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MAC DRIVERS ADDICTED TO SPEED!
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From Your Zip™, Jaz™, Syquest™, MO Or Hard Drive? Leave Time And
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DVD-RAM TuneUp supports all DVD-RAM.
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Universal Disk Format — the key format and file
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in the new era of digital convergence.
SAI’s UDF file system allows you to read and
write to DVD-RAM disks in both UDF and HFS+
and gives you a “finder like” interface for “drag
and drop” file conversion.
FormatUDF!™ formats, partitions and tests media.
SmartDVD™ device driver automatically
configures to the type of disk used: DVD-RAM,
DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, CD-R, or CD- Audio.
RocketCache™ blasts past the slower access and
transfer rates of removable media drives with its
speed adjustable three-tiered read caching
technology.
> SUPPORTS <
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Disk Drive TuneUp (2.5) is the first disk drive
management utility that supports USB for iMac
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speed, ease and reliability that Disk Drive TuneUp
provides those using SCSI, ATA, or ATAPI
protocols.
There is no easier or more efficient way to
organize disk space than with Software Architects’
Partitioning slider bar. Simply drag your partition
flag across the slider bar to appropriate support
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Smooth out the speed bumps associated with /O
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Copyright © 1999 Software Architects, Inc. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
\
OH, MY! What hig teeth you have!
,
MMMMM...APPLE COOKIES!
DO YOU WANT THE BLUE PILL or the red
pill?
BETTER GRAB SOME GOGGLES before
reading this how to.
PHOTO OF BLUE iBook
prototype taken by Stan
Musilek. Photo of orange
iBook courtesy of Apple
Computer.
OCTOBER 1999 38
highlights
24 The Wild, Wonderful iBook
We cracked open the iBook, took notes, and snagged a few photos. Wanna see ‘em?
Flip to where the action is for our first close-up look at Apple’s colorful new PowerBook.
While you're there, check out the piece on wireless Internet—you'll be shocked and amazed!
BY DAVID REYNOLDS
30 Visual Guide to Easy 3D
Make your own spinning Apple logo with our simple (no fooling!) guide to creating
3D images. We'll show you how to turn a flat Macintosh apple into a full-figured
3D masterpiece in less than 10 steps using the full working version of StrataVision3d 4.0 that’s
on the Disc. We'll aiso tell you which other budget 3D programs are actually worth spending
Money on. BY STEVE ANZOVIN AND RAF ANZOVIN
36 Fight Back For Your Mac Clone
Even if the only way they'll take away your Mac clone is by prying your cold, dead fingers
off of it, you may still want to upgrade. Turn your old clone into a new G3 in our
7-step system makeover that’s sure to keep you Mac clone fighting the good fight.
BY TODD A. STAUFFER
how to
70 Make a CD Jewel Case Cover
Thanks to that CD-burner, you've quadrupled your CD collection...but dang is it ugly.
Plain CD-R covers are for PC dweebs. You own a Mac, Jack—your home-brewed CD covers
should show it! BY JOSEPH HOLMES
76 Build Web Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets let you build font style templates for your Web site (oh, my gosh!).
And thanks to potent new programs like Adobe GoLive and Macromedia Dreamweaver, you
don’t have to be a big fat code head to use them. BY MARK SIMMONS
82 Build a Bootable Troubleshooting CD
Face it, Macs crash too. Like having tykes around pools, you better be prepared for something
to go horribly wrong someday. Luckily, we've got tips on making your own troubleshooting CD.
It's like GPR for your Mac. BY OWEN LINZMAYER
REPRINTS SUBSCRIPTION QUERIES
For reprints, contact RMS at 717-560-2001. Please phone customer service tol-ftee at 888-771-6222.
Volume 4, Issue 10
MacAddict (ISSN 1088-548) Is published monthly by imagine Media, inc., 150 North Hill Dr., Sulte 40, Brisbane, CA 94005, USA, Periodical-class postage
paidat Brcbene, CA, and at adlional malig ofices. Nevestand struton is handed by Curtis Crculaton Co. Basic subscripion rtes: one year (12 sues
+ 12 CD-ROMs) US. $99.90, Canada $43.95, U.S. prenaid funds only. Canadian price includes postage and GST 128220688. [PM 0962392. Outside the U.S.
and Canada, price is $53.95, U.S. prepaid funds only. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MacAdolict, PO, Box 58251, BULK RATE
Bout, CO 00828-4251. mage Mei, Inc. alto pubes Manu PC, Bushoss 20, Games Busines, Nxt Genaaton, | |, DUK RATE,
PC Accelerator, PC Garand PSM. Ente conens copyight 1999, imagine Media nc All ights reserved, Reprockcton in a
ole rin pa profited. magi Mec, In. snot lated th he companies or pockets coveredin Maccict Sanders | pvaseee, MN
Mail Enclosed Edition: A, Ai, A2, A3, B, B1, B2, B3, PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
OCT/99 MacADDICT 3
10
12
16
42
4 MacADDICT 0!
Editor’s Note
iBook’s first impressions—too girly? too cute? or just too dang cool?
Letters
The usual assortment of fruits and nuts, plus one cute bunny.
Get Info
The Mac is back, baby, and nowhere is that more evident than in the flood
of product announcements and other cool stuff to come out of Macworld
Expo. Plus, we have the scoop on Qdesign’s MP3 challenger, three must-
know Mat tips, and winners of our graphics cliché contest.
Scrapbook
Ever wonder just how that nifty-spiffy video card in your Mac works its
pixeliscious magic? We'll show you just what goes on behind the scenes
using our guinea pig video card.
Reviews
If it comes out for the Mac, we'll pound on it for awhile. This month we've
got Apple's anorexic new PowerBook G3, animation and multimedia super-
star Flash 4, the first Rage 128 PCI card and other goodies to boot!
PowerPlay
Yep, it’s the summer of games, and have we got a lineup for you! Actually,
the hard-working game developers out there have the lineup; we're just
telling you about all the toys they're busily readying for fall.
Ask Us
OK brainiacs, think you’re smart? Can you tell the difference between Mac
and:PC TrueType fonts? Do you know the fastest modem a classic Mac
can handle? We do.
Shutdown
The other wireless notebook, the sound of one bit clapping, MacAddict
Corrections, and a brand new Fitzpatrick the Mac Rat cartoon!
Nae
THE TEAM
PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Cheryl England
EDITORIAL
EDITOR Robert Capps
EXECUTIVE EDITORS Niki Echler, David Reynolds (technology)
MANAGING EDITOR Jenifer Morgan
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jennifer Ho (reviews)
ACTING ASSOCIATE EDITOR Owen Linzmayer (reviews)
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR Kris Fong
WEB GURU Niko Coucouvanis
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Raf Anzovin, Steven Anzovin,
Joseph 0. Holmes, Buz Zoller
AST
ART DIRECTOR Ken Bousquet
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Adam Vanderhoot
DESIGNERS Chris Vanderhoot and Emily Cohen
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Richard Lesovoy
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Susan Meredith
ADVERTISING
REGIONAL AD MANAGER Don Kimenker
REGIONAL AD MANAGER Kevin White
‘AD MANAGER, DIRECT SALES Ana Epstein
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Mary Lachapelle
AD COORDINATOR Balin Brandt
CIRCULATION
‘SUBSCAIPTION DIRECTOR Tina Rotich
NEWSSTAND SALES MANAGER Thea Selby
ONLINE MARKETING MANAGER Mary Firma
FULFILLMENT MANAGER Peggy Mores
DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Quyen Nguyen
INTERNATIONAL UCENSING: Robert J. Abramson &
‘Associates, Inc, 720 Post Rd,, Scarsdale, NY 10583
Welcome aboard, fan, see ya, Ken, our favorite, ~@>-
‘scholar: Peakatchu, Nathalie. Se you want us to. . =
‘shoot each other, Cheryl?
uU OMI UPPORT
Pi FROM
> A JNLIMIT
iy NT
/
DISCOUN UR |
CES WEI NE!
YOU IN MIND.”
.mindspring.com Call now 1-888-MSPRING
NO LINES. NO PARKING-LOT GRIDLOCK.
INSTANT SERVICE. 24-HOUR SUPPORT.
WHAT KIND OF STORE IS THIS?
flee shopper-friendly kind: a Virtual Printer Store.
You don’t get here by car or bus. You come by phone or
mouse instead. And you couldn’t stand in a line, get lost in
a crowd, or be ignored by a store clerk if you tried.
At the Virtual Printer Store you buy your printer direct
from the people who made it. So you pay only for what you
need (the printer), and not what you don’t (the middleman).
And there’s another important difference after you
leave. At conventional stores you get demoted from
customer to stranger. At ours you become a virtual client.
We offer free technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week — for the entirety of the one-year warranty. And if
you run up against a problem we can’t solve, our Platinum
Exchange Warranty Program guarantees you a replacement
printer by the next business day. (All our printers come
with a thirty-day, money-back guarantee as well.)
Finally, we offer printers good enough to sell
themselves — because they have to. Printers that turn out
vivid halftones, poster-sized graphics, printshop-quality
text, and perform various other noteworthy feats noted
here.
Now, what are your chances of finding a conventional
store that offers all that? Virtually nonexistent.
ELITE 12/600 uss
12 pages per minute
600 x 600 dpi resolution
Maximum Print Area 8.5" x 14"
Letter, legal, envelope
250-sheet Universal Tray
PostScript® Level 2. compatible, PCL 5
35 PostScript fonts, 15 PCL fonts,
45 downloadable fonts
RAM expandable to 64 MB
Ist year Platinum Exchange
‘USB (cable included),
Bi-directional Parallel
2nd Paper Feeder!
(Gncludes SOO-sbeet Universal Tay) Add $299,
2nd year Platinum Exchange’ add $ 99
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ELITE XL 20 Series
20 pages per minute
600 x 600 dpi resolution
Maximum Print Area 12.6" x 35.1"
Letter, tabloid, legal, envelope, poster
500-sheet Universal Tray
PostScript Level 2 compatible, PCL
35 PostScript fonts, 15 PCL fonts,
250 downloadable fonts,
RAM expandable to 64 MB
Ist year Platinum Exchange
EtherTalk® LocalTalkt NetWare’ TCP/IP
‘Ethernet (10 BaseT, AAUD),
Bi-directional Parallel!
2nd or 3rd Paper Feeder*
(Gnciodes S00sheet Universal Tay) Add $299
2nd year Platinum Exchange? asd $179
$1599
Lease $56 Month/36 months*
$1899 £800 dpi version
Lease $67 Month/36 months*
$2199 1200 dpi version
Lease $77 Month/36 months‘
Product
ELITE 12N Series
12 pages per minute
{600 x 600 dpi resolution
Maximum Print Area 8.5" x 14”
Letter, legal, envelope
250-sheet Universal Tray
PostScript Level 2 compatible, PCL
35 PostScript fonts, 15 PCL fonts,
45 downloadable fonts
RAM expandable to 64 MB
{st year Platinum Exchange
EtherTalk, TCP/AP
USB, Ethemet (10 BaseT),
Bi-directional Parallel
2nd Paper Feeder!
(Gncludes500-sheet Universal Tray) Add $299
2nd year Platinum Exchange” ass $ 99
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1200 dpi version
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Also available in LocalTalk versions
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8 pages per minute
600 x 600 dpi resolution
Maximum Print Area 11" x 17"
Letter, tabloid, legal, envelope
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35 PostScript fonts, 15 PCL fonts,
45 downloadable fonts
RAM expandable to 64 MB
Ist year Platinum Exchange
EtherTalk, LocalTalk, TCP/IP
Ethernet (10 BaseT, 10 Base2),
Parallel
2nd year Platinum Exchange® ads 139
$999
Lease $50 Month/24 months*
==. TECHNOLOGIES
THE VIRTUAL
PRINTER STORE.
