Text content (OCR)
b «| T LOOK: APPLE’SLATEST P10 ul) D: OFFICE2004 P.42 Gi
+ JAR goes wireless and the Power Mac G85 soars to 2.5GHz. ce productivity pros tell you if it’s worth the upgrade. aua
MacAddict
A BETTER MACHINE. A BETTER MAGAZINE.
4th Annual e All New Tips! \ I
i »
We reveal all the
nasty bugs
and show you how
to squish ‘em!
DV Cam a Of
Our experts test 10 top camcorders—
what we found out will save you money.
REVI EWED! HOW TO: ]
oe! > Create Stop-Motion Animation :
Ul oe)” The Lord ofthe Rings: The Return of the King with a Digital Camera j
f > Canon PowerShot Prol digital camera > Send Cell-Phone Text
LL i > Apple Xserve GS Dual 2GHz server Messages from Your Mac ei | | f
“Based on DDS-4 tape comparison. Iomega, REV, SAVE EVERYTHING, and the stylized “’ are trademarks or registered trademarks of fomaga in the U.S. andior other counties. FireWire and
the FireWire logo are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, inc. and may be registered in the United States and other countries. Copyright © 2004 lomega Corporation. All rights reserved.
THE IOMEGA’ EY DRIVE
You may never throw away another file.
The new lomega REV FireWire® drive stores ~
a whopping 35c8 of data at speeds up to 8x
faster than tape. Adding more storage is
as simple as tossing in another lomega
REV disk. Create, share, backup
and save everything:
ambine units into) Go online for inter
© groups that multi-player acti
nto *
Violence
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1920204 Ser nett, A eet auwaiSsr, an th Sr na rtrd adem waders Sra Enric he Uae couris. n nvr Gans at Ye nvr anes go
‘are trademarks of Vnend Universal Games, tn, Dy Ral Ei ta Ras ere of Ree Entertaiment, a by lea TA oo ada of ay Wed, We Mae ah Hr ogo te aba
‘oan Conpte ne raped inte US oa cunts teagan Sofware a tbr 20 property
ESRB CONTENT RATING _www.esrb.org
AUGUST2004
NO.96*VOLUME9*ISSUE8
CONTENTS a
a better machine. 2
COVER ART BY OLIVER WOLFSON
2 better magazine.
featu 2.
18 When
Bugs Attac
We've quarantined the latest
collection of pesky Mac bugs that See
make your life miserable. Here's
how to squash them once and
for all. by Dave Hamilton
how to
66 Ask Us
Troubleshoot your trackpad, add custom
icons to CDs, learn how often to reformat
your digital camera’s memory card, and
learn the difference between tcsh and
bash shells.
68 Share Files and Apps
with Multiple Users
If you’re a multiuser Mac family (as
opposed to a multi-Mac one), you’ve
‘experienced the frustrations of sharing
stuff across accounts. No longer. We
show you how to share music, photos,
movies, and more. by Johnathon
Williams and Kris Fong
Pefetizabern
Ms Johnathon Williams
32 DV Camcorder Face-Off!
You have a ton of choices when it comes to DV camcorders. To help take
the pain out of the decision-making process, we put a Slew of popular
models through the wringer and then rolled out the winners across three
price ranges. by Andrew Tokuda
74 Create Stop-Motion
Animation with a
Digital Camera
With any digital camera and
an inanimate object, you
can create a stop-motion
animation, @ la Gumby.
by Kris Fong.
76 Send Cell-Phone Text
Messages from Your Mac
Who’s got the patience to peck out messages
on tiny phone buttons? Use iChat to send text
messages to cell-phone-tethered friends.
by Chris Barylick and Kris Fong
77 Customize the Finder Toolbar
Forget memorizing key commands or
navigating the menubar to burn, eject, find,
or delete stuff. Just add these functions and
more to your Finder windows. by Kris Fong
August 2004 MacAddict 03
CONTENTS
a better machine. a better magazine.
every month
08 Editors’ Page
MacAddict readers are a savvy bunch.
10 Get Info
Apple takes iTunes wireless with the portable AirPort Express and
pumps the Power Mac G5 up to 2.5GHz. Also, find out how MacSoft
is working with the U.S. Marines, get the lowdown on turning your
rubber ducky into a USB flash drive, and learn how DVDs will be
supersized to hold 8.5GB of data (now that’s a whopper!).
41 Reviews
56 Big Disk Extreme external harddrive
55 Bigger Disk external hard drive
58 BT-500 Mobile Mouse Biuetooth mouse
62 BumperCar Web browser
50 C-8080 Wide Zoom 8-megapixe! camera
89 G5Jam internal RAID for Power Mac G5
48 InCopy CS InDesign companion app
49 InDesign CS PageMaker Edition InDesign kit
56 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King action game
62 MatTruck PowerBook case
60 Mercury Pro DVD-/+RW external DVD drive
42 Office 2004 productivity suite
47 Plasma2 System chair with monitor and keyboard stand
58 PodFreq FM transmitter for iPod
50 PowerShot Prot 8-megapixe! camera
57 QuickStreamDV DV-capturing hard drive
54 SketchUp 30-dosign software
60 Slim K4Xtreme DVD-RW portable DVD drive
57 SportSuit Runabout wristband iPod carrier
53 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield strategy game
52 Toon Boom Studio 2.5 cartoon-animation software
46 Xsorve GS Dual 26Hz Gs server
64 The Hot List
We'd spend our own hard-earned money
on these products.
QUICK TIPS
FROM THIS MONTH’S ISSUE
SDL SOWIO.
94 Log Out
94 Letters
Our resourceful readers
tell you how to silence
> VIVELA 80s! your startup chime,
Even without an teach iTunes a new trick, and play AVI files
> HEAR IT IN iTUNES iPod mini inside, in QuickTime. Plus, students gloat about
To hear an MP3 file play in iTunes rather the SportSuit their Mac-savvy schools.
than in a browser window, reptace the Runabout makes 95 Contest
URL prefix http with daap. From “When awicked fashion Win Slim Devices’
Bugs Attack,” p18.
bash — 42x6
Tue Jun 4 15:89:22 on ttypi
Irnysiewski:~ rayslevski$
> SHELL GAME
Want to try using a new shell in the
Terminal? Just type chsh -s bash, and
the next Terminal window you open will
use the bash shell. From Ask Us, p66.
04 MacAddict August 2004
accessory—just
strap one on, and shout out your
preferred homage to Billy Idol.
From Reviews, p57.
> KEEP IT SMALL
Avoid creating a herky-jerky animation
by making small, incremental pose
adjustments between shots for fluid
motion; make larger, even adjustments
to quicken object movement. From
“Create Stop-Motion Animation with
a Digital Camera,” p74.
Squeezebox wireless
iTunes streamer.
96 Shut Down
A port by any other
name...would drive you
stark raving mad.
Connect to 3D
It’s Time to add Strata*3D CX to your Adobe® Workflow
Jean Probert
Polyspline SDS Modeling Photoshop® CS Import & Linking
Hlustrator® CS import
Bezier Spline Modeling
Meta-Surface Modeling
\
|
|
HDR Image Based Lighting
image Based Modeling
Chris Szetela
New, Powerful, Easy to Use Strata 3D CX CONNECT = EXTEND
Strata 3D CX fits into your workflow with new, easy to use features like polyspline modeling, STRATA 3D eX
live linking to Adobe files, high dynamic range lighting and more. Push your 2D files into a
virtual environment, set up lighting, apply textures and take a perfect, photo-real picture. wr, ro
Illustration, design — and even animation — will never be the same. ZL Vd STR ATA
Call 800-Strata-3D or visit Strata.com. We can show you how to get connected. The Creative Dimension
Strata Is a trademark of Corastar Ino, Other trademarks are the property of their holders. Copyright 2004 Corastar Inc.
