 5400RPM 2.5" 'Book Hard Drive shipping from Western Digital

Western Digital's Scorpio 2.5" 250GB hard disk drive running at 5400RPM is now shipping for $199.99 SRP. This 2.5" notebook drive with a fast SATA interface has 8MB cache and will fit a MacBook and MacBook Pro because it is only 9.5mm high. The drive employs perpendicular magnetic recording technology to achieve the highest capacity available in a small form factor drive and have WD proprietary features that make the drive quiet, use less power and run at cool operating temperatures. Check it out. [Bill Fox]

[5/21] Blizzard's StarCraft II coming on the Mac, unveiled Saturday

Blizzard Entertainment unveiled StarCraft II, the sequel to its award-winning real-time strategy game StarCraft, on Saturday at the 2007 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational event in Seoul, South Korea. The announcement took place inside the Olympic Gymnastics Arena, in front of thousands of attendees, who received a presentation that included a StarCraft II cinematic trailer and a gameplay demonstration by the development team.

Designed to be the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game, StarCraft II will feature the return of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg races, overhauled and re-imagined with Blizzard's signature approach to game balance. Each race will be further distinguished from the others, with several new units and new gameplay mechanics, as well as new abilities for some of the classic StarCraft units that will be making a reappearance in the game. StarCraft II will also feature a custom 3D-graphics engine with realistic physics and the ability to render several large, highly detailed units and massive armies on-screen simultaneously.

"With StarCraft II, we'll be able to do everything we wanted to do with the original StarCraft and more," stated Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We recognize that expectations are high following the long-running popularity of the original game, but we plan to meet those expectations and deliver an engaging, action-packed, competitive experience that StarCraft players and strategy gamers worldwide will enjoy."

StarCraft II will include a unique single-player campaign, as well as fast-paced online play through an upgraded version of Blizzard’s renowned online gaming service, Battle.net. In addition, the game will come with a powerful, full-featured map editor that will put the same tools used by Blizzard’s designers into the hands of players.

Blizzard is developing StarCraft II for simultaneous release on the Windows and Macintosh PC platforms. Further information about the game, including details on the single-player, multiplayer, and map-editor features, as well as system requirements, pricing, and availability, will be announced in the months ahead. [Bill Fox]

[5/21] Software Special Deal of the Day: iTwist 'n Go 1.3.1 (Universal) for 45% Off--$10.95 Today Only

iTwist 'n Go's key features are:

• 'iTwist' your External iSight Camera to answer and hang-up video and audio calls
  
• Assign 'Go!' keys, to call/answer/hang-up/decline calls via keyboard and external devices
  
• Automatically view all iChat AV video calls fullscreen
  
• Automatic Answering Option for all iChat AV video/audio calls
  
• Screensaver cancellation on call-in, so you can see who's calling (for video, audio and Instant Messages)
  
• Incoming video, audio and Instant Message panels shown directly onscreen (no need to click on every panel to read it)
  
• 'Toggle button', to flip between fullscreen/small window, and back again.

Normally $19.99, iTwist 'n Go 1.3.1 (Universal) is offered for $10.95 today only--that's 45% off as Today's MacUpdate Software Promo. [Bill Fox]

[5/21] Power Manager 3.6.2 (Universal) is Out

DssW released Power Manager 3.6.2 for Mac OS X. This release includes bug fixes for the uninstaller. Power Manager 3 helps schools, businesses, and homes save energy by automating their Macs.

Power Manager 3.6.2 fixes bugs in the uninstaller script. These bug fixes help ensure that users with diverse set ups experience an easy and seamless uninstall process. [Bill Fox]

[5/21] Collanos Workplace 1.1 is Out--Free Collaboration Software

Collanos Software today released Collanos Workplace 1.1, a free p2p platform that enables team collaboration on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems without the need for a server. Version 1.1 lays the foundation for global team collaboration. In addition, several new features are rolling out, including the Central User Directory, User Sign In/Out, and also Vista OS support. Collanos delivers increased reliability, speed, and overall performance. Collanos Workplace offers small business teams, students, not-for-profits, and other knowledge-sharing professionals, an easy-to-use set of comprehensive collaboration tools. Collanos’ global collaborative network allows internet users to easily form teams and effectively collaborate together on a shared passion, goal, or project.