00 Teds eget ateatc 00 ere ae
cava wetacora obo “Ss aso secured
‘Supper Estane pry ws pnt ot putas ny Lanang poses nope
‘rt nosg corpse oad Coma ate pay taed on snot ane ob reamtema._ | Keycode 91OMADI
Tats oe eo change wit rsce lgaion st GC patie SS ones
the disc
OK ghouls and
boos....here’s
yer bloody Disc!
* Sound Jam MP 1.0 Demo
We wanted our MP3, and now we've got it—and how! This way-hip, all-in-one, MP3 player and
encoder simply rocks! Not only is it jam-packed with cool features like customizable playlists, a
10-band graphic EQ, and 10:1 compression, but it comes with an entire fashion show of skins
that would make any clothes whore jealous. It also features many of the same controls you'd find
ona CD player such as Repeat and Shuffle, and comes with a few hypnotic, visual plug-ins for a
complete brain-Jell-O experience.
Traitors Gate Demo
This first-person, beautifully rendered, 3D adventure game focuses on one prized possession—
the Crown Jewels. Not those jewels! We're talking British, baby, and your mission is to steal the
Crown Jewels from the Tower of London in order to foil and trap another scheming operative who
wants them for real, Realistically modeled from more than 5,000 photos of the actual Tower of
London, the graphics and 360-degree QuickTime VR ability in this game will make you feel like
you're on a European Holiday.
Flash 4 Trial
Pow! Zip! Phhht! Boi-oi-oing! If Web graphics could talk, these are some of the sounds they might
be making after going through a Flash makeover. This powerful graphics and multimedia package
will allow you to create sophisticated interactive vector graphics and multimedia that will make
your Web sites practically sing and dance, delivering it to all browsers at a low bandwidth. And
with this latest version, you can even add streaming MP3 audio to your site.
Squirrel Kombat 1.0
it may not be among the most sophisticated or graphically intense games currently on the mar-
ket, but this one sure takes the cake when you rank it for the belly-laugh factor. This crazy, fast-
action, scamperin’, arcade-style game pits squirrel against squirrel in a duel to the finish accom-
panied by some rather bizarre music. Whoop ass on a motley assortment of squirrels who pos-
sess a wild variety of battle maneuvers, such as the elusive, spontaneously combusting squirrel
or the squirrel who sucks you up and spits you out. A nutty good time!
ETT FETT
=
EV) RC I)
Wasworid Expo NY We came, we saw, we conquered!
The Macworld Expo in New York
|| was a blast and left us all feeling
a bit giddy after being recognized
by many of you dear readers, In
| fact, the “celebrity” factor pumped
| Dave's ego enough to issue a
| challenge to MacWeek.com Con-
| tributing Editor Jason O'Grady, who
stated, “Our Editors can beat up
their Editors.” Oh really? Check it
all out in this month's Staff Video.
8 MacADDICT OCT/99
We move the informatio
that moves yo
worl Gladaplec’
ahead, upgrade to that new G3 without sacrificing the I peripherals
you depend o1 you didn’t know, Adaptec® SCSI cards support Apple’s
old SCSI Manager and newer SCSI Manager 4.3 devices so you can connect to
atever SCSI peripheral you might be using. But it gets even better. Adaptec
»eRDOMAIN 2930. SF ignificantly outperforms Apple’s previous built-in SCSI, enabling your
Pow" off :
s i Jaz, scanner, and other peripherals to operate at peak performance. So if you want
to upgrade to a new blue G3 without sacrificing anything, get an Adaptec SCSI
card. For more information visit www.adaptec.com/mac.
Read this! Don’t flip the page; this is important, dang it!
ell, I've seen the iBook—held it,
shaken it, lifted up the keyboard and
poked around, made fun of the
stocky Apple employee it was tethered to. It’s
definitely Apple’s fruitiest Mac to date; I even
thought about taking a nice big bite out of the
thing (it was the tangerine one—I'm no
freak). But I gotta say the thing ain't for
me. I’m really more of a
whiskey/muscle car/blue-
and-white G3 with multi-
ple 64-gig RAID array type
of fellow. This is more of an
anime/VW Bug/iMac sort of device. It definitely is for
some people though. People that like things to be cute. People who like stuffed ani-
mals. People who are twelve years old.
No Inspector Gadget Here
Don’t get me wrong, I'm not knocking the iBook. When we get one in, I'll poke
around with it some more, and I’m sure a few Nikki Echlers....I mean staff mem-
bers, will want to take the thing home for a nice long cuddle. I’m just trying to point
out that a super bright portable gadget with a handle doesn’t get me going like,
say...FireWire on the motherboard did (dang—now that's cool), Then again, I
don’t own a cellular phone, I laugh at people scribbling away on Palm devices, and
the last time I thought about owning a pager it was so my...uh, never mind. I guess
T'm just not a techno-gadget type of guy.
One thing that I do like, however, is super functionality, and luckily the iBook
has some of that too. Wireless networking—now that’s something I can think of a
bazillion uses for. Walk around with a wireless connection, a Web cam and a micro-
phone—you're a human TV network, Or get a bunch of friends and sit around a
room with a bunch of cord-free computers playing Quake III Test—sounds good to
me. Also, the Book's promise of durability is intriguing. I can be really, really hard
be on the things I own, If this computer's ready for rigorous abuse, well...bring it
on. (I’m looking forward to testing this particular aspect of the iBook.)
Apple’s Multitiered Assault
Anyway, the upshot is that even if some of Apple’s newfangled approaches to products
have you scratching your head, don’t fret too much—just think about all the things
the company is doing that you can appreciate. I think the new G3s rock, and the func-
tionality behind QuickTime is better than ever, but I also think both of these things
(particularly the new QuickTime) are kind of ugly.
The iBook is ae out Gee Bee ce eel get behind
rae! iple’s new look, and probably don’t give two mon-
definitely keys about the more obscure technology issues. So
Apple’s fruitiest wa you hear eon ay the tipo is ic ail, too
eavy, or non-upgradable, just blow it off. Apple's got
Mac to date; |
a multitiered assault going on, and it'll deliver some-
thing for everyone—be it great technology, lots of
power, or just really bright colors. On the other hand
if you are a little concerned when you hear someone
even thought
about taking a
i ‘i i shriek with pleasure and demand an iBook right now,
jigs big bite don’t worry about that too much, either. It won't fit in
out of the thing. their mouth, trust me—Rc
10 MacADDICT OCT/99
Staff Rants
|
j Q.What do you do at
MacAddict?
Q, Is the iBook too girly?
Q.What do you do at
MacAddict?
Q Is the iBook too girly?
=
=
as
MacAddict?
ba!
Q. Is the iBook too girly?
Q.What do you do at the
Great scans every
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GET ON,
GET ACTIVE.
Talk to us and
other Mac
addicts at the
Web site.
Old MacAddict had a farm and on this farm we had dogs and a bunny.
This Month
facAddict, 150 North
Hill Dr, Brisbane, CA 94005,
or email to letters @macaddict.com.
FOR GD PROBLEMS: Go to http://
support.imaginemedia.com.
FOR SUBSCRIPTION QUERIES:
Call (toll-free) 888-771-6222.
e a
SOUR G ES
OK, you've never published any of my let-
ters. Fine. You never got around to send-
ing me a G3. OK. Steve Jobs forgot to
invite me to his Christmas party. I can
live with that. But no grape iBook!? That is
the last straw! How am I possibly going to
complement my grape iMac without a
GRAPE iBook? Oh, the pain!—Jason Huron
Use
11E
If you're going to refer to Adobe Acrobat as
“Clown” because of its feature imparity with
the Windoze version, fine. But I think you
should also change Internet Explorer's
12 MacADDICT OCT/99
name to “Microsoft Scripting Error.” Just
throw a speck of JavaScript at the browser
(like so many corporate sites do), and
splat!—it’s time to “OK” away another
JavaScript/Visual Basic Script error dialog.
This is Steve's “browser of choice”? So much
for “it just works.” —Curis ADAMSON
Spell check. Can you say that?
— WIM AHEARN
How Prrct
1 just noticed...Microsoft’s ticket symbol,
MST, is “misfit” without vowels,
—Dnrex Harms
Wen Rasip Fans
ATTACK
For your information, Captain Benjamin
Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is
spelled Sisko, not Sisco like you said on
page 74 of the August 1999 issue. (See
http://www.startrekcontinuum.com/
ds9/toplistpersonnel.asp?1D=23469&andy
= for confirmation). People’s names (even
fictional, trademarked ones!) should be
double-checked.—Jenna RIANE MINDLIN
W STi 6
T have my MacAddict magazine (Aug/99)
and my Macworld magazine (July/99) in
front of me. I noticed that Macworld was
showing off MP3s and the Palm Pilot,
MacAddict was also showing off
MP3s and the Palm Pilot. Are you
short on ideas? If so, ask the read-
ers for ideas (just don’t make it
look like you are begging). I'm
sure they do cool stuff with their
Macs every day. If it turns out that
this whole thing was just a coinci-
dence, continue making those
great magazines.—A. D. RosB
(Did you see the month where we
both ran comprehensive articles
on toilet bowl cleansers? Now that
was weird!)
How Do
Run On
I was reeeeeaalllllyyyyyy bored last night,
so I decided to copy my screen in ASCII by
hand, It took 45 minutes. I printed it out,
and now I can get that warm fuzzy feeling
of using the Mac OS even though my laptop
is broken and in the shop!—Douc WaLker
ETT
fi
S UNRE
It?
[az
‘ONE
OTH
EAC!
HERE?
Okay, let me get this straight. First, Kathy
went. That was bad enough. But then Wade
left. Jeff left alter that. And now Mark
leaves, for crying out loud! This is getting
to be stupid. Mark is the doodler, the CD-
ROM guy, the former Web guru, a suspect
for killing the MacAddict staff, and now
he’s leaving for good? Sheesh! What is
f
3
5
Get the Winning Edge.
lil aa - a > >»
From QuickTime’ video to break-neck speed,
XLR8' products lead the pack in every category.
Right out of the gate, it may look like the field is full MACh Carrier's patent-pending
of speed and expansion options. Looks can be upgradeable upgrade technology
deceiving. When it’s down to a photo finish, XLR8 was selected as Macworld’s
products win the race. “Best of Show” and as
Photoshop User’s “Hot Pick.”
We push the edge when it comes to innovation so
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our patent-pending Carrier Upgrade Technology™
and InterView™— the first USB product to turn the
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‘Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of thelr respective holders. Product specications subject to change without natce. ©1899 Interex, Inc,
going on over there? Is Prison Guy scaring
them off? Or are they just leaving because
they can’t stand Dave being drunk any-
more? Well, at least there’s one good
change over there—Rob is going to be
editor!—By Garten
(Ummm, Mark was never the CD-ROM
guy. There goes your disc next month.
—AF (the CD-ROM grrrl))
TO DAVE: It’s been a great year and a half. I
hope you get to do more of what you enjoy,
and T’'ll look forward to seeing it on the
pages of MacAddict. Maybe now you can
also find time to work on that drinking
problem that was so obvious in several of
your staff videos,
TO MARK: I was very saddened to see that
you were leaving. Your sense of humor
helped to make MacAddict what it was, and
you will be sorely missed—especially on the
Shutdown page. Best of luck in whatever you
choose to pursue.