CONTENTS
~ abetter machine. a better magazine.
ythe disc
Sure, you can download all 186.8MB of
Microsoft’s Office 2004 test drive from
the company’s Web site, but even if you
have broadband, you'll wait 45 minutes
ormore—and if you’re on dial-up it'll take,
oh, forever. So just pop our Disc in your
drive and check it out right now. With the
time you save, you can try out the other 31
apps, games, and timesaving utilities on
this month’s Disc.
|
|L_<ccomnsie sah oa
€
Microsoft
Office 2004
test drive
Big Bang
Chess 1.02
Tired of blood, gore,
and hobbits? Try this
gorgeous chess game.
of productivity apps
just got even bigger—
and better.
The 800-pound gorilla
PRO VIDED
Combustion3 FF
trial
Move up to the video iotion
big leagues with this
pro-level effects app.
x81 52
FUN&GAMES PRODUCTIVITY UTILS
Battle for Wesnoth 0.7.8 Event Reminder 2.1.1 AddressBook SMS Scripts 1.10
Big Bang Chess 1.02 InCopy CS 3.0.1 trial Carbon Copy Cloner 2.3
BZFlag 1.10.8 Office 2008 test drive Cocktall 248
‘The Return of the King trailer 7 DiskTracker (Classic) 2.3
‘The Return of the King trailer 2 DiskTracker (OS X) 2.3
Rainbow Six 3 Raven Shield trailer rege ener er
SuperTux 0.1.1 XBattery 0.7.0
GRAPHICS & MULTIMEDIA
Blonder 2.338 Staff Video Lamp Dance
Combustion 3 tral @————
freePhotoConverter 2.4.1 Turn to p
My Photo Album 4.2.1 and learnt
‘SketchUp 3.1.32 trial create-a stop:
Toon 800m Studio 2.5 demo
motion animation
INTERNET & COMMUNICATION using onl
AuctlonSieve 1.3.23 camera
5 demo
GES Then check out the
FoldingObserver 1.0 animation created
SEU g aan ERIN 237, by Senior Editor
WYML 2.1
Set 64 Kris Fong on this
Shitra 0.9.2 month’s Disc.
‘Transmit 2.6.2,
UPGRADE
‘if you don't receive the Disc with your copy of MacAddict, you might want to consider upgrading, Each monthly dise
contains cool demos, useful shareware and freeware, and the Inimitable MacAddict Staff Video. To get 12 Issues of
‘MacAddict that include this value-packed disc with your subscription (prorated if necessary) for just $1 more per issue,
‘call 888-771-6222—the operator will ake care of everything,
6 MacAddict August 2004
MacAddict
PUBLISHER Chris Coelho:
EDITOR INCHIEF Rik Myslowski
EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR Jenifer Morgan
SENIOR EDITORS Kris Fong, John Poultney, Narasu
Rebbapragada (news)
REVIEWS EDITOR Niko Coucouvanis
INTERN Noah Tsutsut
WEB MONKEY Nick Mierdter:
EPONYMEDTTOR Max
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS" David Bledny, Joseph O. Holmes,
Helmut Kobler, Cathy:Lu,tan Sammis, Deborah Shadovitz,
Andrew Tokuda, Buz Zoller
ART
ART DIRECTOR Mark Rosenthal
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Peter Marshutz
PHOTOGRAPHER Mark Madeo
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Samantha Berg
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Richard Lesovoy
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Larry Briseno
ADVERTISING
EASTERN ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Bemie Lanigan, 212-768-2966 x4001
EASTERN ADVERTISING MANAGER,
Anthony Danzl, 646-723-5453
WESTERN ADYERTISING DI
Dave Lynn, 949-960-4443
WESTERN ADVERTISING MANAGER
Stacey Levy, 925-864-1205
NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER
Nate Hunt, 415-656-8536
‘SENIOR ACCOUNTS MANAGER, DIRECT SALES
‘Ana Epstoln, 415-656-8416
AD COORDINATOR Jose Urutla, 415-656-8313
MARKETING MANAGER Kathleen Reilly
CIRCULATION
GROUP CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Amy Leder
/SSTAND MARKETING MANAGER Mimi Hall
BILLING AND RENEWAL MANAGER Mike Hilt
FULFILLMENT MANAGER Peggy Mores
DIRECT MARKETING SPECIALIST Robin Connell
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450 North Hil Dr
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VICE PRESIDENT/CIRCULATION Holly Kllagel
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR (GAMES) Simon Whitcombe
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR (TECHNOLOGY) Chris Coelho
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR (MUSIC) Steve Aaron
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR (TECHNOLOGY) Jon Phillips
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR (MUSIC) Brad Tolinski
DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL SERVICES Nancy Durlester
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Ricitie Lesovoy
Future Network USA Is part of The Future Network PLC.
‘THE FUTURE NETWORK PLC
30 Monmouth St, Bath, Avon, BAI 2BW, ENGLAND.
www.thefuturenetwork.ple.uk
NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN Roger Parry
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4980-2 Walker Road, Windsor ON NBA 643
a
‘ec FEE 528 upd ty ce of ok Port Gees 8104 wl geniuses ht CDW ot te manda cs cd yt het ny
Tans ofr are those of the manufactur not COW Al pring subject to cunge. CDW reserves the ight to make austments to ics ad sence but not imited to, changing market constons,
od oman product unaaibnymanacue pre Changes and eos rade leds sue ea aos eo ae vote batt vale eben lcsoners de, tees andor
Sale ae lint to those contin herein and on CDW Web Ste at CDW/com Notice of objecion to and ejection of any atonal r diferent tems in any form delivered by customer i hereby gen. © 2004 COW Corporation MAN
EDITORS’ PAGE
a note from the kemel
The Brainy Bunch
For the fourth year in a row, August is MacAddict’s Bugs
Month—the issue in which we provide relief from 50 of
the nastiest, gnarliest, nerve-wrackingest annoyances
that infest our beloved Macs. If you and your Mac aren’t
seeing eye-to-eye, this year’s compendium of bug-
squishing tips might just reinvigorate your relationship.
Our bug-busting advice is gleaned from a wide
variety of sources, such as online forums, user-group
meetings, and casual discussions on expo floors. Or from emails sent to
letters@macaddict.com.
Each day | receive a deluge of email—and | read every message.
Sprinkled among them are tips ’n’ tricks | wouldn’t have learned any other
way. For example, it was news to me—but not, apparently, to reader Garrick
Chow—that | could print a list of a folder’s contents by simply dragging the
little folder icon at the top of a Finder window to the Printer Setup Utility's
Dock icon. Works like a charm—thanks, Garrick!
From Brandon Sherman | learned a nifty little time-saver: Click and
hold the icon ofa file, folder, or application, then hold down the Option
and Command keys. Now, when you drag the icon, your cursor will turn.
into a small curved arrow. Release your
Thanks to all of you who mouse—still holding down the Option
share your smarts. and Command keys—and you'll discover
thatyou’ve created an alias wherever
you dragged the icon to, and that the original item is back where you first
selected it. As | said, nifty.