With the introduction of the Collanos Central User Directory, users will be able to see and invite any other Collanos community member, even if they are offline. Collanos Workplace allows users to restore any previous version of team member contributions. The Auto-Start kicks off the replication process immediately after the computer goes online. With the new Sign In/Out step, on top of the existing data encryption and secure storage, Collanos adds an additional security measure to protect project and team data.

Existing Workplace users will see an immediate improvement with the overall performance of the application, in the speed of content replication across each team member's workspaces. With this new release Collanos Software continues to execute on its vision of bringing free, easy-to-use, yet powerful team collaboration solutions to millions of internet users. Collanos' mission is connecting collaborating people and enabling professional teamwork on a global basis and beyond enterprise boundaries. Download Collanos Workplace from this Collanos Web page. [Bill Fox]

[5/21] Review--Fujitsu ScanSnap Color Image Scanner Model fi-5110EOXM

If you want to convert your stack of paper to PDF (or JPG) files, the Fujitsu ScanSnap Color Image Scanner may be what you are looking for. It scans paper, both sides automatically if double-sided, at a rate of 15 pages per minute and converts them to PDF or JPG files automatically. The Fujitsu ScanSnap Color Image Scanner (model fi-5110EOXM) ships with Acrobat Standard 7 for $360. There's a $100 rebate until June 30. More... [Dana Baggett]

[5/21] From the Dark Side--Shopping for a Windows Vista Ultimate Laptop proves Problematic

Joe Wilcox shopped for a new laptop PC to run Windows Vista Ultimate using the Windows Vista Experience Index as a guide. Wilcox suggested an index of at least 4.0 but he had a hard time finding a PC laptop that scored that high. Most had cheap graphics or too little dedicated graphics RAM to make the grade.

Aren't you glad you use a Mac? More... [Dana Baggett]

[5/19] Apple Revised the Offerings from Two Hot Deals Retailers

PowerMax - has deals on a variety of Mac compatible hardware and software products including: BT600 full-size BlueTooth wireless mouse from RadTech for only $53.95!; iBook/PowerBook AC adapter APL-1110-G4 from Micro Accessories for only $48.88!; 18x internal DVD -/+ R/RW optical drive for PowerMac G4/G5 from MCE for only $63.88!; TrafficJamz FM Transmitter and charger for iPod from Monster Cable for only $25.88!; HL-2070N monochrome laser printer for home or office from Brother for only $149.88!; Full-resolution HD coverter for LCD computer monitors - HDL-DVI HDLink from BlackMagic for only $399!; 500GB LaCie d2 Quadra external eSATA hard drive with FireWire 800/400 & USB 2.0 for only $217.88!; and much more.

O'Reilly Media, Inc. - has Hot Deals exclusive pricing on a variety of Mac publications including: iPod & iTunes Hacks, Tips & Tools for Ripping, Mixing and Burning by Hadley Stern for only $17.46!; Digital Photography Expert Techniques, 2nd Edition by Ken Milburn for only $31.49!; Photoshop CS2 RAW - Using Adobe Camera Raw, Bridge and Photoshop to Get the Most out of Your Digital Camera by Mikkel Aaland for only $24.49!; Adobe InDesign CS2 One-on-One by Deke McClelland is a unique hands-on book w/2-hrs. of video instruction on DVD for only $31.49!; Dreamweaver MX 2004: The Missing Manual by David Sawyer McFarland for only $24.46; and much more.

[Bill Fox]

[5/18] New ATI Radeon HD 2000 Series Graphics Cards--Will the Mac get one?

The new ATI Radeon HD 2000 series (2300, 2400, 2600 and 2900) is a line of 10 discrete graphics processors (GPUs) for both desktop and mobile platforms. This family of GPUs delivers what ATI calls The Ultimate Visual Experience through immersive HD gaming with DirectX 10 (for Windows) and HD media playback.

ATI claims that the series boasts many firsts for the graphics industry, including a powerful second-generation Unified Shader Architecture (USA), a 512-bit memory bus designed for full performance high dynamic range (HDR) rendering, and new Unified Video Decoder (UVD) technology for high-fidelity HD media playback. The mid-range and entry-level GPUs are the first graphics products in the industry to use an energy-efficient 65nm process technology to achieve silent, passive cooling and lower power consumption. The high-end GPU uses an 80nm process, still smaller than the previous 90nm process.