TO ROB: Prison Guy rules! Best of luck with
this new opportunity. Just remember,
despite what you learned at the Big House,
tazer guns and pepper spray are not con-
sidered to be proper motivational tools for
staff members who are perilously close to
missing a deadline. Have fun with the new
job; I look forward to seeing the results in
the next issue.
TO KRIS: Great music on the CD! I especially
like Droo and the Tombstones. Keep it com-
ing!—Kevin Lueprxe
(What am I? Chopped liver? —NE)
A FREuDIAN Sip?
This thought just occurred to me. Why do
they make the reset button on a PC so much
smaller than the power button? I tend to use
the former much more than the latter.
——Tinorny Busci
PS. If you print this, the people who keep
‘writing about the juvenile banter in your let-
ters section may be impressed by my use of
the words former and latter.
SMALL TALK
This is Sheri. Bob says hi. 1 would love to
wear a MacAddict T-shirt....not swim in it.
lf and when you people come out with a
new tee, please offer a fitted version.
—Suerl Expert
Tuere’s A GIRLY
Man in Every Port
John Dvorak refers to the iBook as a “girly”
machine. I see only one reasonable counter
to Mr. Dvorak—cultural warfare. We must
ensure that masculine men, “real” men, are
portrayed in art and literature using iBooks.
14 MacADDICT OCT/99
Fortunately, the manliest men in current lit-
erature arise from the keyboard of
AppleMaster Tom Clancy. Over the years his
characters have used many Macs; offhand
I remember a Maclix and several
PowerBooks, but there were others. We
need Tom Clancy more than ever now.
propose that a Web or email petition be
collected and sent to Mr. Clancy, requesting
that in his next novel at least one of his
steely-eyed heroes be seen using an iBook.
Perhaps “Rainbow Six” John Clark and
Domingo “Ding” Chavez could be issued
camouflage-colored iBooks for counter-
terrorist ops, Admiral Robbie Jackson's Navy
blueberry iBook would be a welcome splash
of color in a gray Pentagon briefing room.
Or President Jack Ryan could be shown in a
lighter moment in the Oval Office, playing
StarCraft against his daughter Sally (outside
in the Rose Garden).
Unlike Dvorak, Clancy’s heroes have
great intestinal fortitude and see no danger
to their manhood from colored plastic.
But some men need an external reassur-
ance that it's “OK” to use an iBook. A sin-
gle Tom Clancy bestseller would provide a
lot of men with that re-assurance.—STEVE
Serzer
Anp He Works
For Mere Petters
My rabbit, Vinnie, is unique. He continu-
ally challenges the norms of rabbithood,
pushing the envelope of creativity. He is
also an avid Mac user. I think he would be
the ideal model for the next Appie “Think
Different” ad. In fact, I've included a
mock-up of an ad.—Nick DiFiore
PLASTERED,
AND PieRcep!
I was enjoying the “Automated Death” out-
takes on The Disc when Dave turned his
head and a glint caught my eye. I had to
rewind and look again. Was it what I thought
it was? Yes! Dave Reynolds has an earring!
Dave, why the hell do YOU of all people have
an earring?——Perer WESTERMANN
(I was captured by a tribe of nomadic
goldsmiths at the age of 7 in the Sangre de
Gristo mountain range, and, while teach-
ing me their ways, they forced me to wear
an earring. 've bad it ever since —DR)
Pass THE RITALIN,
PLEASE
&
ArDoICcTH
After egging Bill Gates's house and pulling a
fire alarm in Microsoft's offices I returned
home to check the mail. Upon opening the
mailbox, I screamed a thousand screams. My
copy of MacAddict had been replaced by a
new magazine, WinAddict. Even worse, it
contained sections such as “The Downfall of
Apple,” and “Word's Drawing Capabilities,”
demonstrated with the Apple logo on the
cover. No really, it’s all true! 1 even scanned in
the cover and sent it to you! They're on to
Us!—BrIAN WALKER
Now, You’RE
COookKING...
In the upperleft-hand corner of the July
issue’s cover is the word “Bam!” Is this an
obscure reference to Emeril Lagasse? (I did
notice that this issue seemed spicier than
normal...) —Mart SMiTH
THose Darn Dukes!
Being a faithful iMac freak and Mac addict,
and being from the great state of Norih
Carolina, I am obligated to point out that
there was no “Cooter” on the Andy Griffith
show. You may be thinking of the great
Ernest T. Bass. Cooter was on some other
show that we dignified southerners don't
like to talk about—Georce Kuerre
I've relied on your magazine in the past for
technical info and helpful hints. Until your
July issue I've had no reason to doubt your
expertise and research. However, in the
Shutdown section (SETI phone home) you
say “..and Cooter from the Andy Griffith
Show.” Cooter was in The Dukes of Hazzard, Goober was in the Andy
Griffith Show. Both were mechanics though.—Exic ReckLInG
QOucu. THat Hurt.
Ltried to load the latest version of MacTuner, and I was asked if | want
Explorer to be my “default browser”! I suggest you change the name
of your magazine. How about Gates Addict?—Don Cooper
THE SOONER, THE BETTER
Last night I had a weird dream about iMacs. I was in a truckstop in
New Mexico, and they had iMacs and iMac soda where their beer and
Cokes usually are. The iMacs were $999 (below suggested price, I
exclaimed to the clerk!) and the sodas came in iMac flavors with
iMacs drawn on the cans. Six packs cost $4.96 (I remember the num-
ber flashing on the cash register) and I initially bought a new flavor
called Rhinosaurus. The can had baby rhinosauruses in it, so I set
them free and bought a Lime and a Grape soda. | didn’t get an iMac
though, because I couldn't decide which flavor I wanted. Think I
should seek counseling?—Szan R.
WHatT’s THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?
Just wondering if you folks are gonna take on the Macweek ad “Our
Editors Can Beat Up Their Editors”? How about: “Our Editors Can
Outrun Their Editors”?—Apkian Linp
ONLy THE Nose Knows
Horrid news. I find that my nose stops up and my eyes water when I
‘open my MacAddict. What is a girl to do when this happens? My nor-
mal allergy medicine doesn’t help. I love my MacAddict. I don’t see
how I can live without it—Auice Gator
Div You Write Tuis YourseLr?!
There once was a Compaq
Who thought it was fast
Until aloag came a Mac
And gave it a blast
‘The Compag had a friend
Who liked it a lot
But along came that Mac
And gave it a shot—Hannes Rupowri
you don’t buy what's in slot
h, for the record, is Mint-a-
could have sworn the
”—EDWARD §. PANK
r re forced fo use a peecee: gunpoint and you try to make
in DOS.—Atex Dyck
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‘Macintosh is 2 registered trademark of Apple Computer, In.
All the latest news that we thought you should know, served up with a smirk
Best Mac Tidbits On The Way
| Fall Mac harvest promises to be bumper crop
roving that someone close to
Apple's iCEO does indeed have a
= sense of humor, Noah Wiley
ro] (who played Steve Jobs in the
TNT movie The Pirates of Silicon Valley)
opened this summer's Macworld Expo
keynote speech by doing his version of Jobs.
‘That is, until he was pulled off-stage mid-rant
by the real Steve, and we got a glimpse at the
hottest stuff waiting to arrive on your Mac. It's
going to be a great autumn!
What’s on the Net tonight?
Jobs introduced QuickTime TV during his
keynote address. At first, Quicklime TV
sounds like an exciting new product that
promises to combine the power of Quick-
‘Time with the mind-numbing selection of tra-
ditional television programming—that is,
until the details of QuickTime TV emerged.
Rather than being a spiffy new product for
cyberspuds, its more of an upgrade to the
16 MacADDICT OCT/99
existing QuickTime gestalt. QuickTime TV is
the fusion of Quicktime 4 player and the
QuickTime Streaming server (both of which
have been around for a few months now)
with better routers on the Internet and more
companies providing content.
Apple signed a deal with Akamai Tech-
nologies to provide better repeating servers
for QuickTime streams, making sure that
people who start streaming QuickTime con-
tent will get better and smoother experiences
through this beefed-up network of rebroad-
casting servers. These servers receive Quick-
‘Time streams, cache them, and then rebroad-
cast them to local connections. And, as far as
new streaming QuickTime content goes, Jobs
announced that ABC news, ESPN, Rolling
Stone, VH1, and Disney would be added to
BEFORE BEING MOBBED, this Apple employee
holds up a tangerine IBook in the middle of the
Macworld Expo keynote audience.
the QuickTime streaming roster. The upshot
of QuickTime TV is that streaming audio and
video via QuickTime is going to work better
than ever, and there will be more (and hope-
fully, better) choices in terms of content.
Now, you ioo can get lost in VH1’s “Where
Are They Now” series at your very own desk.
Mac OS 9
Jobs announced that a new version of the
Mac OS (Mac OS 9, the last step before Mac
OS X arrives on the scene) would ship in
November. Although not many details of the
new OS were given, there was one tantalizing
perk: Sherlock 2.0. In Mac OS 9, Sherlock
2.0 takes on Quicklime 4's brushed metal
look, and its annoying interface habits, too.
The top part of the window features a series
of wells, in which favorite search setups can
presumably be saved.
Apple's Phil Schiller demonstrated Sher-
lock 2.0's ability to search for the best prices
for online shopping and auctions, people,
and other sorts of subsets. This comes on top
of the voiceprint recognition feature for Mac
OS 9 demonstrated last May at Apple’s
Worldwide Developer Conference, in which a
Mac running Mac OS 9 with multiple users
can identify a particular user’s voice print.
Mac OS 9 is due out in October for a
ptice of $99, and Apple says it’s like getting
a whole new Mac for the price. We just
ought an 8.5 Mac last year for $99, so
we're set, thanks,
His Master’s Voice
Who would have thought that an IBM execu-
tive would have the name Ozzie Ozborne? Not
us. When Ozborne was introduced by Jobs,
throwing digital audio files (such as MP3s
and AIFFs) through these bad boys, you'll
be able to rock the house all through
FireWire and the speaker's 100-watt ampli-
fier. Great for your next rave, Price: Net yet
set. Contact: Softacoustic, (htt;
softacoustik.com)
Most genuine purveyor of simple iMac
accessories: Don Trammell and his magnifi-
cent iStation, which is a st ible tray that
lifts your iMac (or monitor) off your desk
and provides storage space for the key-
board, disks, and just about anything else
you can cram into ¢ cubbyhole. Plus,
come in rainbow colors, Price: $18.95.
Contact: Vu-Ryte (http: juryte
.com).—DR
numbers just keep getting better and better. Here are Apple's fiscal highlights from April through June of
THANKS TO QUICKTIME’S [= rollingstonet.mov
integration of Macromedia 2
Flash into the player, 1. 4 Ss
streaming content served BRO! 1 119, © LONE COM
up via the player can have quicktime 1VQ
a clickable interface like ie
what you might find in a Popa ret
Web browser. Best of al, || cumwore [Al = Bone Rooks
you might get.a picture ot |)fst2¥™%Y2
San es QuicxTMe
Rob Zombie in your player, |/ BRS
1038 Move
we expected to see the [|B i"
‘80s rocker come on |}mcosvews
stage to bite the heads off |} =xosterre:
a few public relations ||Pirn,
people. Man, were we
disappointed when, in-
stead, an IBM executive
walked out on stage. But
that turned to excitement
when Ozborne announc-
ed that the company’s
ViaVoice speech recogni-
tion software package
(you know, you talk, it
types) would be coming
to the Mac,
‘To back up the claim, IBM was on the Coming Goodies
show floor, demonstrating the ViaVoice pack- There were tons of spankin’ new products
age on an iMac. The ViaVoice program, being announced or debuting on the show
which is expected to cost under $100, hasa floor, including Connectix Virtual PC 3.0,
continuous voice recognition that lets you Electrifier Pro 1.02, Neopost’s Simply
dictate to your Mac via a special micro- Postage, Quicken 2000, Mixman Studio,
phone and software combination. The and Norton Utilities for Macintosh 5.
microphone will even ship with several add- Microsoft introduced a stand-alone version
on plastic plates so that it can be made to of Word 98 for iMac and iBook owners,
look like your Mac. Now, Mac owners Outlook Express 5.0, and a Microsoft
across the globe can have their words mis- mouse that looks—heaven help us—pretty
understood by a machine, cool—DR
ri 7]
. -
Still in the BLACK
|
lust before Macworld Expo started, Apple reported its seventh profitable fiscal quarter in a row. For |
‘those who haven't been around the Mac universe for a few years, there was a time when some. }
doomsters and nattering naybobs thought Apple's profitability would never be routine, Well, itis, and the |
1999:
= $203 million net profit, which compares to a $1!
makers of the microchips inside the Newton,
| Conversion of $661 million of debt into stock.