Ona more off-the-wall but mighty useful level, Butch Kimmel suggests
that Kensington’s two-button Orbit trackball ($29.99, www.kensington.
com) is “the perfect foot pedal for GarageBand.” Just assign one button
to the up arrow, the other to the down arrow, and a two-button chord to
the standard click. He claims his trackball—foot pedal is great for cycling
through effects presets without having to take his hands off his guitar.
Some of your tips aren’t tips per se, but friendly pointers to way-cool
stuff. Nathan Crockett, for example, introduced me to www.google.com/
intl/xx-piglatin/, and Alex White suggested that | type the answer to life the
universe and everything in Google’s search field. Thanks to them—and to
all of you who share your smarts.
One last note: You'll notice that Senior Editor Narasu Rebbapragada no
longer graces our Staff Rants column. She made me promise not to tell you
where she’s going—but she didn’t say | couldn’t hint. So remember that she
loves both magazines and computers, and start searching mastheads.
: Enjoy, 1,
comingsoon:september2004
Here's what our editors are preparing for the next issue of MacAddict.
John Poultney man oF TOMORROW
Got a favorite hot tip?
When lighting candles on a birthday cake, always light
the ones farthest from you first, so you don’t burn your
wrist reaching over the lit ones. Also, to block pop-ups
in Safari, just select Safari > Block Pop-Up Windows.
Command-K also works.
Mark Rosenthal P. sour
Gota favorite hot tip?
Get this: The letters on atypical Apple keyboard,
arranged in various combinations, can spell almost
anything! Why, new arrangements are invented every
day! Here's a funny one | mada up just last Tuesday: S-L-O-B-B-E-R,
Neat, hun?
Kris Fong mipsy
Got a favorite hot tip?
My 40-watt Weller 3140 soldering iron—its precision tip,
is perfect for soldering guitar wiring. Oh, a Mac tip? In
Safari, choose Safari > Reset Safari to obliterate your
unscrupulous surf-and-search evidence (especially usefulif you've
been Googling porn on your significant other's Mac).
Peter Marshutz Fis FRYER
Got a favorite hot tip?
Tired of smelling up the house when cooking fish?
Then fire up a George Foreman Grill—it's not just for
meat anymore. Your fish will be grilled to perfection in
minutes without that nasty smell. Or there's aways Glade.
Niko Coucouvanis CANADIEN HONORIFIQUE
Got a favorite hot tip?
‘The best way to eat apple plo is with a nice greasy gob
of cheddar cheese melting on top oft. Also, those
MME business card-size CDs do not play well with
slotloading CD drives.
Noah Tsutsui 902.11 SLAVE
Got a favorite hot tip?
‘When you just can't make the DSL bill, you can access
unsecured hotspots from most McDonald's and
Starbucks locations, or outside the offices of your local
corporate conglomerate!
Jenifer Morgan ORAL HYGIENIST
Got a favorite hot tip?
‘Avoid putting money where your mouth is—god only
knows where it's been.
Max ORGANIZATIONALIST
@ Gota favorite hot tip?
Put aliases to your most-used apps in a folder, then
eee) drag that folder to your Dock—instead of a bunch of
icons cluttering your Doek, you'll be able to click and
hold the folder icon and pick the app you want from the list that
‘appears. Oh, and chopsticks make quick’n’ easy trivets.
Steve is about to take the wraps off Tiger—the next version of Mac OS X—and we'll be there. We'll also poke and prod
a passel of budget-priced photo printers, and challenge you to take our third annual Geek Quiz. We'll show you how to
import footage from a DVD into an iMovie project, build an app using Appie’s free Developer Tools, and get fine art and
novelty prints from your inkjet printer, Finally, we'll take DVD Studio Pro 3 for a spin, fondle two of the latest Palms, and }
play with the fattest video card ever created for the Mac, ATI’s 256MB Radeon 9800 Pro for Mac Special Edition,
8 MacAddict August 2004
THE POWER IS NOW YOURS!
INTRODUCING...
TECHTOOL PRO
VERSION 4
TechTool Pro includes S.M.A.R.T. testing, hardware
tests, scheduling and alerts, performance tools, and
more... even scavenges for files when all else fails!
TechTool Pro 4
NEW FEATURE! eDrive
INSTANT, SAVINGS!
Cross-grade offer for owners
The new eDrive feature allows you
to add a bootable emergency
volume to an existing volume. This or) Usieilieiel) Disiterss,
new eDrive volume is created | . TechTool Lite, TechTool Pro 3,
WITHOUT the need to initialize | = Sysiculiileuisn orr einteun Wulf
the current volume, keeping all | ola =
data intact on the current volume. |
The eDrive is then available if |
something should go wrong with |
Main Memory
your normal startup volume.
Mathematics
Buy Now!
www.micromat.com
10© @© ©
The Power to Recover, Repair, and Optimize - Made Easy!
GfiMicromat Inc. 800-829-6227 707-566-3831 —_info@micromat.com www.micromat.com
©2004 Micromat, Inc. All rights reserved. TechTool is a registered trademark of Microfnat, inc.
Norton Utilities and Norton SystemWorks are U.S. registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation.
Mac and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
ices) ae
> PLAY IT.
| ow jaded have we become?
0 much so that when
Apple announced a
portable, audio-enabled
AirPort minihub with
iTunes support, and a 500MHz speed
increase in its top-of-the-line Power
Mac G5, our first thoughts were of the
challenges now faced by makers of
wireless music-streaming hardware such
as Slim Devices’ Squeezebox ($279,
www.slimdevices.com), Macsense’s
HomePod ($249, www.macsense.com),
and Roku’s SoundBridge ($249.99 and
$499.99, www.rokulabs.com), and of
the fact that when Steve Jobs announced
the Power Mac G5 back in June 2003,
he said that a 3GHz version would be
available in 12 months. Who said that
life was fair?
AIRPORT EXPRESS
Apple’s new AirPort minihub, the
$129 AirPort Express, is designed for
portability. At 3.7 by 2.95 by 1.12 inches,
and weighing in at 6.7 ounces, it’s about
the same size and weight as a 40GB
iPod—a perfect traveling companion for
10 MacAddict August 2004
COOL.
Apple announces an AirPort minihub,
AirPort-enabled iTunes, and a new
Power Mac G6 lineup that introduces
a liquid cooling system.
your iBook or PowerBook, should you
want to take wireless connectivity with
you on the road. It’s also designed to be
as easy to use as any Apple product: Just
plug it into an AC wall socket and wait a
moment—its LED indicator glows yellow
as it searches for an AirPort connection
(Extreme or plain-vanilla). When the LED
turns green, you’re connected—along
with up to ten fellow wireless users, Mac
or PC. Rendezvous instant-networking
technology is a wonderful thing.
While a pocket-size, no-brainer AirPort
connection is cool in and of itself, it’s
the AirPort Express’s iTunes connectivity
that elevates it to awesome status. On
the bottom of the unit are three ports:
10/100Base-T Ethernet (for network
or broadband connections), USB (for
connecting a USB printer), and 3.5mm
mini-audio (analog and digital) —and
that mini-audio port is where the
fun starts. Plug your home stereo or
powered speakers into that port, and
play your iTunes tunes either wirelessly
or over your wired network.