The current top of the line ATI graphics card for the Mac is the X1900 for both the Mac Pro and PowerMac G5. Here is how the new HD 2900 compares on some features with the X1900:

[5/17] Mozilla's Firefox 3 to have OS X Native Form Controls

Josh Aas, the main Mac developer at Mozilla, is addressing a long-running major complaint of many in the Mac community, i.e. the lack of native Aqua-styled widgets for Web page form controls in the OS X edition of Firefox. An experimental preview build of Firefox 3 incorporating OS X native form controls is out for Intel Macs (get it here) with a version of PowerPC-based Macs coming soon. Aas hopes to complete this feature for inclusion in the final version of Firefox 3. [Dana Baggett]

[5/17] Macs in Schools--Kansas School District Approved Mac Upgrade Contract Extension

The Basehor-Linwood School District Board in Bonner Springs, KS, approved, 5-0, extending for another year an agreement with Apple Computers to upgrade equipment in computer labs. Annual payments are $318,415. More... [Dana Baggett]

[5/17] Software Special Deal of the Day: Xyle scope 1.1.8 (Universal) for 40% Off--$11.95 Today Only

Xyle scope is an elegant analysis tool for everyone interested in web standards. It's like surfing the web with an X-ray view. Using Xyle scope you will deepen your understanding of XHTML and CSS, find out how your peers did it, and see your own work with fresh eyes.

The synchronized views of Xyle scope let you easily focus on specific parts of the HTML or CSS sources, view the CSS Cascade and formatting box of HTML elements, and change CSS values in third party sites.

Normally $19.95, Xyle scope 1.1.8 (Universal) is offered for $11.95 today only--that's 34% off as Today's MacUpdate Software Promo. [Bill Fox]

[5/17] Turbo.264 speeds iPod and Apple TV Video Exports by 4X to 10X

Elgato Systems released a hardware encoder, Turbo.264, in USB stick format that rapidly converts video files to the high quality H.264 (MP4) format for the iPod and Apple TV. It accelerates exports by a factor of 4 on an Intel Core 2 Duo up to a factor of 10 on a Power PC G4. There is no need to acquire additional software to convert videos, since Turbo.264 comes with video conversion software by Elgato. Simply drag-and-drop videos into the application and chose one of the formats: iPod Standard, iPod High or Apple TV. Turbo.264 also accelerates exports from the most important Macintosh video applications such as iMovie, QuickTime Pro, Final Cut Pro, and EyeTV.

Turbo.264 is available immediately for US$99.95 in the Elgato Online Shop as well as through distribution. The package includes the USB 2.0 Hardware Encoder, the Turbo.264 software on CD-ROM, a user's guide on CD-ROM, a quick start guide as well as a USB extension cable. [Bill Fox]

[5/17] Tonight on The Tech Night Owl LIVE--Domain Name Registration Failure, Macworld's Peter Cohen and PageSender

Tonight, host Gene Steinberg brings you up to date on the massive failure of a major registrar of Internet domain names with Justin from Registerflies.com. In addition, Macworld Senior Editor Peter Cohen brings us up to date on the latest news and views from the Mac universe. You'll also about the latest version of the Night Owl's favorite fax application, PageSender, from Greg Scown, co-founder of SmileOnMyMac. You can tune into the Web broadcast tonight from 6:00 to 8:00 PM Pacific, 9:00 to 11:00 PM Eastern. [Bill Fox]

[5/17] From the Dark Side--Dell sued for Deceptive Sales Practices by NY Attorney General

The lawsuit by NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo accused Dell, the number one PC maker, of offering no-interest financing of PC purchases but making it virtually impossible to qualify, then offering those who don't financing with interest rates up to 20 percent according to a Reuters article. Dell denied the allegations. Dell's stock rose 3 percent on the news. [Bill Fox]

[5/16] Word 2007 XML to RTF Converter for Mac released as v0.1 Beta by Microsoft

The 0.1 beta converter is available from this Microsoft Web page. It works with Word 2004 v11.3.4 and later and Word v.X v10.1.9 and later. According to Microsoft,

With the Office Open XML Converter, that you can convert Office Open XML files to a format that is compatible with Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac and Microsoft Office v. X for Mac. You can choose to convert and open one file, or convert a large number of files.

This version of the Office Open XML Converter can convert the following Office Open XML file formats:

• Word Document (*.docx)
  
• Word Macro-Enabled Document (*.docm)
  

These files are converted to Rich Text Format (RTF), which can be opened in Microsoft Word 2004 and Microsoft Word X.