‘™ Gross margins were 27.4 percent, compared to,
$89 million of this quarter's profits came from sales of 10 million shares of ARM Holdings, the
| ™$3.1 billion (yes, that’s with a “b") in cash holdings.
Stock buyback plan, in which Appie will purchase up to $500 million of its own stock.
™ Overall unit sales grew 40 percent over the previous year.
‘With these numbers, Apple’s looking healthier than ever. Our pet theory? Apple is building an eso- f
LU nomic engine to drive miltary expansion into neighboring regions—wait—that was
101 million net profit in the same time period in 1998.
25.7 percent during the same time last year.
Germany.—BR
cope!
OCT/99 MacADDICT 17
ojul 396
get info
Q Designing Music
A format smaller than MP3?
design Corporation, makers of the
famed Qdesign audio compression
technology which joined QuickTime in ver-
sion 3, began forcing its way into the bur-
geoning MP3 market with a throng of
announcements at this year's Macworld Expo
in New York. The three-level attack included
the unveiling of Qdesign’s own software MP3
player and encoder, the MVP (a partnering
with Diamond Multimedia’s RioPort, Inc., to
use Qdesign’s MP3 implementation in Rio’s
drool-worthy portable MP3 players), and a
second alliance with Texas Instruments to
develop a chip which will allow next-genera-
tion portable music players to play Qdesign’s
fabled audio compression format.
The latter of these announcements—the
partnering with TI—is especially significant
| Errors and
| jitters and
- smoke |
| “Three fast fixes for strange
| and nagging problems i
™ If you're getting the error message
“Not enough memory is available
while using Sound Manager” on
‘startup, try this: restart with exten-
because the Qdesign music format com-
presses audio into a much smaller file than
the MP3 format, while still maintaining
extremely high quality sound.
The MVP, Qdesigns MP3 software player/
encoder, will encode music from CD into the
Qdesign compression format as well as MP3.
QuickTime 3 or later, can likewise play files
saved in the Qdesign music format. A beta
version of the MVP is currently available for
QDESIGN’S DOPE NEW MVP SOFTWARE
PLAYER/ENCODER can read and
compress files into either MP3s or
design's proprietary audio format.
download at Qdesign’s Web site (http://
www.qdesign.com), and the final version is
scheduled to ship in late August (by the time
you read this, hopefully), retailing for
$19.99. —RC
Adobe, Quark
|
|
sions off, open the Preferences fold-
er inside the System Folder, drag
the Sound Preferences from there
into the Trash, and restart again.
= If you smell or see smoke coming
from your Mac, you should proba-
bly just unplug your Mac and
arrange to have it examined by an
authorized Apple repair facility. In
essence, Apple says that even
though there’s smoke, any result-
ing fire should be contained to the
component where the smoke orig-
We at MacAddict inated from and it shouldn't cause
—wWho sucks leSs? tabs figured that the a sefely issue,
real question was: ™To clean a jumpy mouse, turn off —
An informal survey “Which would you rather your Mac, turn the mouse upside
| 1 late July, TrendWatch announced a sur-
vey of creative professionals in which they
were asked if they would rather stick with
QuarkXPress or switch to Adobe InDesign
when it’s released. The actual question was:
“If InDesign meets your needs, will you
switch?” Here’s how the answers broke down:
if InDesign meets your needs, will you switch?
Definitely not: (10%
18 MacADDICT OCT/99
deal with: Quark, Adobe, or a rabid gibbon
with mange?” So we asked some “creative pro-
fessionals” around our building, Here are our
survey numbers:
Which would you rather deal with: Quark,
Adobe, or a rabid gibbon with mange?
Quark: 3%
Adobe: I 73°
Rabid Gibbon: HNN 24%
While we made eyery effort to correct for
masochists and very enthusiastic animal lovers,
it should be noted that a few probably slipped
through. We're not statisticians, after all—DR
down and then rotate the retaining
ting counter-clockwise to open it.
Then, turn the mouse over and _
catch the mouse ball and ring as |
they fall out. Clean the rollers in the
mouse with a damp cotton swab,
removing any excess goo with —
your fingernail. Blow any dust out
of the mouse case and reassem-
ble the mouse.—DR-
All information in Tech Info Tidbits is taken
|
from Apple's Tech Info Library at http://til
.info.apple.com. Stop by and learn some- |
thing today.
fe Di om Clancy’s /
TAAINBOW SI)
Play as if 6.0 billion lives depended on it : —< A
The most revolutionary action/strategy game ofits kind. Nothing
alse comes close to offering such an exciting combination
of strategy, team-building, realistic three-dimensional
araphies and true-to-life Special Forces action. The ultimate. OF
goal is to save yourself and the world from deadly terrorists.
You must successfully complete 17 unique missions.
Ifyou die, the game isn’t aver, THE WORLD 15.
A GT Interactive Software Company
www.wizardworks.com/macsof
yhoo ar Meech
trademarks. Photo ©Steven
Drawing to a Close
yr win some, you lose some. So, try not to feel too discouraged if your
name is not Bob Jones of Redding, California—the talented and charming
winner of our great graphics studio giveaway announced in our June issue.
Although we were flattered by the many suck-up attempts, saddened by the
pathetic pleas, frightened by the threats, and brielly swayed by a few of the bet-
ter bribes, Bob’s work just really struck home.
So, to all of you budding artists who were counting on those free copies of
Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Mlustrator to launch your careers in graphic
design, we hope you didn’t give up your day jobs. Remember, the term “starving
artist” is just a cliché, not a prerequisite. Still, we hate to leave you high and dry,
so stay tuned for next month’s issue where we'll give you free alternatives to
Adobe's pricey programs. Until then, wipe your tears and try to enjoy some of the
contest’s more intriguing entries —VE
We’re Still Laughing
Each day we rushed to the mailbox eager to see what hilarious new
drawings would get us through the late afternoon slump. Although there
was a lot to laugh about, these silly doodies continue crack us up.
At the Crack of Dawn When the Chips Are Down
Illustration by Steven Boyack Illustration by Thomas Meadews
Things That Make You Go Hmmmnm...
We've scratched our heads right down to the bloody scalp and still can’t
figure out what clichés these illustrations represent. Send your best sug-
gestions to: What the Heck? MacAddict c/o Nikki Echler, 150 North Hill
Drive, Brisbane, California 94005. We'll pick our five favorite entries and
send you a MacAddict T-shirt. May the fun never stop!
Cannon and flying saucers? Hand holding wine glass? Mouse with teeth?
llustration by Amie Ten iustration by Brian Marchand lustraton by RIM. & VA. Peyton
20 MacADDICT OCT/99
Just Killing Time
Illustration by Bob Jones
WE DIDN'T ‘DECLARE Bob the winner because we're afraid of what he
might do to us otherwise. Who told you that?
It’s a Dog Eat Dog World
Ilustration by Paul Q. Rigmaiden
Voodoo guy?
illustraion by Clyde Hudson
Special limited time offer for MacAddict subscribers.
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How You Get What You See
by David Reynolds and Jennifer Ho
ave you ever wondered how
‘those beautiful bits get from
your hard drive to your monitor?
Through your video card, of
course. We're here to demystify
the voodoo that goes on inside
the silicon of a PCI graphics card,
which applies pretty closely to
how onboard video works, too.
The card shown here, a Formac
ProFormance3 PCI graphics
adapter, shares some similar char-
acteristics with other graphics
cards, so feel free to get that
broad brush out.
The Spigot
After all of the processing is
done, the massaged bits leave
here, through the video-out port
as a stream of analog signals.
From there, they move on to
the monitor and are spit out as
beams of electrons against a
phosphorous screen. What a
way to go.
22 MacADDICT OCT/99
Making Connections
For specialized functions, some video
cards will have a connector that allows
them to connect to another video card or
helper card, such as a 3D accelerator. In
the case of the ProFormace3, it's a slot to
attach a TFT/LVDS adapter, which lets the
card work with certain flat panel displays.
ton go AY
suite
\ afk 0
hae stint
tae
The Supporting Cast
Every star needs an entourage, and a video
card’s CPU is no exception. The board’s
architecture makes sure that everything
goes where it should at the fastest possible
speeds. The latest cards have 128-bit archi-
tectures, which means that data moves
around 128 bits at a time. Compare that
with the old 8- and 16-bit pathways, and
you’ll see how performance has improved.
Reminiscing
Or something much faster, by today’s standards. Video
cards have their own specialized RAM used for storing
and biitting bits back and forth. The amount of video
RAM (or VRAM) a card has determines how many col-
‘ors get displayed at a given resolution. Today, 32MB
of VRAM is not uncommon, and that much memory
can display millions of colors at resolutions of 1,920
by 1,080. Video memory can also affect a monitor's
refresh rate (the number of times information is painted
On a screen per second). The minimum refresh rate is
typically 60Hz, which makes the monitor flicker, with a
more comfortable refresh rate of 85Hz being common.
Some monitor/video card combinations can go as high
a8 120Hz or higher.
the Universe
Yep, your video card has a
CPU. This is where all the
magic takes place: number
crunching to produce geom-
etry, meshes, lighting, shad-
ing—tt’s all figured out here,
and much faster than you
or | could do it, ! might add.
The card’s CPU (and sup-
porting chip set, where
things like rendering take
place) is the label by which
it's known, whether it's
Rage 128, 3Dfx, or some-
thing else.
Ce oe
et at tot 99
Photo by Aaron Lauer
Interfacing
This is where the video card plugs into the PCI
bus. Data travels from the Mac's CPU and mem-
ory through this connector into the card and is
‘Spit out of the monitor after much munching and
crunching. With the advent of the new blue-and-
white G3 towers, the bus speed can be either 33
‘or 66MHz. Speed does make a difference—the
faster you can get data into the video card, the
faster it can be processed.
Think Faster!
Hforormance3
“he Fe Gps Ace 08 Mic
ProFormance 3
‘The Fastest Graphic Accelerator for
your Mac will turn any PCI Mac
into a ligthning fast 2D and 3D
graphics workstation,
ProG3 Proce
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‘The Ultimate Processor
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boost the processing
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G3 up to SOOMHz - at a
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new system.
BoD eg ProRAID
This SCSI Accelerator Kit
is the ultimate I/O solution
to optimize high-speed data
transfer between your Mac
and SCSI peripherals up to
SOMB/s data transfer rate.
ProTV
Turn your Mac into a
fall function TV/VCR
that can capture still
frames and fall motion
video.
Designed specifically for the Mac, our products will turn your friendly Mac into a lightning
fast, incredibly powerful media creation computer. Formac’s Performance Suite is the ultimate,
cost-effective upgrade package. Don’t wait. With Formac you don’t have to. Get your Mac to
think as fast as you do, just visit www.formac.com and learn how easy it can be.