While the AirPort Express makes
it easy and affordable to pipe music
The Dual 2.5GHz Power Mac gives new
meaning to the word cool.
into every room in your home, it does
lack some features enjoyed by users
of other wireless music streamers. For
one, there’s no remote—you control
your music selections, EQ, and volume
solely through iTunes or your sound
system. There’s also no LED or LCD panel
to give you information on what song is
playing—but hey, the AirPort Express is
only $129. You get what you pay for.
IMAGES COURTESY OF APPLE
GET INFO
NEW STUFF
AIRTUNES ~
To get your music from iTunes to the
AirPort Express, Apple has developed a
new music-networking technology called
AirTunes. Built into iTunes 4.6, AirTunes
detects sound systems connected toas
many AirPort Express units as you have
on your network, and displays them in
a drop-down menu in the lower-right
corner of the iTunes window—just
choose the system to which you want
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF EDIROL
Edirol unveils a new pro
audio FireWire interface.
to send your music, and AirTunes takes MACHO MUSIC BOX
care of business. It sends music using Edirol FA-101 FireWire Audis Interface
Apple’s lossless compression codec, $695, www.edirol.com
and also encodes it to prevent theft by Available: Now
any nefarious Wi-Fi or AirPort users in This singie half-rack FireWire audio interface can record and play back ten
the vicinity of your wireless network. channels of 24-bit, 96kHz audio or six channels of 24-bit, 192kHz audio. Ports
Like the AirPort Express, AirTunes is include 1/4-inch, TRS-balanced inputs and outputs, front-mounted S/PDIF
designed for both Mac and PC use. optical ports, a built-in MIDI interface, and two microphone preamps that
can accept XLR and 1/4-inch inputs.
POWER MAC G5
Apple aiso announced a revamped > MICCHECK
Power Mac G5 line. At the top of the MacMice MicFlex
heap is a $2,999 Dual 2.5GHz model $49.99, www.macmice.com
that features a new liquid cooling system Available: Now
to aid in heat dissipation—without Listen up, iChat audio chatters and GarageBand vocalists: 8
increasing fan noise (or so Apple This stand-up USB microphone might be just what you Sing itin 3
claims). This cooling system works need. This stylish mic adjusts to reach heights up to 18 style with &
much like the radiator in your car: Liquid inches from the base and records CD-quality audio. MacMice’s 6
circulates between chambers in contact USB Mic. 3
with the PowerPC microprocessors VGA TO ADC =
and a cooling chamber through which Dr. Bott VGAtor 3
the Power Mac G5’s cooling fans waft $299.95, www.drbott.com =
air. Liquid cooling schemes have been Available: Now
used in PCs for years, but mostly as If you're a PowerBook or iBook owner constrained by your machine’s VGA-only
aftermarket add-ons—Apple is the first display limitation, check out the VGAtor, a pricey silver box that connects an
major desktop-system manufacturer to Apple ADC display to your ’Book’s VGA port. Be sure to check www.vgator.com for
take the plunge. compatibility information regarding your particular model of ’Book—iBooks and
Also new is the AT! Radeon 9600 XT older PowerBook models have some color and resolution limitations.
128MB graphics card in the 2.5GHz
dualie, and—across the line—a > NEW PALMPDAS Palm’s Zire 31
SuperDrive that burns at 8X. A dual PalmOne Zire 72 and Zire 31 is an affordable
2GHz unit for $2,499 and a dual 1.8GHz $299 (Zire 72) and $149 (Zire 31) color PDA.
unit for $1,999 also join the lineup. The ‘www.palmone.com/us
low-end version has three PCI slots; Available: Now
the two faster models have PCI-X. Also, Shortly after it discontinued Mac software development,
the low-end model maxes out at 4GB of
RAM, while the fast guys can fit 8GB.
So what happened to Steve Jobs’s
promise of 3GHz machines? Simply put,
it didn’t happen. IBM—the manufacturer
of the PowerPC chip that runs the Power
Mac G5—has had more difficulty than
anticipated reaching 3GHz. According
to an Apple spokesperson, 3GHz Power
Mac Gs aren't likely to appear until next
year. Sigh.—Rik Myslewski
Palm announced two new Mac-compatible
consumer PDAs. The Zire 72 comes with
32MB of onboard memory, a 320-by-320-
pixel colordisplay, a built-in digital camera,
Bluetooth wireless connectivity, a 1.2-megapixel camera,
an MP3 player, an expansion slot, and the ability to capture
and play video. The budget-conscious Zire 31 offers 16MB of
memory, a 160-by-160-pixel color display, an expansion slot, an
MP3 player, and a photo viewer.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF PALM.
Bluetooth, camera, video—the Zire 72 is loaded.
August 2004 MacAddict 11
i Z| GET INFO
* the news of the month in bite-size chunks
DROOLWORTHY
‘Sexy Stuff We Can't Wait to Get Our Mitts On
USB Swiss Army Knife >
USB Ballpoint Pen >
Peripheral Enhancements’ new DiskGo USB Flash
Drive Plus Ink Pen ($90 street, www.edgememory.
com) wraps a rather awkward name around a
graceful concept. This silver ballpoint pen with
cushioned grip houses a 256MB USB 2.0 flash
driver in the pen’s top. The pen is also available
with 32MB ($40 street) and 128MB
($60 street) flash drives.—NR
12 MacAddict August 2004
The Swissmemory USB Victorinox
(www.swissbit.com) updates the familiar do-it-all
pocket pal with a stainless steel knife, scissors,
file, screwdriver, pen, red LED laser pointer, and
your choice of 64MB (€59 or about $70) or 128MB
(€72 or about $85) flash drives. An airport-safe
version comes with only the pen, laser pointer,
and flash drive, in both the 64MB (€55 or about
$65) and 128MB (€66 or about $79) sizes.—NR
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF SHISSBIT
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DISKO
FIVE TIPS
THE 411 ON PRINTING AND FAXING
GET INFO h 13
Nene printed and faxed every day for the past decade, so you know all there is to know on the subject, right? Wrong, Check
out these tips on printing and faxing in Mac OS 10.3 from The Macintosh Panther Bible, ninth edition, by Cliff Colby and
Cheryl England (2004, Peachpit Press).—NR
Faxing and Phoning (Panther only) If you use the same phone line
to receive both incoming faxes to your Mac and phone calls, go to
System Preferences > Print & Fax > Faxing. In the When A Fax Arrives:
Answer After number Rings field, choose a number (ower than the
number of rings before your answering machine picks up. That way
your Mac will receive the fax before your phone kicks in.
US Letter versus Letter (Small) Some applications, such as Microsoft
Word 2004, give you the option of choosing either US Letter or Letter
(Small) in the Page Setup dialog, but list them both as measuring 8.5
by 11 inches. Here’s the difference: US Letter tells the printer to use as
Soft Proof (Panther only) By default, clicking the Preview button inan
application’s Print dialog launches the Mac’s Preview application. At
the bottom of the Preview window is a check box labeled Soft Proof.
When it’s checked, Preview shows you an approximation of what you
Page Setup’s Reach Changes you make in an application's Page
Setup dialog affect only the currently active document—with one
notable exception. Most changes made in a Web browser’s Page
Setup dialog affect all browser windows and remain in effect until
you quit the browser.
Your True Margins To test your printer’s true print size, create a
document with a0 (zero) margin for alt sides of the page. Next, type
four lines of repeating numbers (01234567890123...) across the top
and bottom, and print the page after choosing the paper setting in
the Page Setup dialog with the largest coverage (see tip 2) to see your
printer’s true maximum margin.