The converter is a Beta release, and might be unable to convert all the data in Office Open XML files. After you convert a file, you should review the file carefully to make sure that it contains all of the information that you expect.

The following issues are known to exist in this Beta release:

• Macros and Visual Basic content are not included in the converted file.
  
• Charts and SmartArt graphics are converted to pictures.
  

The following issues might occur in this Beta release:

• Graphics and other objects in the document might appear with a different size.
  
• Color fills and shading in tables might not be preserved.
  
• Conversion might not succeed if the document contains a bibliography or citations.
  
• Conversion might not succeed if the document contains WordArt.
  
• Document layout and formatting might not be preserved.
  
• Some Unicode characters might not be preserved.
  
• Conversion might not succeed if the document contains very large pictures.
  
• Conversion might not succeed if you use an SMB network volume as the preferred destination for converted files.
  
• Picture bullets might not be preserved.
  
• Fonts might be substituted.
  

This Beta release expires on December 31, 2007.

We have yet to use the converter but will report on it when we do. [Bill Fox]

[5/16] Apple Revised the Offerings from Two Hot Deals Retailers

Apple Store Special Deals - has exclusive prices on a variety of Apple Certified Refurbished products including: Apple Certified Refurbished 30GB iPod with video only $199!; Apple Certified Refurbished 1GB iPod shuffle for only $49!; Apple Certified Refurbished Airport Express for only $89!; Apple Certified Refurbished current generation 4GB iPod nano for only $149!; Apple Certified Refurbished current generation 8GB iPod nano for only $199!; Apple Certified Refurbished 3.0GHz MacPro Quad for only $3299!; and much more.

CDW Mac Warehouse - has deals on a variety of Mac compatible hardware and software products including: HP PhotoSmart D5160 color photo printer that also prints on CD/DVD's from Hewlett Packard for only $89.99!; Work Big IN26 XGA 1700 Lumens projector from InFocus for only $799!; Lexmark X9350 Wireless Office All-In-One duplex color inkjet printer for only $279.99!; Olympus SP-510 UZ 7.1-megapixel compact digital camera w/image stabilization and 10X optical zoom for only $279.99!; and much more.

[Bill Fox]

[5/16] Beatle Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full Album available for pre-order on iTunes--More of his Solo Albums coming

Paul McCartney debuts on iTunes with his new album Memory Almost Full, an introspective and nostalgic look at his life filtered through some of his most thoughtful, eloquent songs. The new album, exclusive digitally on iTunes, isn't just a friendly reminder of McCartney's presence, it's an affirmation of his songwriting strength. iTunes has the album available now to pre-order and will be out June 5th The deluxe version includes three bonus tracks, a bonus video, a digital booklet, and an audio commentary track.

"Memory Almost Full is a very personal album for me, and I'm thrilled to let fans experience it in a whole new way," said Paul McCartney. "There's no better time to make this music available through iTunes."

All of Paul McCartney's 25 solo albums will appear on iTunes later this month according to an Apple press release. [Bill Fox]

[5/16] Apple bumped its MacBooks' Speed, RAM and Hard Drive Capacity--MacBook Pros next?

Apple's MacBooks now come with faster Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs at 2.0GHz and 2.16GHz, 1GB of RAM and hard disk drive capacities of 80, 120 and 160GB. The drives rotate at 5400RPM. The prices remain the same at $1099, $1299 and $1499.

"The MacBook is a huge hit with customers, and is one of the reasons that Mac sales are growing three times faster than PC sales," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "The new MacBook is faster, has even more memory and storage, and is an ideal notebook for customers' growing library of digital music, photos and movies."

Hopefully, the MacBook release portends that new MacBook Pros with LED backlit screens and Santa Rosa model Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs that address large amounts of flash RAM with speeds up to 2.4GHz will be coming out shortly. A rumored ultraportable MacBook Pro would also be nice! [Bill Fox]

[5/15] New 'Forever' Stamp designed on a Mac

Tom Engeman is the 73-year-old graphics designer of the U.S. Postal Service's so-called 'forever' stamp. The 41-cent 'forever' stamp can be used as postage for a 1-ounce first class letter regardless of the future cost of postage until...well, forever.