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iBook
“Wild Wonderful
by | David Reynolds
pple's extended game of foursquare finally came to an end with the company’s
announcement of the iBook—its long-awaited consumer portable. Speculation
fueled anticipation earlier this year when Steve Jobs revealed the family chart
showcasing the iMac, G3 tower, G3 PowerBook, and the blank space where the
iBook should have been. However, with the announcement of the iBook it now
looks like everyone's a winner.
Although the core technology remains the same—you still have to type with a keyboard,
view images via a monitor, and occasionally recharge the battery—the iBook'’s modern
design would have the Jetsons jonesing. And, in addition to its lickable looks, the iBook
offers you the power to surf the Web without a net, um...we mean...without wires! Wire-
less Internet is affordable, fast, and will soon be available at a store near you.
But the iBook isn’t all style and gosh-wow features—at its heart, the 6.6-pound con-
sumer portable features a non-upgradable 300MHz G3 processor, 32MB of RAM on the
motherboard (with an open RAM slot, making it upgradable to 160MB), and six hours of
battery life. The iBook should ship in September, and, with a price tag of $1,599, it’s awe-
some. So take a few minutes and follow our guided tour of Apple’s new addition to the
venerable PowerBook line.
24 MacADDICT OCT/99
iBook
|
| At a Glance
¢ can hardly wait to get our mitts on the iBook, but
what about the other side of The Force? How does
the iBook stack up against similar brand-name
notebooks from the WinTel world? Not bad, not bad at all. We
Jooked at PC laptops from Gateway and Dell with similar fea-
tures, and they were not only more expensive than the iBook—
they didn’t look nearly as nice. Here's the scoop:
The iBook
™ 300MHz G3 processor
= 32MB RAM
= 3.2GB hard drive
= 12.1-inch TFT active-matrix display
= ATI Rage Mobility graphics
with 4MB VRAM
™24X CD-ROM crive
™56K modem
= 10/100baseT Ethernet
"USB port
m™ six hour battery life
" optional wireless networking through
AirPort slot
= 6.6 pounds
"$1,599
IT'S HERE, IT'S WEIRD,
GET USED TO IT!
Dell Inspiron 3500
™ 366MHz Celeron processor
= 32MB RAM
= 4.8GB hard drive
= 14.1-inch TFT active matrix display
™ MagicMedia AGP graphics with 2.5MB
VRAM
= 24X CD-ROM drive
= 56K modem
= 10/100baseT Ethernet
™ serial, parallel, infrared, USB, monitor,
keyboard, mouse ports
= 2.5 hour battery life
= two Type Il PC card slots
(one filled with Ethernet card)
"6.5 pounds
$1,943
Gateway Solo 2500 SE
™333MHz Celeron processor
™32MB RAM
= 4GB hard drive
= 12,1-inch active matrix display
= 128-bit graphics accelerator
with 2MB VRAM
™24X CD-ROM drive
= 56K modem
= 10/100baseT Ethernet
= serial, parallel, infrared, USB, monitor,
keyboard, mouse ports
"= five hour battery life
= two Type Il PC card slots, one with Zoom
video (filled with modem and Ethernet cards)
"7.1 pounds
= $1,774
Photo courtesy ot Apple Computer
OCT/99 MacADDICT 25
yoog!
iBook
able is its design, which you have to
see to fully appreciate. So, here you go.
Feel free to gaze on it with wonder and awe.
Go ahead, reach out and touch the matte
finish rubber that’s wrapped around the curvy
polycarbonate case. Pick it up by its translu-
cent plastic handle. OK, so maybe you can’t
feel how cool (or heavy) the little handbag,
um, PowerBook, is by the picture alone, but
you can get a pretty good idea of why we all
want one. Can't you?
P= of what makes the iBook so lick-
Power Supply
Ag: designed the iBook’s power
supply to be as stylish as the
computer it powers. The 45-watt
power supply features a spindle
around which the power cable can be
wrapped, and the power plug has a
nubbin that pops into the spindle’s rim
to be secured.
Papesancgett seal
Hey! Who
Stole My...
® Audio In—This is the first Mac to ship
in a long time without an audio in port.
= PC Card Slot—This is also the first
portable Mac in a while to ship without
a PC card slot, although the most
common PC card functions are taken
care of with the onboard modem
and Ethernet.
= Infrared Port—tt's gone—just like it
disappeared from the iMac. And, with
the AirPort wireless networking, it
won't be missed.
"FireWire Port—Just when FireWire
makes it to the motherboard, it’s miss-
ing from the iBook. That means no
high-speed data transfers for things
such as digital video.
26 MacADDICT OCT/99
To withstand the rigors of backpack storage, the iBook has
been surrounded with matte finish rubber. Tangerine and
blueberry were chosen for the colors because they
looked best in the protective rubber. (Alright, let's
keep it clean.) They do not, however, taste like the
‘fruit of the same name. We're hoping that, eventu-
ally, more colors will make it to the iBook.
Polycarbonate
‘Yep, it’s the same plastic used in the iMac—
and, incidentally, in making bulletproof plastics.
This only comes in the color ice, however.
The antenna for the AirPort wireless
networking system is hidden here in
the display frame.
The iBook features a single speaker
located on the left side of the unit just
above the keyboard.
The iBook sports three input/output ports along the
left side, none of which have doors. The ports are
recessed inside the case.
=Ethernet—The iBook sports 10/100Mb
Ethernet in an RJ-45 port—a standard, but still
attractive feature.
= 56K modem—The iBook comes equipped with a
56K modem, just like every other Mac on the
market, save the G3 tower.
= USB—Cashing in on the trend, the iBook fea-
tures a USB port—but on the iBook, it’s a
single port, which can always be
expanded with a USB hub.
Audio Out
If you just Aave to have
stereo sound, you can plug
headphones or speakers
into the audio out port.
AirPort Card Slot
Underneath the key-
board (next to the hard
drive and RAM) is the slot for the
optional AirPort card. Although the slot is
similar in shape to a PC card slot, it is a closed
‘standard that works only with the AirPort card.
C% None of that crappy passive-matrix stuff
7" for the iBook—Apple sprung for a
beautiful (if a tad small) 12.1-inch
active matrix display.
The iBook's hinging mechanism is
specially made to keep the iBook open
+e A\ when open, or closed when closed—the
7 two metal nubs in the hinges are part of
f the clutching mechanism. With this great *
f hinge, the iBook doesn’t need a latch to
yi keep it shut,
The iBook uses ATI's Rage Mobility
to power the graphics. This chip has
plenty of punch. Too bad the iBook
uses a non-upgradable CD-ROM.
Push this button, and
the iBook comes on.
Simple as that!
Power Supply Port
The power supply port has a light-up ring
around it that, when the power supply is
attached, glows amber when the battery isn't
fully charged and green when it is charged.
Z
wa o ‘ 6
f ‘The 24X CD-ROM is built into the right
Y side of the iBook and is not
removable or upgradable so you
~ =f can forget about watching DVD
; a Pay: v5 movies in study hall.
ceils Rigeliia ails fgg ‘ a
Mach like the PowerBook G3 Series,
the iBook keyboard is a full-size
keyboard with an almost identical
v6 configuration and two latches on
é the top that, when pulled back,
release the keyboard to be pulled off.
Underneath, you can get to the hard
ee drive, RAM, and AirPort wireless card
slot. A screw between the F4 and F5 keys
can be turned to lock the keyboard down.
The iBook's touchpad is shiny silver The iBook features an oddly shaped battery (about 1 by 1.5 by 8 inches) hid-
and can do tap and double-tap (but not den underneath a panel secured by two screws. Since the battery has a life
sofi-shoe!) just like the PowerBook. of six hours (and can be recharged in about two), Apple didn’t feel the need
to make the batiery easily removable. OCT/99 MacADDICT 27
Photos by Stan Musilek
yoog!
iBook
feats 8 Pen a SR ERAS EBD
Software bundle
H ere’s the list of software that will
ship with the iBook. What a sur-
prise! Most of it is Internet or education
software:
™ Mac OS 8.6 with QuickTime
™ AppleWorks
™ Microsoft Internet Explorer
™ Microsoft Outlook Express
= Netscape Communicator
= EarthLink TotalAccess
™ America Online
= STF Technologies FAXstf
= Palm Desktop
™ World Book Encyclopedia
= EdView Internet Safety Kit
™ Adobe Clown Reader
(also known as Acrobat Reader)
= Pangea Software's Bugdom
= Pangea Software's Nanosaur
28 MacADDICT OCT/99
Weight Comparisons
t 6.6 pounds, the iBook weighs a bit more than the new PowerBook G3 with the
bronze keyboard (weighing in at 5.9 pounds), but less than the older, thicker
PowerBook G3 Series line (which weighed in at 7.2 pounds). Here are some other
weight comparisons:
iBook versus a gallon of milk
A gallon of fresh creamery milk weighs
in at 1.4 pounds more than the iBook,
and is a lot bulkier, too.
iBook versus a cantaloupe
The iBook weighs more than a
melon—or even two or three, if
they're small—but it doesn't taste as
sweet. Don't leave the iBook in the
sun to ripen—you'll be disappointed
in the results.
iBook versus a baby
Depending on a number of factors, an
iBook may weigh more—or less—
than a newborn baby. However, the
iBook is probably cheaper in the
long run, not to mention easier to
hold in a backpack.
iBook versus
Marlon Brando
No contest. Marlon Brando
beats the iBook, By a ton.
IBOOK: 6.6 LBS
MARLON BRANDO
LOTS MORE THAN THE IBOOK
AirPort Network on the Fly
Speed: 11 Mbps (slightly faster than 10baseT Ethernet)
Range: 150 feet, more or less, depending on conditions
Number of connections: Ten iBooks can connect to an individual
access point.
Gauges: A control strip gauge on the iBook lets you see how strong
the AirPort signal is.
Photos by Stan Musilek
espite its revolutionary design, unpar-
alleled price, unbeatable battery life,
and stellar feature set, there’s not a
whole lot about the iBook that’s new—except
for Apple’s new AirPort wireless networking,
and that’s way cool. The AirPort wireless net-
working uses radio frequencies to connect the
iBook’s AirPort conforms to the IEEE 802.11
standard (with something called Direct
Sequence Spread Spectrum). Translated into
English, this means that any device that uses
that standard can connect to an AirPort net-
work—even PCs. Farallon (http:/Avww.faral-
lon.com) will be selling Skyline, a PC card
product that uses the same 802.11 standard as
the AirPort and should allow PowerBooks with
the SkyLine card to connect to an AirPort net-
work. The SkyLine connection is limited to 2
Mbps—reasonably fast, but not blazing—but it
does have a greater range than AirPort (up to
500 feet indoors and up to 1,000 feet out-
doors). Skyline can be used by WinTel note-
books as well, and it should have shipped by
the time you read this.
AirPort wireless networking requires a
few things to work—AirPort card-equipped
iBooks, AirPort Software Access Point software,
and an optional AirPort Base Station. Each Air-
Port card costs $99, while the AirPort Base Sta-
tion rings up at $299. You have to have the Air-
Port Access Point software to connect iBooks
on the network—which you can do much like
you would with an Ethernet network.
‘The network speed is pretty darned impres-
sive: 11 Mbps, or just slightly faster than plain
vanilla Ethernet, and that bandwidth is divided
among each connected iBook, depending on
each Mac's needs—those that need more
bandwidth for high-volume network connec-
tions (such as streaming) will get a larger share
than those that are hardly using the network.
Shares of bandwidth can be adjusted on the fly.