O1 = G BRO
SHAREWARE PICK OF THE MONTH a DISC
, AuctlonSiovs 1.2.23
PEERS wwe.avctionsieve.com Free Auctnsion
his eBay search tool lets you quickly wade through millions of badly titled and poorly
described auction items to find the bargain of your dreams, Enter a search phrase,
and AuctionSieve spits back a hefty list of results. To narrow down the list, use the
Catch Words feature to group together similar descriptions—for example, in a search for
PowerBooks you could group all items containing the word Titanium—then use the Trash
Words feature to filter out descriptors you don’t want, such as Lombard or Wallstreet.
Set your Mac fax
to pick up before
your answering:
machine does.
much of the paper as it possibly can, whereas Letter (Small) tells the Letter (Smalt) gives you larger
printer to leave a 1/2-inch margin around the edge of the paper. margins than US Letter.
would see if you printed your file using the printer selected inthe Print Check this box to preview exactly what
dialog—useful if you're printing a color file to a monochrome printer. your printer will spit out.
Your browser’s Page
Setup dialog affects all
browser windows.
Create this
document to test
your printer’s
true margin
limitations.
AuctionSieve helps you find the
best deats on eBay.
August 2004 MacAddict 13
|4 4 GET INFO
the news of the month in bite-size chunks
MACSOFT AND MARINES DEVELOP
HYPERREALISTIC eas GAMES
ctive-duty U.S. Marines collaborated with
MacSoft to develop a modern warfare game so
real that the military will use it for training. A team-
based first-person shooter, Close Combat: First
to Fight enlists you as a Marine fire-team leader.
As the tactician of a four-man team, you fight
and command your way through Middle Eastern
battlegrounds. There are two modes of play:
Normal and Simulation—the latter puts you
in real-world war conditions.
Scheduled for release in 2005, Close Combat:
Red Phoenix, based on Larry Bond’s novel Red
Phoenix, will put real-time strategy players in
command of a reinforced rifle platoon of U.S.
Marines or South
Korean soldiers
fighting against
a North Korean
AXour fire team is
always in. official
“U.S. Marine Corps
Ready Team Fire
Assist formation.
That’s a good thing.
Tvalable 04 2004 (isto Fight)
invasion.—Matt Gt 2005 (Red Phoenix)
Osborn and Narasu MacSoft
% = Rebbapragada ‘www.macsoftgames.com
FIRST LOOK: WORLD OF WARCRAFT *Uniock flying routes, then buy tickets to fly
magine a world where thousands of players form friendships, between towns—this Undead Mage has a one-
slay monsters, and embark on adventures that span a few hours F way ticket to the Undercity on Bat Airways.
or several weeks. This is the World of WarCraft, the latest craze in : i Sey, Js
MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games).
kill monsters, bust ghosts, or help a talking dismembered head find
its body. Explore new areas to gain experience and skill points, and
check out World of WarCraft’s beautifully designed quests. Unlike the
game EverQuest, in which even short quests can last hours or days,
some World of WarCraft quests are designed so that you can play them
in short spurts. Also, ifyou start a quest and get tired of it, you can go
find a new quest without quitting the old one.
Currently in beta, World of WarCraft gameplay | Warld of Wartratt
is already well polished. The interface is me
simple and gameplay is instantly rewarding. RORRU aaa
Blizzard hasn’t yet announced a release date www.worldwareraft.com.
ormonthly fee—MO
STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC—
DO YOU LIKE YOUR ROLE-PLAYING LIGHT OR DARK? STAR.WARS
Fox: thousand years before Obi-Wan and Darth Vader clashed, Jedi Knights numbered in N | G Yu mT Cc
the thousands and butted heads with the Sith—an ancient order well versed in the Force K ae I a
and set on destroying the Jedi and the Republic. You enter this role-
playing adventure as a young Jedi with the power to make or break this
ILD REPUBI
interplanetary war. Will you follow the path ofa Jedi or turn toward the Price $49.99
Dark Side? Poke your lightsaber around seven worlds, including Tatooine | Available) alae An Aspyr spokesperson confirmed
and Kashyyyk (Chewbacca’s "hood), and check out the customizable spy Meta that the latest Star Wars game will
characters and minigames.—MO ‘www.aspyr.com be Jar-jar free.
14 MacAddict August 2004
do you want to take your music?
photo: Anya Kron
Michael "Fish" Herring on tour with Christina Aguilera | on the tour bus | 11.12.03
Pros rely on software and M-Audio gear to make music on their
computers anywhere, anytime. Now, Apple GarageBand puts that
same power within your reach. Just add affordable M-Audio
ool I
hardware like one of our high-resolution audio interfaces and your
Studiophile Dx4 Nova ‘MobilePre USB 5 ;
professional desktop audio large-capsule studio USB bus-powered preamp computer becomes a complete studio capable of everything from
monitoring system condenser microphone and audio interface
jamming by yourself fo recording entire CDs. Take your music to the
next level at your local M-Audio dealer or Apple retailer today.
Keystation 49e Aiea NES ProSessions
49-key USB MIDI controller top-quality loops and grooves A | -— AU | m= ) | [ a |
cudio/MIDI interfaces | USB MIDI controllers | studio monitors | microphones | preamps | sound libraries | music software www.m-audio.com
16 ¢| GET INFO
/~ the news of the month in bite-size chunks
9
Nee arewam: :
lagazines; and
Web sit a’staffofseven
monks, six swarhis, one yosi,
and_15°7-inch PowerBooks.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTINA STRONG
| n 1986, one of the first-ever—if not the first—Mac-
publications networks emerged in an unexpected place:
a Hindu monastery on the island of Kauai in Haw xtreme. Each PowerBook and tower has a 23-inch
here that a 14-person team, equipped solely with Macs, Display, some with custom-designed wooden monitor stands.
produces an elegant quarterly publication, Hinduism Today Why the Mac? Editor in Chief Paramacharya Palaniswami
(www.hinduismtoday.com), and its companion Web site. The says, “Our guru sat down with the first Mac and said, ‘This
offices house a dual 1GHz Xserve running Mac OS X Server, is the future for us.’ We sold our Quadritek phototypesetters
along with a RAIDking 600-R 12-bay 1.5-terabyte RAID 5 and bought Macs. in the decades since then, it has proven to
array (www.raidking.com) that connects 15 17-inch 1GHz be the most problem-free tool we have found.”—/M
RUBBER DUCKY, HD OVER FIREWIRE
USB’S THE ONE... Panasonic and Apple have announced
Send your rubber ducky to TikiMac (www. fase eae Saeed
tikimac.com), and this Denver, Colorado, Meee ae
video-editing hardware such as Panasonic’s
company’s Upgrade-A-Duck service will turn eed ts S
-HD1200A VTR d 21,000, B
it into a 128MB ($59.99), 256MB ($72.99), or | Ah HO120 ee o shee at
A aaa i
512MB ($139.99) USB 2.0 ‘ panasonic.com, and in je rarene 1
ae 4 2 HD editing, that’s considered affordable. This
Bionic Duckie Flash Drive. y u F ;
" re en | development lets video producers and editors
Warning: Customizing A > |
A 4 | transfer compressed DVCPRO HD-encoded
your pal also demonizes sof |
video directly from the deck to the Mac for
real-time editing in the newly revved Final Cut
ae Turn your bath-time friend | Pro HD ($999, www.apple.com).