Engeman, who hails from Brunswick MD, created the Liberty Bell image used on the 'forever' stamp on his Mac about three years ago and received the standard $5,000 fee for the design. He has designed 18 stamps altogether since 1989. [Dana Baggett via AP]

[5/10] Apple released Pro Application Support 4.0

If you have Apple's Pro applications installed, Pro Application Support 4.0 may be available via Software Update. Otherwise, it is available for download from this Apple Web page. According to Apple,

This update improves general user interface reliability for Apple's professional applications and is recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Aperture, Final Cut Express HD, Soundtrack, Logic Pro and Logic Express.

Unfortunately, we do not have any of the pro applications upon which to test this update for you. [Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]

[5/10] Software Special Deal of the Day: HealthEngage Asthma 2.2 (Universal) for 50% Off--$19.95 Today Only

HealthEngage Asthma allows asthma sufferers or investigators to collect, store, and chart peak flow, medications, personal diary, and other health information. It can be used in disease management or clinical trial settings on desktop computers, Palm, PocketPC, mobile phones, and on the web.

Normally $39.99, HealthEngage Asthma 2.2 (Universal) is offered for $19.95 today only--that's 50% off as Today's MacUpdate Software Promo. [Bill Fox]

[5/10] Apple Pro Tip of the Week--Make Smaller PDF Files

Most people know that if they want to make a PDF (Portable Document Format) file from a document, say a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation, they merely "print" it by clicking the "PDF" button on the print dialog box and choosing "Save as PDF."

Most people also know that this makes a PDF file that is larger than Adobe Acrobat makes from the same document. However, one can make a smaller PDF file in Mac OS X by choosing "Compress PDF" instead of "Save as PDF."

There is also a more complicated way that is outlined in this week's Apple Pro Tip. [Dana Baggett]

[5/9] Brief Hands-On Report--Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.3.5 Update

Microsoft released 11.3.5 Update for Office 2004 for Mac. It is available via "Check for Updates" under the Help menu or as a stand-alone updater from this Microsoft Web page. According to Microsoft,

This update contains several improvements to enhance security and stability, including fixes for vulnerabilities [four] that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of your computer's memory with malicious code. In addition, this update includes all the improvements released in all previous Office 2004 updates.

Applies to: Office 2004 Standard Edition, Office 2004 Student and Teacher Edition, Office 2004 Professional Edition, Word 2004, Excel 2004, PowerPoint 2004, Entourage 2004.

We used "Check for Updates" under the Help menu in Word 2004 and also downloaded a copy of the stand-alone updater for updating Office 2004 on a PowerBook G4 and a MacBook Pro C2D. Then we used Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Entourage over a several hour period--no problems were encountered. It seems to us that each application launches much faster than before the update, especially on the Intel-based MacBook Pro C2D. [Bill Fox]

[5/9] Software Special Deal of the Day: SmartWrap 2.7.3 (Universal) for 45% Off--$9.95 Today Only

SmartWrap is a Eudora plug-in that analyzes the text of your hard-to-read email messages and re-wraps them perfectly by removing all unnecessary line breaks, quote characters, and excess formatting with just one click.

SmartWrap is not a blind search and replace tool. SmartWrap uses combinations of four proprietary algorithms to determine the best way to wrap your text naturally within the Eudora window, unhindered by excess formatting.

Normally $18.00, Bin-it 1.2.1 (Universal) is offered for $9.95 today only--that's 45% off as Today's MacUpdate Software Promo. [Bill Fox]

[5/9] Hands-On Review--Pzizz 2.2 (Universal), Nap/Sleep Software

Pzizz 2.2 from Brainwave is audio software for your Mac or iPod that is designed to help you nap or sleep. We were curious enough to try it and we're glad we did.

According to Brainwave,

"pzizz software contains age-old proven ways for people to relax. It uses a combination of music, sound effects and voice. The music and sound effects are soothing and relaxing. The spoken suggestions employ language patterns that are designed to help you get into a deeply relaxed state as quickly as possible and then help your subconscious to achieve the maximum benefit from your time out."

The Pzizz application has two modules, Energizer and Sleep, that may be purchased separately or together for a discount. The Energizer module is designed to produce so-called power naps and the sleep module is designed to help insomiacs go to sleep quickly.

The Pzizz application is used to create sound tracks ("presets") from the modules designed especially for your needs. The presets can be run from your Mac or exported to your iPod, the way that we have used Pzizz since we have no problem with insomnia.