‘There are two ways to set up an AirPort net-
work: either between a group of iBooks (called
peer-to-peer, which is great for file sharing or
LAN games), or with an AirPort Base Station as
the network's hub (great for wireless Internet
access). Here are the specifics:
Peer-to-Peer
etting up a peer-to-peer network is pretty
easy. All you need is two or more iBooks
with AirPort cards within 150 feet of each
other, and you're almost ready to go. The
iBook includes a wireless networking setup
assistant that will walk you through setting up
the network, One iBook can even act as a
sort of base station by using its modem to
connect to the Internet and then sharing that
connection with other iBooks connected to it
through its wireless network. This arrange-
ment is great for impromptu LAN games: just
get a few of your iBook-toting friends togeth-
er and get ready to rock.
Se
10 Cool Things
About the
iBook
=™The iBook uses 144-pin 1.25-inch
SDRAM SO-DIMMs, which are differ-
ent from the PowerBook G3 Series
DIMMs.
= The iBook’s F7-F12 keys can be pro-
grammed to do lots of things such as
open applications or even launch
AppleScripts.
= The iBook goes to sleep when closed
and awakens when opened.
= The iBook has different sleep modes,
including a Save & Power Off Now
mode in which the contents of RAM
are stored in a file on the hard drive—
then the iBook shuts down. Waking
up from that state causes the iBook to
read the contents of that file back into
RAM, effectively resuming operation
more quickly than a standard Shut
Down command.
™ The iBook’s VRAM isn’t upgradable—
it's embedded into the Rage Mobility
chip set.
=The AirPort card can be tumed off
when not in use to save power or
when on an airplane.
™ AirPort wireless communications are
made secure with 40-bit data encryp-
tion to prevent eavesdropping.
"The sleep light on the back of the
iBook slowly pulses (rather than
blinks) to indicate that the "Book is
sleeping.
David Reynolds wishes that the iBook tasted like
its name—at least for the tangerine iBook. He's
not terribly fond of blueberries.
With a Base Station -
ihe iBook Base Station acts as a hub for
iBooks to connect to, and it has its own
56K modem and Ethernet port. This means
the Base Station can connect to the Internet
via modem, DSL, or cable modem, and can
then share that connection with up to nine
AirPortequipped iBooks (the Base Station
acts as the 10th item on the network). AirPort
Base Stations can be named via software,
and multiple Base Stations can be connected
to the same network.
OCT/99 MacADDICT 29
yoog!
creating 3D art does not have to be extraordinarily difficult
or expensive. 3D just keeps getting cheaper, easier, and
better as the number of programs under $300 proliferate
like, um, computer-generated flies. For a modest outlay of
green, you can build everything from flying logos to sci-fi terrains to
fully realized 3D critters.
Don’t have any cash at all? Don’t worry—we’ve put a totally free 3D
animation program, StrataVision3d 4.0, on The Disc for you. (Hint: if
you can’t find the serial number, read the Read Me. Don’t call us. Don’t
send email. Or...we’ll find you and publicly humiliate you. Think we’re
kidding?) You don’t have to have an advanced degree in digital design,
either. If you can draw a straight line and push the right buttons, you
can do this project. Follow along as we show you, step by step, how to
make a spinning Apple logo with the traditional rainbow stripes. —
30 MacADDICT OCcT/99
Peay b
Draw an Apple
After you've installed StrataVision3d 4.0 from
The Disc, open the program and create a
new file by choosing New from the File
menu. You'll see the main window, with a
toolbar at the left. Select the Polygon tool
from the Tools palette and outline a rough
apple shape by drawing lines and clicking
whenever you want to change direction.
Double-click to complete the outline,
Refine the Apple
Now the apple needs some refinement. Click unum
‘on the 2D Sculptor button in the top toolbar,
or choose 2D Sculptor from the Modeling
menu. You'll want to add a few more inter-
mediate points to smooth out the outline;
Option-click to add points. For the final edit-
ing of the outline, convert it to Bezier splines
by choosing Convert to Bezier from the
Options menu. Drag the points and their
control handles around until the apple out-
line looks nice and smooth. Option-clicking
will give you even more control points, if you
need them. Then exit the 2D Sculptor by
pressing the OK button.
STEP
Extrude the Apple
Once the outline is completed, we need to
pop it out into 3D space. The operation we'll
use is called an extrude, and it's a little like
squeezing dough through a pasta machine.
Make sure your apple shape is selected in
the main window, then press the Extrusion
button on the top toolbar to enter the Extru-
sion editor. You can use the default extrusion
settings (a square-edged extrusion). Click
OK to apply the extrusion and return to the
main window, To see the model at an angle,
click the Rotate View button on the Tools
palette and drag one of the side handles a
bit. To see the mode! with some shading,
click on the Shaded View button at top left of
create tworstadob jects
OCT/99 MacADDICT 31
STEP |
Make a Leaf
Now we'll make a leaf using a different tech-
nique called a lathe, which spins a flat shape
around an axis to make a solid shape. We'll
start out the same way as we did with the
apple shape. In the main window, choose the
Polygon tool from the Tools palette and draw
a rough hatf-leaf cross section. Go into the
2D sculptor and smooth it out as a Bezier
curve. Click the Lathe button in the top tool-
bar to go into the Lathe box. Drag the lathe
axis to the edge of the halHeaf. Use the
default setting of 360 degrees, then click OK
to apply the lathe.
STEP 5
Group Objects
In the main window, you'll see a sharp-
ended, cigar-shaped leaf. Position it at the
indent of the apple and tilt it using the Rotate
tool on the Tools palette. Once it’s in place,
choose the arrow tool, draw a bounding box
around the apple and the leaf to select both
shapes, and choose the Group tool from the
top toolbar to group the two shapes together
into one object.
STEP
Apply the Rainbow
On The Disc, you'll find a ready-made rain-
bow picture (called a color map) for the
Apple. Or you can create one yourself in
Photoshop. To apply it to the apple, click the
New button on the Texture tibrary toolbar
at the bottom of the screen. The Texture
dialog will open, Click on Color Map to locate
and open the rainbow map. An alert box
will pop up: make sure to click on “Keep
Large” or Strata will do something unpleas-
ant to the map. Click OK, then click the Apply
button on the Tex-
Texture Name: [Rainbow
copy trom[—___—¥]
Material Properties
0% Clear 100%
ture library toolbar. This image exteeds the
recommended storage
requirements of 256 KBytes. It
should be reduced to a smaller
100%
82 MacADDICT OCT/99
STE
Adjust the Color Map
Now do a test render of the apple. Click on
the camera in the Tools palette, then draw a
box around the entire apple. if the Render
Settings dialog pops up, just click OK for
now. In our example, the color map isn’t
positioned exactly right—a little green color
edges up from the bottom where it doesn’t
belong. If this happens to you, you can
change the color map position. Make sure
the apple model is selected, then click the
Remap button on the top toolbar. In the
Change Mapping box, drag the red outline
around the apple to adjust the position the
Ha
TTT
eH | Ha Mt
STEP
Animation
For the final act, let's make the apple rotate
around its vertical axis. Open the Animation
timeline by choosing Show Animation Palette
from the Windows menu. Make sure you're
looking at the apple from the front view. Move
the time marker on the animation timeline to
the 1/2-second mark. Choose the Rotate tool
from the Tools palette and carefully pull the
left edge of the apple toward you, rotating the
model 90 degrees so you See it from the
side. Vision3d will place an event marker
(called a keyframe in other programs) at that
point in the timeline. Now rotate the apple HX =i
another 45 degrees every 1/2 second until
the apple comes back to its original position.
an
Render a Movie
Time to render! Choose Render from the
Rendering menu. Set up everything as
shown, using Raytracing as the renderer (the
highest quality), and making sure that “All” is
selected in Frame Range. (Your image size
may be somewhat different, but don’t worry
about that.) Save the render as a QuickTime
movie. Now sit back and let your mind wan-
der as Vision3d outputs your very own spin-
ning rainbow apple.
ze
Sruncorer
Renderer: agtresieg —¥) texture det: Ee)
Qorwsore
GD oon uty Sasa] EA Ata er
;— Frame Range:
reo Qearaitren © Ome _]* S_]
r- Frame Size.
nits Eb) SS aa
vevne ts [7320] [BGG] [Re cmteanreertns
‘The reneree will require appraximately 225 KBytes for mage storane,
Render using: [ Sizstavision wv)
(22 ant-aiasng, SH Wrestoitng at block size of 4)
|
|
Hi
Wh
AAT
| H{
OCT/99 MacADDICT 33
CHEAP 3D: IT’S EVERYWHERE! |
unl
udget 3D programs are not yet available from vending machines outside your local
Bic store, but there are a ton to choose from at your local computer store. For less
than $300 you can have your pick of the following seven 3D programs. We've rated and
reviewed each of them to make your picking tess painful.
3D 3D Invigorator
DEVELOPER: Zaxwerks
CONTACT: 800-549-0250,
hitp://www.zaxwerks.com
PRICE: $199 (SRP)
GOOD: Fast font and clip art extrusions.
Easy interface. Soft shadows and accurate
reflections.
BAD: None.
RATING:
Amorphium 1.0
DEVELOPER: Play
CONTACT: 916-851-0800,
http:/www.amorphium.com
PRICE: $199 (SRP)
GOOD: Play-Doh for 3D artists. Good
implementation of 3D painting.
BAD: Models tend to be blobby. Minimal
animation.
Ht
may well be all the 3D you need.
is plug-in for FreeHand, Illustrator, Pho-
toshop, After Effects, and Electriclmage
basically does one thing—pop clip art and
text out into 3D with color, shading, shadows,
Teflections, edge treatments, and simple
movement. But it works extremely fast and
well. Everything is in one window, making the
program easy to learn. Given that most 3D
Web and design work involves little more
than spinning logos and such, 3D Invigorator
you'll love Amorphium. This 3D modeling
and painting program (with a little animation
thrown in) lets you squeeze, mold, stamp,
stretch, and squash polygons like they were
Play-Doh. No other program on this list can
do this. As with clay modeling, it's easy to
make something, but hard to make some-
thing good. You can also paint directly on
your models (no fooling around with texture
maps) and spin them around to see all sides.
You'll notice thet Amorphium models tend to
look a little puffy, a side effect of the model-
ing approach. (See Reviews this issue, p50.)
fyou liked <i paving with clay in crafts class,
Amorphium portrait.
HH
FIN
it Master 99 v7.4
DEVELOPER: Hash Ino.
CONTACT: 360-750-0042,
hitp://www.hash.com
PRICE: $199 (SRP)
GOOD: Best choice for character animation.
Very full-featured and sophisticated.
BAD: Harder to learn than some apps on
this list.
RATING: 4
imation: Master 99, popularly called
'Hash,” is the best Mac program for
animating original 3D characters, and defi-
nitely the best starting point for anyone who
is thinking seriously about a career in car-
toon animation. The range of animation tools
is impressive, but learning the basics is not
difficult because the interface is plain and
direct. Becoming a master requires study,
but once you get the hang of it, you can cre-
ate characters that match anything Pixar
puts out, with realistically flexing muscles
Gre anatomically correct movements.
Bryce 4
DEVELOPER: MetaCreations
CONTACT: 805-566-6200,
http:/Awww.metacreations.com
PRICE: $199 (SRP)
GOOD: Spectacular landscapes, Improved
animation tools, New sky generator. Works
better with other MetaCreations programs.
BAD: Quirky as heck. No vegetation
generator.