write indicators. into a devilish USB drive. Me )
it, with light-up LED eyes
that function as read and
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK MADEO
16 MacAddict August 2004
In Stores Now. Order now at www.aspyr.com
Combat in 4 Theatres: Wage war with up to Command over 35 Wield over 20 authentic —_—‘Includes the Expansion Pack,
South Pacific, North Africa, & 64 players! devastating vehicles. Allied & Axis weapons. Battlefield 1942":
Eastern and Western Europe. ‘The Road To Rome
"s @) \ POWERED BY a
Mac SBY. = ASPYR
‘tried Electronic Arts™ Distributor
(2204 or CAB re rere ga ada Da Man ES act A AES a A MES ae atresia ol ct ne nr
‘aries ey Sener are asa na hate, lok ved AMS: wa ez rte irae ea repel tea oe sted
‘SSIEM eco tnmehc i ue ba hae oes densi Conner i sane coer cbt seats ute proper oa
New
50,Bugs and How
to Squash Them
By Dave Hamitron
It.ustRations By Otiver WoLFSoN
ummer means bugs—and this year, 4
we're talking hordes. Luckily, it’s time for
our yearly bug roundup. As in our prior
three annual installments, we define bug
as “anything that doesn’t work exactly the way
we want it to.” This way, we get to indulge our
iiberpicky selves while you benefit.
This year we’re aiming our bug spray at
Mac OS X itself—operating-system quirks,
18 MacAddict August 2004
@ ON THE
@ DISC
Find al ofthe software
‘mentioned inthis
article onthe Dise.
Helpful Bug Finder
These bug fi
geeks—and we me
thatas a compliment.
networking wackiness, OS X’s built-in
applications, and the evils infecting the
hardware upon which it runs. Some bugs are
juicy, Texas-size beasties while others are
simply tiny gnats that annoy us to no end,
causing little real harm but leaving crusty,
itchy welts. Either way, we'll help you squash
’em. So saddle up, partner—we’re going bug
hunting!
August 2004 MacAddict 19
(Panicus kernelosius)
We all agree that Mac OS X is the best operating system
on the planet, but that doesn’t mean it’s foible-free.
From missing features to stuff that plain doesn’t work,
we’ve all encountered problems that drive us crazy.
PROBLEM: Using Font Book, | can view alphaomega.software.free.fr/fontviewer/
all the characters of a font, but | can’t Font%20Viewer.html) can display all your
find a way to print out a page displaying fonts and print them out for you, one line
the type samples. | use lots of fonts, and per typeface. (We've had good results | rng pete 2 wf oa
printing sample pages would be helpful— —_ with Font Viewer in both Jaguar and ee |
especially for picture and icon fonts. Panther) | eee ne
| |
SOLUTION: Thankfully, the shareware Font Viewer can print out a list | ET teeitotrat et. |
army is ready to help. AlphaOmega of all your fonts so you can see || SSeS ores cmmeetge me
Software’s Font Viewer ($15, http:// examples of each typeface. | Sitimimiittnurveameiaatetestiee os _) |
Font ewer as etc 15 stale Fn 08 your syste,
20 MacAddict August 2004
PROBLEM: OK, | have a big problem—and | mean seriously big. There was a crazy time when
my Mac hated my old joystick and wrote a complaint about it to a log file every second; this
resulted in one of my log files bloating up to over 32GB in size. | want that space back, but every
time | try to delete the file—either from the Terminal or from the Finder—my Mac freezes up with
a kernel panic. I’ve even tried deleting the file from the bleak environs of single-user mode (OK,
so |’ma geek), but have had no luck. Am | destined to live without that chunk of my drive?
SOLUTION: This is an odd problem indeed. It could happen to any of us, however, because it = 0 are
exploits a known bug in the OS. In Mac OS X Panther, Apple enables a hard-disk feature called
journaling. Journaling means your Mac keeps a log of everything it does in multiple files ending
in .log. Ostensibly, this leads to faster startups—in the event that your Mac gets inadvertently a
shut down or rebooted without going through the proper steps, it no longer has to doa file ereo dd
system check. Instead, it simply replays the journal and gets back up and running fast. This .
comes at a small price—you can’t delete those humongous .log files using standard Finder
methods. However, journaling is easy to turn off—the simplest method is to use the Terminal.
1. Open up the Terminal and
type diskutil | 8.08 Terminal — ttyp6 — %5 | ° en yo
disableJournal / | Hetcome to Darwin! E} ere eoe
2. Use the rm command to -% diskut}1 disabledournal / {a :
delete the offending file. journaling disabled on / PAM package, installs
| Journaling has been disabled on /
| (RGYESUBVEREE UX rn ~/Desktop/Real tyBig32GBF ile ae
| [Maveedavepb: 1% dickut il enableJoupnal / :
| Allocated 6192K for Journal file.
| Journaling has been enabled on /
| ACVESHRVERES Ix
Typerm / followed by
the path to the name of
the file you wish to delete
(for example, Library/
Logs/DirectoryService/
*
DirectoryService.server.log). |; i iailinaiay wees ne]
3. Finally, reenable journaling soa eee enn Shee me
by typing diskutil If your Mac kernel panics every time you try to delete a large i
enableJournal /. file, try disabling journaling before deleting it.
4. My Recent Err
Items List Is Sa |
Incomplete PROBLEM: In Panther, every time | mount a drive, volume, or Ssuare oo i
CD, or save files to my desktop, the resulting icons appearin jeabeneeeerperensarerey k
bishops Slee, eee the lower-right corner of my screen and start stacking up on Page NSRCE ISOS SPs
documents don’t appear is? c= am
A annieuaee ama top of each other. How do | stop this? :
{ist no matter how many times |
Jaunch or open them. SOLUTION: Near as we can tell, this is a bona fide Panther p
bug. It can happen when your Mac is connected to a large
SOLUTION: Generally, Recent display or multiple monitors, z
Rear ceeaies cut ios and we haven't been able 1: prop a
opened le-originated. .
jateoh aa the Finan? to squash it. But there’s a icon seeder o e
‘Apple-bullt apps, and dialogs workaround. In the Finder, 00 d
‘that Apple controls (including the click the Desktop, go to View > (ott ak bee eae
File > Open dialog in most apps). Show View Options, and select Smal efeitos
Heewel 5 Youle screpaty the check box next to Keep Text size:
packet ea Arranged By. You can choose abel gestae ° pe
Word's own recently usedfileslist, | anything from the drop-down @sottom ORight Her felde oA
Itwon’t appear there. menu as long as that check box 2
is marked. This bypasses the QSnap to grid CaN :
problem. show bem info 0 0
QShow icon preview a .
Make icons arrange themselves GA keep arranged by ° d b
so they don’t stack up in the : aur he
desktop’s lower-right corner.
August 2004 MacAddict 21
6. My Finder
_ Settings Won’t
Stick
_ PROBLEM: | still can’t got my
Mac to always display column
view when I double-click my
hard-drive icon. | can set It to
column view, but when I restart
| my Mac, It reverts to icon view.
What am I doing wrong?