Each preset starts at a random location, so each is different, and you can control whether the sound effects are stereo or Aurora 3D, whether there is a voice intro/wakeup or not, the relative mix of voice and music, whether there is some action at the end (e.g. shutdown the computer) and how long it lasts. Pzizz 2.2 has a simple video tutorial and the Pzizz Web site is full of useful information.

To use Pzizz help produce a short power nap, you need to either be the boss, have permission from the boss to power nap or be in a situation where it doesn't matter like traveling on a plane. Sleeping on the job can be a quick firing offense in some jobs, worse than being late.

We used the Pzizz and the Energizer Module to produce three power nap presets of 10, 20 and 60 minutes in length and exported all to iTunes and then loaded them on our iPod with video. We tried stereo and Aurora 3D sound but all had the intro and wakeup. The latter is really important if you are operating on a sleep deprivation schedule (i.e. less than 7-8 hours of sleep per night) and want only a short nap--believe us on this one.

Pzizz really worked for us and we like the Aurora 3D sound best. We found the 10-minute nap to be too short and the 20-minute nap to be about right, producing maybe 15 minutes of light sleep. We tried the 60-minute nap on an airplane trip and it worked too, waking to the soothing voice and then fully awakening at the sharp sound after exactly one hour.

We think Pzizz 2.2 is terrific--it's simple and effective. It really works for us to quickly induce a short power nap and to wake us up feeling refreshed. Pzizz 2.2 is $29.95 with one module and $49.95 with both. Brainwave also has a free demo of Pzizz to try out so you can't go wrong. [Bill Fox]

[5/9] Cable Internet Speed of 25X Today's Standard is coming this Year

If you think cable internet is fast, it's going to get faster, a lot faster, real soon according to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. He dazzled a cable industry audience yesterday at The Cable Show in Las Vegas, showing off for the first time in public new technology that enabled a data download speed of 150 megabits per second or roughly 25 times faster than today's standard cable modems.

The cost of modems that would support the technology, called "channel bonding," is "not that dissimilar to modems today," he told The Associated Press. It could be available "within less than a couple years," he said.

The new cable technology is crucial because the industry is competing with a speedy new offering called FiOS, a TV and Internet service that Verizon is selling over a new fiber-optic network. The top speed currently available through FiOS is 50 megabits per second, but the network is already capable of providing 100 Mbps and the fiber lines offer nearly unlimited potential.

The super fast cable technology, called DOCSIS 3.0, was developed by the cable industry's research arm, Cable Television Laboratories. It bonds together four cable lines but is capable of allowing much more capacity. The laboratory said last month it expected manufacturers to begin submitting modems for certification under the standard by the end of the year.

In the presentation, ARRIS Group Inc. chief executive Robert Stanzione downloaded a 30-second, 300-megabyte television commercial in a few seconds and watched it long before a standard modem worked through an estimated download time of 16 minutes. Stanzione also downloaded the 32-volume Encyclopaedia Britannica 2007 and Merriam-Webster's visual dictionary in under four minutes when it would have taken a standard modem three hours and 12 minutes. Downloading iTunes movies in HD will be a snap. [Dana Baggett]

[5/8] Software Special Deal of the Day: Bin-it 1.2.1 (Universal) for 75% Off--$2.50 Today Only

Bin-it is a desktop trash can providing quick and easy access to the OS X Trash. Its features include:

• Desktop Trash: Keep a floating trash can on your desktop - not hidden in the Dock
  
• Trash Level Display: Your trash icon changes depending on how much is in the trash (your trash isn't just empty or full, so why is your icon?)
  
• Adjustable: Select from multiple trash styles and change size, opacity and other settings. Take control of your Trash!

Normally $9.99, Bin-it 1.2.1 (Universal) is offered for $2.50 today only--that's 75% off as Today's MacUpdate Software Promo. [Bill Fox]

[5/8] MailSteward 7.7.4 (Universal) is Out

Pubblog.com released MailSteward 7.7.4, an email archiving solution for the Mac. MailSteward archives email in a relational database for easy access and safe backup of all your email. Whether you manage a business, are an independent professional, or just a person with a lot of email, for legal reasons, business reasons, and personal reasons, it is essential to be able to safely archive and easily search your email.

MailSteward provides an elegant solution to the growing problem of organizing, backing up, and accessing tens of thousands of emails. With MailSteward you can:

* Safely archive your large volume of vital email information.