RATING: 4
Be its evolution as the best
Program for making photorealistic 3D
landscapes and flying through them. Version
4.0 features a new Sky Lab, which lets you
add all kinds of sky and cloud effects not
available before. A storyboard allows simple
editing of animations, and better file /O
means you can use Bryce landscapes in
other 3D programs. The manual makes it a
lot easier to get beyond the basics and into
the program's many idiosyncrasies. Desper-
aiely needed for version 5; some decent
shrubbery. (See Reviews Aug/99, p60.)
(Before)
3D INVIGORATOR OFFERS SIMPLE, fast, and
easy extrudes of clip art and text,
PLAY GIRL KIKI STOCKHAMMER poses for an |
DENNIS GETS DOWN with Hash's Animatio
Master 99,
THIS LAKESIDE SCENE by Jonathan Foerster
is just the sort of moody landscape possible
with Bryce 4,
| REI oie Sha x:
Raydream 3D
DEVELOPER: MetaCreations
CONTACT: 805-566-6200,
http:/ww.metacreations.com
PRICE: $99 (SRP)
GOOD: Everything's drag-and-drop, Wiz-
ards make it easier to create models and
scenes, 750-model library.
BAD: Modeler and renderer are not great.
RATING: 3
3D World 3.0
DEVELOPER: Microspot
CONTACT: 800-622-7568,
http:/Awww.microspot.com
PRICE: $249 (SRP)
GOOD: Fast and easy to learn. Excellent
use of QuickDraw 3D. New 3D paint.
BAD: Primitive modeling. Limited animation.
RATING: 2
ayDream is MetaCreations' rock-bottom
3D product, but it's a good beginner's
tool. Most operations can be performed by
simple drag-and-drop, including putting tex-
tures on models and adding models and
lights to scenes. Animation behaviors (such
as spins) can be dropped onto any of the 750
supplied models, Wizards help the learner do
the basics, such as model simple shapes,
choose backgrounds, and set up lighting
schemes. When you graduate from needing
wizards, RayDream 3D's tools are underpow-
ered and the program is slow, but for $99, it's
good start.
D World was the first completely Quick-
Draw 3D-native application, and it's still
the only one, which tells you something. It's
easy to place ready-made objects from 3D
World's libraries into scenes by dragging and
dropping them, which is good, because the
modeler is fairly primitive. You can paint on
models with 3D World 3.0’s new paint tools
and use the program within Photoshop with
the new plug-in. But you need a QuickDraw
3D accelerator board to see textures, shad-
ows, and transparencies.
THIS RAYDREAM 3D SPACE SCENE was created
using Rayflect, a RayDream plug-in for flares.
Amapi 3D v 4.1.5
DEVELOPER: TGS
CONTACT; 877-770-2530,
http:/Avww.yonowat.com
PRICE: $299 (street)
GOOD: Unusual modeling capabilities;
good for complex organic shapes.
BAD: Bizarre interface. Poor rendering.
RATING: 2
mapi (“I'm happy!") is an odd-looking
program for creating 3D models and
making simple animation. Underneath the
nonstandard interface, which works like no
other software on earth, is a huge amount of
modeling power; once you attain proficiency,
you can create shapes with Amapi that are
quite hard if not impossible to make in other
programs. The animation tools are minimal,
though, and Amapi’s own renderer makes
everything look like plastic. A good choice for
‘serious model builders who don’t mind learn-
ing a whole new way of working.
LUULLULAHULALLULLL LARUE
GOTCHER 3D HERE
THE COMPLEX CURVES OF THIS RACER are
Amapi's specialty.
i ere are a few of the 3D-related sites we visit most often. Check these to find basic and
i advanced tutorials on 3D, animation, and special effects; lots of downloadable images,
objects, and animations; and lists of organizations, schools, festivals, and jobs.
www.3dsite.com/3dsite www.3dark.com www.3D-design.com www.VFXPro.com
| 8D Site is the jumping-off point 3D Ark is another good all-pur- This is the Web complement to The VFXPro site runs fascinating
| for any 3D newbie. It links to pose 3D site. It offers object, the top magazine for 3D artists. _ interviews with the top 3D anima-
tion and effects people in Holly-
wood. You may not be in that
league, but it’s cool to read
about it. Download exclusive
clips from the latest effects films
and study up.
scores of other 3D-related Web
: areas, boasts lots of FAQs, and
has comprehensive school,
organization, and job listings.
image, and animation collec-
tions; forums; and tons of links.
Tutorials range from the simple
to the very complex.
q TURN YOURSCUONE INTO A [03
FIGHT
“sega
on't think of your Mac clone
as a failure. Remember, your
once-worshiped Mac knock-
off used to be hell on wheels back
when Power Computing was almost
single-handedly putting Apple out
of business with its superfast
machines. Just because Apple
couldn't take the heat and had to
pull the cloning licenses of such
companies as Power Computing,
UMAX, Motorola, and Radius doesn't
mean you should feel any less
proud of your Mac clone now.
In fact, in just seven simple steps
you can turn your tottering old
clone into a speed machine loaded
with ail the luxuries of a modern-
day G3, and then some. And, just to
cheer you up, we'll throw in a few
stories of some even less-success-
ful cloning efforts—misery loves
company, right?
Don't get too depressed—even
though the clone war is over and
you lost, your little Mac hack still
has some fight left in it. So, rally
the troops. Prepare your weapons.
It's time for a MacAddict makeover!
OCT/99 MacADDICT 37
owentft expect your clone to compete if
math don’t upgrade its processor to a G3.
Though expensive, it’s the single most
effective step in this transformation. Every
clone has G3 potential, but how you go about
reaching it depends on whether your logic
board is a Tanzania or a Tsunami model.
Tanzunami? Hub? Let us explain.
Apple originally licensed the ‘Tanzania logic
board (the not-so-distant cousin of the Power
Macintosh 4400 logic board) to Motorola for its
StarMax line. Motorola then sublicensed it to
companies like PowerTools, APS Technologies,
and MacTell. (UMAX also had a couple of Tan-
zania-based machines.) The Tanzania. logic
board has the processor soldered right on to it,
making it tough to upgrade. Fortunately, a few
companies offer “upgrade challenged” proces-
sor upgrades that you can add to these
machines via the 12 cache slot. Card speeds
range from 225MHz to 400MHz, and prices
range from $300 to $800 accordingly. To install
the upgrade, just pull out your cache RAM
SIMM (it's right there on the logic board) and
plug in the processor card. Install the software
and you've got a G3.
Ifyou're lucky enough to have a clone that’s
sitting pretty on a Tsunami logic board, such as
a Power Computing Powerlower or Power-
Center, you've got tons of upgrade options. The
‘Tsunami logic board was used in Apple’s Power
Macintosh 9500 and 9600 systems, which are
ack when Steve Jobs first returned
to Apple to save the ‘struggling
company, there was so much to be done |
that he tried to clon himself to help:
} speed up the turnaround. Unfortunately
E the second Steve was more an opposite
than a duplicate, and he was often seen
running around the Apple campus |
faughing and joking with the employees
while eating Burger King bacon double
cheeseburgers. When the original Steve
caught wind of this, he immediately fired
his clone—who now works as a secret
shopper for Jack-in-the-Box.
38 MacADDICT OCT/99
four Processor (Hey, Up Yours, Too!)
still considered to be among the company’s
most upgradable and expandable machines
ever made. The clones based on this board
often feature room for buttloads of RAM and
up to six PCI slots, as well as a daughtercard-
based processor. Daughtercards are cool
because the CPU actually sits on an expansion
card that can be easily removed and swapped.
for a faster model.
‘The big question with daughtercard 63
upgrades is, should I get a fixed or variable
speed upgrade? With variable speed cards, you
can alter the system bus speed on your Mac to
give the processor a little boost. But, on the flip
side, you also run the risk of really firing up
your clone and potentially frying your proces-
sor. This piece of bad news would not just slow
down your Mac, but stop it dead in its tracks.
Still, if you like to live dangerously, there are
some situations where it might be worth the risk
to rev up your bus speed. Most fixed 63
upgrades lock the bus speed at 50 MHz, which
will actually slow down some higher-end Power
Computing machines that have been cranked up
to 60 MHz. The slight speed loss probably won't
be noticeable (it is a G3, after all) but you might
consider a variable-speed card for the Power-
Center Pro and PowerTower Pro lines.
on't know where to go to raise your Mac's processing |.Q.? Well, now you do,
Here's a list of just about every Mac clone upgrade vendor on the planet. If you
can't find something here, well...don't worry, you will.
= Galaxy Hardware Publishers (888-345-1817, http://www.galaxyhp.com)
mu Mac Gurus (800-775-3726, http://www.macgurus.com)
= MacTell (888-622-8355, http://www.mactell.com)
mm Newer Technology (888-656-8324, http://vww.newertech.com)
= Other World Computing (800-275-4576, http://Awww.fastermacs.com)
™ PowerLogix (505-857-0353, http://www.powerlogix.com)
a Shreve Systems (800-227-3971, http:/Avww.shrevesytems.com)
m Sonnet Technologies (800-786-6260, http://vww.sonnettech.com)
= Vimage (877-484-6243, http://www.vimagestore.com)
= XLR8 (888-957-8867, http://www.xir8.com)
just Add RAM
prrorder for ca Mac to support all of the
No3s fancy frills and features, you'll need to
* bulk up on RAM. Early clones that feature a
PowerPC 601 processor (that’s the Power series
from Power Computing and the entire Radius
line of clones) accept 80ns, 72-pin SIMMs
(Single Inline Memory Modules). They're the
only machines that use SIMMs; other clones all
feature DIMMS (Dual Inline Memory Modules).
Most 603- and 604-based clones accept
either 60ns or 70ns, 168-pin DIMMs, usually in
the Fast Page variety. Check your documenta-
tion carefully, because many DIMMs sold today
are EDO RAM, which isn’t often necessary in
clone machines, EDO won't hurt your machine,
but if you mix EDO and Fast Page, it will act like
Fast Page anyway and you don’t get the slight
EDO speed boost. Also check NewerRAM’s
online RAM GURU—the Guide to RAM
Upgrades—for the skinny on your particular
clone model (http:/Avww.newerram.com).
If you've skipped the G3 upgrade, you'll at
least want to make the cache bigger. Consid-
er adding more cache or a larger Level 2
cache SIMM (or DIMM) to your machine.
Many clones shipped with 256K or 512K
cache that can be upgraded to about IMB,
giving you a bit of an edge on your competi-
tors. You can buy both cache and RAM
upgrades from many of the same distributors
who sell processor upgrades. See “Speed
Dealers” for all their 411.
pp fyou-try76 install a new version of the Mac
Hos and wind up with random errors and
Ecrashes, you should check under the
hood—its likely you're working with some
bad drivers. Many clones ship with third-party
hard disk drivers from FWB’s Hard Disk
Toolkit. if you're using these now, you should
update to the latest version available before
upgrading to any Mac OS. Then, whenever you
update the OS, check for an update from FWB.
And, while installing the Mac OS upgrade,
don’t choose to Update Hard Disk Drivers
because it doesn’t work with clones.
You might try switching to Drive Setup
(Apple's own disk drivers and utility software)
for overall compatibility with Mac OS 8.6 or
higher. This won't work for everyone, so
remember to backup everything before using
Drive Setup tosisitialize your drive.
e ~
‘ading your Mac or clone, you
/ always want to have the latest Mac
] operating system that your machine
will support. Unfortunately, since Apple quit
officially supporting clones, upgrading the OS
on a non-Apple-branded Mac has become
something of a crapshoot. Mac OS 8.6 works
fine, Will Mac OS 9? Probably. Mac OS X? We
strongly doubt it.