SOLUTION: Inlastyear’s
bug-squash fest (see “50 Biggest
‘Mac Bugs and How to KiiEm,”
‘Aug/03, p16), we discussed
how to open a folder, change
its view to your llking, and then
immediately close it as. a method
of setting a defautt view for any
given folder or drive. But there
are times when this doesn’t
‘work—specifically when the
settings file for that folder or
| drive is damaged. Settings are
‘stored In .DS_Store files, which
_ reside in nearly every folder on
your Mac (ones you've opened in
the Finder). The best way to reset
the .DS_Store file on the root of
your Mac’s boot drive is to delete
Itandlet the Finder create anew
‘one for you. To do this, open the
Terminal, type rm /.DS_Store,
and press Return, Use the same
‘command but add a path nameto
reset other folders or drives—you
can reset your Documents folder,
for example, by typing rm user
nome/Documents/.DS_
Store. From there, reopen those
folders or drives and setthem to
display however you want,
“Weicone to
aint
pu /.08_Store
Delete .DS_Store files to reset
folder or drive settings.
PROBLEM: Sometimes when I’m working, my Command-key shortcuts
stop working. Command-Q won't quit an app, Command-W won't close a
PROBLEM: My Mac is running very slowly. What can | do to give ita goose?
: Here are a few things you should do on a semiregular basis to keep your Mac in tune.
Permissions. Mac 0S X's Unix framework uses a complex permissions system
to control access to all the files and folders on your hard aa ies aa
drive—including ones used by Mac OS X itself. When any
permissions are out of whack, your Mac’s performance
can suffer, so it’s wise to repair them once a month. To
do so, launch Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities), select
your startup volume, click the First Aid tab, then click
Repair Permissions.
2. Clean Your Caches. Mac 0S Xis one efficient beast,
keeping copies of things it regularly uses so as to save
you time in the long run. But these copies can pile up and
cause the opposite to happen. Cleaning out the contents
of Library » Caches and username > Library » Caches can
help restore your Mac’s zippiness. Be aware that deleting
Safari’s caches can make Web access slower at first, since you’re deleting information it uses to
speed you to frequently visited Web sites.
3. Reset Your PRAM. Your Mac stores most of its settings in preference files, but some info is
stored on a chip inside your Mac called the PRAM (parameter RAM). If your Mac is acting woozy,
setting this chip back to its factory defaults can clear its head. To reset the PRAM, restart your
Mac while holding down the Command-Option-P-R key combo. The reboot chime will replay until
you release the keys, at which point your Mac will start normally. Most veteran Mac addicts agree
that letting the chime play two or three times is plenty. You may need to reset your Mac’s date
and time, keyboard repeat rate, Startup Disk selection, and other preferences stored in PRAM.
To make regular Mac maintenance easier, get a copy of one of our favorite shareware apps,
Cocktail ($9.95, www.macosxcocktail.com), which lets you perform maintenance via a single,
clean interface. Unlike fallible humans, Cocktail won’t accidentally remove the wrong files or
make other mistakes—it’s well worth ten bucks.
es
Cocktail is an essential utility to
have around—just click a button to
keep your Mac in line.
1 Can’t Mount 9. Can I Speed
So Up Update
=Mi: Since | updated Panther, disk images don’t mount. Optimization?
Double-clicking them does nothing whatsoever.
UTION: We've seen this happen as well. Go to System >
Library and detete the file Extension.kextcache, and then delete PROBLEM: Everytime!
the com.apple.kernelcaches folder located in System > Library > perform a system update on my
Caches. Restart your Mac, and it will re-create that file and folder, Mac, tbe final ston. ot mien
and hopefully restore your ability to mount disk images. ‘seems to take forever. Is there
anything I can do to speed it up?
SOLUTION: During this phase,
the iittle Aqua-infused progress
bar in the Install Mac OSX Update
dialog consumes precious
processor time. Minimize this
dialog by clicking the little yellow
widget In the title bar, and the
window, Command-V won’t paste—none of them work. Then, suddenly,
they work again as if nothing ever happened. What's going on? | optimization will complete much
faster.
Use the Force Quit
dialog to relaunch the
Finder and bring your
‘SOLUTION: We've seen this wacky issue in Mac OS 10.2 and later.
Sometimes you can restore Command-key functions by simply clicking a
menu that contains Command-key shortcuts—for example, the Finder’s
File menu. But there are times when that won’t work. Instead of rebooting,
which always seems to help but takes a while, relaunch the Finder. Inthe © Command key back to Who would have thought that
Apple menu, choose Force Quit, Finder, and then Relaunch. This takes its senses. eye candy could be such a time
only 10 seconds or so and has always solved the problem for us. sink?
]
22 MacAddict August 2004
1 Can't
Upload Files in
Mac OS X’s FTP
Since my Panther upgrade, moving through documents
is jerky when | use my mouse’s scroll wheel. Can I fixthis?
Just got space
for my own personal Web site
‘on my local ISP's sorver, My
ISP tells me to use FTP to send
my files to It to update my Web
pages. | can open up my Web
Yes, you can—in fact, Apple now has an option for
it. Go to System Preferences » Appearance and check the Use
Smooth Scrolling check box. While
this makes scrolling less jerky with
site via FTP inthe Finder, but many—not all—mice, it does so at
cant upload... ost a messes, the expense of scroll speed,
saying the FTP server can’t be P eollspeed. Einimize when double clicking a
Go Apwteations
GoW documents
@ogether
@ jump to the next page
Qsscroti to here
{Bse smooth scrolling
i: Despite the
fact that Apple has included
FTP capabilities in Mac OS
Xin the Finder, go to Go >
Connect To Server, and type
ftp:|/server name/com into
the Server Address field), as
of this writing It still doesn’t
support uploads. You can
copy files to your Mac as often
as you wish, but you can’t use
OS X's FTP power to make any
changes on the server. To do
that, you need third-party FTP
software, such as Transmit2
from Panic Software ($24.95,
www-panic.com).
ppear—can | hen from highest to lowest:
Library » Fonts
Network > Library > Fonts
System > Library > Fonts.
software.
After updating OS X, my Mac just sat at the main
startup screen, flashing a blinking icon of the world atme. |
don’t want the world; | want my Mac back! Why did this happen
and, more important, what can | do to fix it?
It sounds like your Mac forgot what startup disk
to use and is searching for a Network Startup. This can happen
after some security updates, especially ifyou hadn’t specified
your startup disk in the Startup Disk preference pane. Here’s
how to start up your Mac and check which startup disk your
Macis using.
Shut down your Mac, wait 30 seconds, and then restart it.
Immediately press and hold down the Option key. A series of icons should appear on your
desktop, one of which represents your Mac’s main boot drive. After your cursor changes from the
wristwatch to the arrow, click that icon, and then click the arrow pointing to the right.
Once your Mac starts up, open System Preferences > Startup Disk, and make sure you select the
proper disk and system version.
| just added a new version of the Garamond font
to my Mac, but OS X is still showing me the old font.
Mac OS X has a font-pecking order, so an older
font in a higher-priority location can trump a new one. It’s
best to have only one copy of each font. Here’s the priority,
user name > Library > Fonts
se System Folder > Fonts (Mac OS 9’s Fonts folder)
Try to store all of your fonts in one place. Picking a
location is tricky—adding everything to user name >
Library > Fonts makes it easy to migrate fonts (they’ll
accompany your user folder), but they’re unavailable to
paar a anyone else. For multiple users, the best storage place is
you need t F ne ond GaGa a Library » Fonts, since everyone has access. System > Library >
Fonts is best left alone—let OS X keep its stuff in there.
13. | Want a
Faster Way
to Rename
Files
QUICK
PROB!
ees orfolder, | click It,
wait a moment, and then click
again to select the text so can
type overit. Is there a faster way?
SOLUTION: Just select the
file or folder, press Return, and
immediately begin typing a new
name.