* Easily access your email database with fast, sophisticated searching.

* Protect your precious email data from data format obsolescence.

* Search on the contents of email attachments.

MailSteward is simple to use, but also has a wealth of features for managing your email:

* Select email from archive by date range and keywords in the To, From, Subject, Mailbox, or Body fields.

* Sort by date, To, From, Subject, Mailbox, or unique ID.

* Add, View, & Search tags for category, keywords, notes, and priority.

* Import MailTags©.

* Schedule MailSteward to archive your email automatically.

* Print or save email list, or individual email, or all email in a list.

* Reply to or forward individual emails.

* Export emails to a tab-delimited text file, a separate database file, an mbox file, or an SQL file.

* Merge database files together.

* All email mailboxes and folders are left undisturbed.

* Options to store attachments, HTML, enriched text, and raw source, as well as plain text.

* Works seamlessly with the Mac OS X Apple Mail application to archive all your email in a relational database.

* Works with all locally stored POP, .Mac, and IMAP email accounts in the OS X Mail app.

* Works with most mbox files exported from Microsoft Entourage, Eudora, and other email clients.

* Native Cocoa application that supports OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and greater.

* Universal binary runs on PowerPC and Intel Macs.

MailSteward 7.7.4 ($49.95) has a demo version and a Lite version ($24.95). [Bill Fox via prMac]

[5/7] Hands-On Review--Tom Bihn's Empire Builder Briefcase for MacBooks and MacBook Pros

When we travel, we have used Tom Bihn's Empire Builder briefcase for our PowerBooks and MacBook Pros, 15" and 17", since 2003 when we highly favorably reviewed it along with two terrific accessories, the Brain Cell and Absolute Shoulder Strap. Around town, we have used just the Brain Cell which easily snaps out of the Empire Builder. We love the design of the handles which fold to center, making it always easy to pick up.

In the mean time, Tom Bihn has improved the Empire Builder (shown at right) in a number of significant ways: the tendency for the briefcase to roll over when filled has been substantially reduced or eliminated, the zippers have been replaced with a moisture resistant type, the snaps that hold the Brain Cell inside have been replaced with clips and the back pocket has been made into two with the new one split into three sections, one serving as a "roll-aboard" attachment slot.

All of our gear fits easily in the Empire Builder, along with meeting documents and reading material. The removable plastic dividers in the main pocket do a great job of separating and protecting documents from getting scrunched up. The many small pockets for pens, CDs, cell phone, iPod, etc. are extremely useful. When filled with our 15" MacBook Pro in the Brain Cell (shown at right) and all of our other gear, the Empire Builder now sits on the floor without tipping over so a minor nuisance has been eliminated to our satisfaction.

Another small nuisance in the original Empire Builder is that the snaps that hold the Brain Cell in are kind of difficult to snap closed, especially at the bottom. The clips that hold the Brain Cell in the new Empire Builder are a significant improvement in ease of use and security.

The additional pockets on the back to slip in plane tickets, boarding passes, car rental envelopes, etc., along with a magazine or newspaper are also a good improvement as are the moisture resistant zippers. The center back pocket has a zipper on the bottom so that it can serve as a "roll-aboard" slot to securely fasten the bag to a set of wheels.

The Empire Builder is superbly functional and highly protective of your Mac. The front, back, bottom, and sides are padded and stiffened by 1/4" (6mm) closed-cell foam to protect contents and maintain sharp looks. At the top of the front pocket there's a small plastic ring that offers a place to attach either the key snap that will keep track of your keys for you or a Tom Bihn Organizer Pouch. We use the key snap to keep from "losing" our keys in the bag--we always know exactly where they are. The Organizer Pouch is great for emptying your pockets of metal objects, including your keys, before passing through airline security checkpoints.

The Brain Cell remains the best and most protective slipcase that we know of. And the Absolute Shoulder Strap remains the best shoulder strap on the market.

In a month's use, the only glitch we ran into is that the new Empire Builder is a tiny bit thicker than the original which created a problem getting it into the overhead carry-on compartment of a few commuter aircraft. This is probably the design change that eliminated the tipping tendency. More considered packing of our gear in the Empire Builder eliminated the problem.