Although it’s unlikely that Mac OS X will
run-or your clone since it won't support the
9 i. into USB
pSB_is the if thing these days, replacing
serial and“ABB ports with 12-megabit-
persecond speed, hot-plugability, and
the opportunity to hook up 127 USB devices at
once. (Believe it or not, it was done by certi-
fied Mac nerds at this year’s Apple Worldwide
Developer's Conference.) Apple made the
switch from serial to USB so that Mac users
could have access to just as many peripherals,
and the same peripherals, as PC users. And,
well, now we do.
If you want to hook your clone up to every
new candy-colored peripheral that hits the
Jpdate your drivers
Although most clones can use the Apple
CD-ROM drivers in Mac OS 8.6 and higher
without any major problems, many users have
reported trouble listening to audio CDs
because of wonky CD-ROM drivers. If this
happens, you might want to selectively install
an updated version of the FWB CD-ROM
Toolkit drivers that came with your clone. In
some cases, you can get the update from FWB
(http:/Avww.wb.com). The second best plan
is to revert to AppleCD 3.5.1, which came with
Mac OS 7.6. Many clone users report success
with that version of the driver, ifyou can get it.
Is your clone complaining that the CD-
ROM drivers are already loaded? Then get
that Mac OS CD out of the CD-ROM drive! If
it’s in there, your clone machine is trying to
load two different CD-ROM drivers, hence
the complaints.
rade to Mac 0S 8.6
components that make up older Macs, there
may be a way around it. In the past, some Mac
OS versions have been successfully installed
on aging machines thanks to shareware solu-
tions that allow you to spoof the identifying
number on your Mac, effectively fooling the
installer into believing your Mac is a newer
model. It’s also possible that G3 upgrade ven-
dors will find a solution to upgrading G3 card-
based machines, Bottom line: Don’t get your
hopes up, but don’t give up hope, either.
shelves, you can add USB to your PCI-based
Mac clone with Keyspan’s $49 USB Card (510-
222-0131, http:/Avww.keyspan.com). Slap in
the PCI card, run Mac OS 8.5.1 or higher, and
you've got USB. (Warning to Mac OS 8.6
users: the Keyspan USB card does not play
nice with your particular system. The compa-
ny is working on a fix, but until a software
patch becomes available you'll either need to
hold off on adding USB or run Mac OS 8.5 or
later.) Adding USB is a great idea if you think
you will eventually upgrade to a newer Apple
Mac and you want to Buy USB devices now.
FAILED CLONE CASE #2
[ieee
MacOS wH.
VI
OCT/99 MacADDICT 39
ives you options, but FireWire gives
ut Speed. USB peripherals, though ubiq-
uitous, tend to be sluggish. FireWire, on
the other hand, lets you input high-bandwidth
data at 400 megabits per second. You add it to
your clone with a handy little PCI card—just
like with USB, but more expensive. FireWire
cards range in price from $179 to $1,000.
Digital Origin (800-572-3487, http://www
-digitalorigin. com), Adaptec (408-945-8600,
yadaptec.com), and Orange Micro
: | high- -end ae you'll ete to ai
some time shopping for a graphics
card—at the very least you will need some
3D acceleration such as 3Dfx, If you're seri-
ous about kicking ass and causing some
major trouble in your next networked Quake
match, then nothing else but the Rage Pro 128
PCI card (905-882-2600, http:/Avww.atitech
.com) will do. Drop your $200, slap it in, and
you're playing with the big boy's toys.
If you'd rather be drawing pretty pictures
than blowing away your buddies online, you
can speed up the process with the MacTell
Blue G3 Tower
400MHz G3 Processor
64MB of RAM.
Rage 128 Pro Graphics
12GB hard drive
Firewire:
USB ports
40 MacADDICT OCT/99
peed up fo FireWire
(714-779-2772, http:/Avww.orangemicro.com)
all make cards that let you add FireWire via an
empty PCI slot. Plug in the card, run the soft-
ware and Mac OS 8.5.1 or higher, and you've
got high-speed “serial SCSI”. And, you'll be
glad you have it if you're transferring digital
video files from DY cameras or connecting to
small, bus-powered, pocket-sized hard drives
such as VST’s portable FireWire drives. More
removable drives, including CD-RW, are
expected to take advantage of FireWire soon.
accelerator!
Vision 3D Pro II card. For about $400 you'll
see a significant boost in your Photoshop re-
draw and still get the advantage on your quick
draw if you just can’t resist joining the fray.
On a budget? Aww, poor you. Try the
MicroConversions Game Wizard Voodoo2
card (877-986-4276, http:/Avww.microcon-
versions.com), which runs about $150 on
the street. The card offers Voodoo accelera-
tion that passes through and uses your
onboard video for 3D tasks so Myth It graph-
FAILED CLONE CASE #4
FAILED CLONE CASE #5
ics look killer!
Todd A. Stauffer really knows his clones,
Equivalent Clone Upgrades
G3 Upgrade Card=$699-$799
32MB SIMM/DIMM=$69-$89
Rage 128 Pro Upgrade Card=$199
8.4-9.1GB SCSI drive or
12.7GB IDE drive=$239 or $399
FireWire upgrade card=$200
Keyspan USB Card=$49
oC. so looks aren't everything. Your revamped
Mac may {ook like the ugly duckling you start-
ed with, but it’s jam-packed with all the inner grace
of a glowing G3. Is the price for perfection too high?
If you're lucky, you can get away with a cheap,
big IDE drive and a cheaper G3 upgrade, depend-
ing on your system. That's $1,434 for full blue-
and-white G3 specs. At the high end, you may be
forced to upgrade the hard disk with a SCSI version,
which ain't cheap. For really fast SCS! hard drive
action, an Adaptec Ultra2 SCSI card and a pair of
Seagate 9GB Cheetah drives will set ‘you back
another $1,500.
All in all you'll have 8 fewer megabytes of video
RAM on your Rage 128 card, and your CD-ROM
drive will be a little slawer. However, with the money
you'll save by sticking with your old clone, you can
buy @ CD-RW crive, new game controllers, or cool
external SCSI peripherals. After all, your clone has
Stuff the blue-and-white G3s can only dream
about—external SCSI, ADB, serial ports, and, if
you've added Rage 128, two-monitor support.
There’s only one utility in the world that does more for your
Macintosh than TechTool Pro 2...
oF:
Introducing TechTool Pro 2.5
MicroMat’s disk repair and Macintosh troubleshooting
utility just became a whole lot better. Loaded with new
features like Trash Cache™, which allows you to resurrect
files you've accidentally deleted. Or our new Automated
Diagnostic feature that checks your drives at the time
intervals you specify, so you're always sure your drives
are in top shape. TechTool Pro 2.5 even now supports
new technologies like FireWire drives, USB floppy drives,
System 8.6, all of the latest Macs and much more. But
the real power of TechTool Pro 2.5 isn’t in the features
MicroMat Inc.
800-829-6227
707-566-3831
FAX: 707-566-3871
info@micromat.com
www.micromat.com
6666
MacWorld
‘Aug, 1999
‘Version 2.5 is available at no charge to registered TechTool Pro 2 users as an updater aj
application directly
they can be purchased for $25 plus tax, shipping and handling by calling the phone number above. Please have your serial nut
Fix different.
See us at MacWorld Expo New York at Booth #1707
you can see, it’s in the features you can’t see. Like a
multitude of new drive repair routines that can save data
that other utilities would simply abandon. An improved
recovery system that will find lost files in the darkest
caverns of a damaged drive. You'll also find improved
performance on key features like disk optimization. But
maybe the feature you'll find most interesting about this
version is the price: FREE*. If you own any version of
TechTool Pro 2, just go to our web site and grab the
updater. You'll be glad you did.
ae ew Tae ee peared a re a
er ready when calling. Prices subject to change witheat notice.
(©1999 MicroMat Inc. All rights reserved. TechTool is a registered trademark of MicroMat Inc. Fix Different is a trademark of MicroMat Inc. Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
FREAKIN’
AWESOME
The most valuable
products, the
coolest giamos.
ia
SPIFFY
Asal lieing,
Overall a good
investment,
YEAH,
WHATEVER
Atew
good features,
bul generally
‘waste of time
‘and money.
ff
BLECHE
We ate to even
blotch our pages
with he thing,
Why Go Back To Schoo! When You Have All This Cool Mac Stuff?
PowerBook G3 Series 400
HARDWARE
‘Apple Computer
}0-795-1000, http:/mwu.apple.com
577 (street)
owerBooks powered by the G3 have
always been drool-worthy, and the
8 latest incarnation of Apple's Power-
Book G3—the third in this illustrious
line—upholds that legacy. It’s lighter, faster,
and more efficient than any PowerBook G3
that has come before it, and it sports a
pretty slick variation on the sleek industrial
design of previous Books. It even features a
spiffy light-up Apple logo on the cas-
ing behind the LCD. While
there isn’t any single
earthshaking change
over the previous
PowerBook G3 Series
incarnations (you need a score-
card to tell them apart and the model names
don’t help much), there are lots of little
improvements to this next-generation
portable that make it worth getting a little
excited about.
Apple has been listening to its
PowerBook customers. First, it has changed
the physical PowerBook by making it
400MHz G3 processor, 128MB of RAM, 6GB hard drive, 14.1-inch
snta-ci display, 8MB VRAM, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, 56-kbps modem, two
USB ports, on-board SCSI, external monitor connector, S-Video out
FROM A DISTANCE,
it's hard to tell the
difference from
the previous
PowerBook G3
Series, but
up close...
smaller and lighter.
It has reduced the weight of the
PowerBook G3 Series to a luggable 5.9
pounds (down by 2 pounds), and it has
reduced the unit’s thickness by about 20
percent, While the weight can be further
reduced by pulling out the CD-ROM drive
ALTHOUGH THE CASE LOOKS the same, the ports have changed. Here’s the scoop:
and replacing it with
an empty slug (provided
with the PowerBook), there’s not
much that can be done about the
*Book’s height and width dimensions. In
order to accommodate the gorgeous 14.1-
inch LCD, Apple had to keep the case at 12.7
by 10.4 inches—just a little too big for the
tray tables on most airline coach seats.
Photographs by Aaron Lauer
Apple has also added true second moni-
tor support to the latest PowerBooks, and it
works like a champ—or at least like you
expect it to. Plug a monitor into the SVGA
port on the back, and you can double your
onscreen real estate (or mirror the dis-
play). The S-Video port lets you push video
to a television monitor for presentations.
The PowerBook’s display is a thing of
beauty. It just blazes crisp, sharp letters and
bright colors, The monitor's resolution can
be lowered from its 1024 by 768 native reso-
lution to 800 by 600 or even 640 by 480, and
thanks to great antialiasing, it still looks great
instead of getting all chunky. If you've ever
seen other LCDs operating at a non-native ©
resolution, you know how ugly they can get.
One of the big new features of the
PowerBook 3 Series is its extended battery
life, due in part to a more efficient architec-
ture, and in part to new efficiencies in Mac
0S 8.6. While we weren't able to play Austin
Powers through twice on one battery, we did
make it about halfway through the second
showing—around three hours total—
which is mighty impressive considering the
optional $300 DVD drive sucks up a /ot of
power. During more moderate use, we were
able to go hours longer on a single battery.
Despite a more power-efficient design,
the new ‘Book is no slouch in the perfor-
mance department. Powered by a 400MHz
G3 chip (with 1MB of backside cache), the
newest Book was noticeably faster than
previous models. Apple has also addressed
the hot bottom problem with previous
PowerBook G3 Series laptops. Although the
bottom of our G3/400 warmed up, it never
got uncomfortably hot, a welcome change
from our 63/292. This may be due to a
change in the case materials or the more
efficient design and o
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