The Empire Builder is well-made from 1050 denier ballistic nylon and 500 denier Cordura. Our original Empire Builder is still going strong after logging zillions of miles around the globe for nearly four years. The stitching is excellent and not coming out anywhere. The Tom Bihn Empire Builder at $150 is so well made out of such great materials, that you may not need another briefcase--ever, the life of Tom Bihn's warranty to the initial purchaser. If it's mated with a Brain Cell ($50) and an Absolute Shoulder Strap ($25), in our experience and opinion you will have the best bag money can buy. [Bill Fox]

[5/7] Software Special Deal of the Day: Digital Alarm Clock 2.7 (Universal) for 40% Off--$5.00 Today Only

Digital Alarm Clock is a small desktop application that tells time the 1970s way. Its authentic-looking LED display illuminates your desktop in reassuring shades of Nixon red - just like you remember from your old bedside table.

Normally $19.99, Digital Alarm Clock 2.7 (Universal) is offered for $5.00 today only--that's 75% off as Today's MacUpdate Software Promo. [Bill Fox]

[5/7] Consumer Reports June Issue top-rates Macs and slight's M$ Vista

Our June 2007 issue of Consumer Reports (CR) print edition just landed in our mail box. Once again, CR has rated laptops and desktop computers, including Apple. But, you wouldn't know it from the cover or the table of contents inside. Both tout the magazine's coverage of "the newest PCs and tell you how they work running the Windows Vista operating system." Right.

In fact, the top-rated laptop among 11 CR reviewed in the 15.4-inch workhorse models category is Apple's MacBook Pro!

CR flagged the 20" iMac as a "Quick Pick" among 8 desktop "workhorse models" tested based on "reliability and support" while ranking it third overall.

Based on feedback from more than 77,700 reader responses on desktop brand repair history, Apple was tops with significantly fewer repairs reported than the closest PC brand. It was in the middle of the pack based on over 50,000 reader responses on laptop repair history.

Apple tech support for both desktops and laptops was described by CR as "superior."

And what about Vista? CR says "... we don't think there's reason enough to upgrade..." [Dana Baggett]

[5/7] GlobeSurfer ICON 7.2 Ready, a USB Modem for HSDPA, 3G UMTS worldwide is coming soon for Macs

The GlobeSurfer ICON 7.2 Ready, a USB modem for notebook and desktop Macintosh computers, is coming in late May from nova media for establishing fast mobile Internet connections worldwide. GlobeSurfer ICON 7.2 Ready features support for high speed HSDPA and 3G UMTS data connections with up to 7.2 Mbit/s in appropriate mobile networks as well as EDGE and GRPS connections in all other cases.

"This nifty modem includes launch2net, a wizard to set up and establish mobile Internet connections." states jan Fuellemann, PR spokesperson at nova media. "launch2net already includes connection settings for most mobile network operators from Alaska to New Zealand and in between. In most cases it only takes seconds for the customer to be online."

GlobeSurfer ICON 7.2 Ready includes nova media's launch2net software and it will be available at end of May for Euro 299 ($405). Check it out on nova media's Web site. [Bill Fox]

[5/5] Apple Revised the Offerings from Two Hot Deals Retailers

Publishing Perfection - has deals on a variety of Mac compatible hardware and software products including: Epson Stylus Photo R2400 8-color UltraChrome K3 pigment inkset for archival prints up to 13" wide for only $849.95!; PM2Q6 XTensions module for that imports Adobe PageMaker files into a QuarkXPress v6.0 document from Markzware for only $198.95!; digitize your 35mm film/slides with the Coolscan V ED 4000 dpi true optical resolution film scanner w/Digital ICE from Nikon for only $589.95!; Photographic Tools & Lens Effects from Andromeda for only $239.95!; Graphire4 Blue 4"x5" USB pen tablet and wireless mouse from Wacom for only $94.95!; 8.5"x14" FireWire/USB 2.0 ScanMaker i800 flatbed scanner from Mircrotek for only $319.95!; and much more.

Ramjet - has Hot Deals exclusive pricing on a variety of Mac compatible memory upgrades including: 1GB memory module for MacBook Pro for only $67!; 2GB (2x1GB modules) kit for iMac G5 for only $224!; 2GB memory module for iMac G5 w/iSight for only $242!; 2GB (2x1GB modules) kit for Intel-based Mac mini for only $96!; 512MB memory module for PowerMac G4 (Mirror Drive Doors) for only $66!; 2GB (2x1GB modules) for the original G5 for only $224!; and much more.

[Bill Fox]