August 2004 MacAddict 23
(Amacnita motherboardica)
Hardware bugs are fun to mock when they’re on your
coworkers’ machines—but when the tables turn, it’s time for
a dose of humility. Check out these bugs and their solutions,
and hope you never have to come back here for reference.
PROBLEM: | have an inkjet printer that | use only occasionally. _grip the paper and feed it through. If those rollers dry out, they
Recently it started acting funny—funny peculiar, not funny can’t properly grip the paper. If you can reach the rollers easily,
ha-ha. Either it won’t draw paper or the paper jams. ’ve wet a piece of cotton and let the water soak into them. You can
cleaned all the nozzles and so forth, but nothing has helped. use cotton swabs instead if it’s a tight fit. Take care not to soak
the inside of the printer—just one drop of water on the wrong
SOLUTION: This problem can happen with any printer, not part of a printer’s logic board and poof, that’s all she wrote.
just inkjets. In a printer’s sheet-feed mechanism, two rollers Or printed.
24 MacAddict August 2004
PROBLEM: | was so excited to play *NSync’s
Celebrity CD that | failed to read the warning
that said it was copy-protected and wouldn’t
play in my Mac. Now, not only can’t | hear
the dulcet tones of Justin et al, but also my
Mac won't restart—it simply freezes on a gray
2. Hold down the X key during startup. This
will tell your Mac to boot from the first Mac
OS X partition it finds, hopefully bypassing
the offending matter in the CD drive. Once
it starts up, launch the DVD Player (but not
iTunes, which might try to play the CD),
20. My Mac’s
Fan Runs
Constantly
PROSLEM: Man, my Macis
noisy! The fan runs ail the time,
Itused to run only when | was
doing something intensive, but
screen after restart. What should | do?
SOLUTION: Sadly, some of the copy-
protection schemes that CD vendors are
playing around with these days cause
massive problems in both PCs and Macs. If by
chance a CD gets stuck in your Mac, try these
methods for extracting it.
1. Hold down the mouse button while your
Mac is starting up. This will usually eject
the CD.
21. My Mac
Can’t Find My
‘od
PROBLEM: My Mac doesn't
always see my iPod. | plug it
in, and half the time my Mac
ignores it. | know it’s plugged
in because my iPod charges,
but it doesn’t get any updates
from iTunes or anything. What's
going on?
SOLUTION: Twenty bucks
says you have an iSight
attached to your Mac (and
likely directly to your Mac). As
cool as itis, the iSight can be a
bad neighbor to other FireWire
devices. You have two options.
The first is to plug the iSight in
only when you need it so that
it won't interfere with anything
else. The seconds to connect
a powered FireWire hub to your
Mac. In addition to providing
more FireWire ports, this
device powers your FireWire
devices (which the iSight
appears to need desperately).
Both Orange Micro (www.
‘orangemicro.com) and FireWire
Dopot (www.fwdepot.com)
offer FireWire hubs that work
well. Connect the hub to your
Mac first, and then connect
all of your FireWire devices to
the hub.
We've also seen some iPods
that—iSight or no iSight—need
to be plugged directly into your
Mac's FireWire port, not a hub.
Picky little devils.
and press the eject button.
3. Carefully stick the end ofa paper clip in
the manual eject hole on the front of your
Mac’s CD drive (some later-model Macs
don’t have one). This should coax the
drive to release the disc.
Few bucks.
If all of these methods fail, you’ve earned
yourself a trip to your local Apple-certified
repair center, where the talented technicians
will be happy to resolve your problem for a
now it won't shut up, even when
(’m just reading email. What
can Ido?
SOLUTION: Recent Panther
software updates have left
many—but not all—users
with this problem. Most of
the time you can fixit by
resetting your Mac's PRAM.
‘As we explained in bug 7, you
do this by restarting your Mac
while holding down Command-
Option-P-R.
22. My ’Book Battery Thinks It’s Dead
PROBLEM: | usually leave my PowerBook plugged in on my desk, so while flying
to Rio recently, | was surprised when barely 30 minutes Into my Gnaw: Food of the
Gods II DVD | got a message saying! had only 10 minutes of power left, | thought
Li-Ion batteries weren’t supposed to suffer from the dreaded memory effect. Now
Pil never find out about those giant rats!
SOLUTION: Li-Ion batteries don’t suffer from the memory effect—at least not
the same kind that old NIMH batteries did. Rather, they suffer as a result of the
‘supposedly intelligent electronics inside them. After sitting on your desk, charging
for months, the battery can get confused. To fix t, you need to reeducate your battery Xbatfery isa fun
by|etting your PowerBook drain all the way down to the point where it shuts itself
off (just ignore the warnings). Once it shuts down, charge It all the way back up, let
It drain, and repeat, Doing this a few times in a row should show your battery who's
boss and set its electronics properly. Utilities like Jeremy Kezer’s XBattery ($15,
www. kezer.net/xbattery.htmi) will show you the battery's reported capacity.
PROBLEM: My charger no longer works with my
PowerBook. What happened and how do | fixit?
SOLUTION: Charging up is a complex
operation that involves a few different pieces
of hardware and software working fogether—
and both PowerBooks and iBooks can suffer
from this symptom. Try each step below in
order until your charger starts to work again.
1. This may sound obvious, but first make
sure you're using the right charger.
Different Books require different
chargers—newer aluminum PowerBooks,
for example, require the 65W charger that
ships with them, and won’t work properly
(if at all) with the 45W chargers that
shipped with earlier models.
2. Unplug the charger, check that the AC plug
Sattery
Installed: Yes
‘Charging: No
Charger: Yes
Battery %: 98
Capacity: 4.138Ah
Charge: 4.0964h
‘Voltage 12.4160,
Flags: 10905190
little utility that
tets you check vital
stats on your ’Book’s
battery,
is snugly seated, wait 30 seconds, and
plug it back in. In addition to ensuring that
everything is assembled properly, this
resets the charger.
3. Your battery may be the culprit, so remove
it and attempt to start up with only the
charger.
4. Reset the Power Manager on your Book,
On older laptops, push the reset button
(usually located on the back of the Book).
On newer models, press Shift-Control-
Option—power button. Check Apple’s
Knowledge Base article 14449 or your user |
manual for more information. Once you
reset the Power Manager, wait 5 seconds
before you attempt to restart. 3
If none of the above helps, make your way
toa service center.
August 2004 MacAddlict 25
24. My Mac’s Making Odd Noises
PROBLEM: My Power Mac G5 has is to go to System Preferences > Energy periods can cause your Mac’s processor
started making strange screeching or Saver > Options, and take a look at the to overheat, so we recommend setting
chirping noises, not unlike a trapped Processor Performance setting. We Processor Performance to Automatic and
specimen of the order rodentia. it’s not experienced screeching at the Highest leaving napping enabled.
overly loud but not overly quiet, either. setting, but Automatic and Reduced
Is my machine on the fritz? seemed to eliminate it for the most part.
You can also get help from a setof Apple
SOLUTION: We've seen this problem developer tools called CHUD (Computer
on Aluminum PowerBooks as well—and Hardware Understanding Development,
your Power Mac G5 is likely perfectly available free from http://developer.apple.
healthy. Its chirps ’n’ screeches are com/tools/performance). In the Hardware
related to napping—a processor- preference pane that appears after you've
specific feature whereby the processor installed CHUD, you'll find a check box You can quiet your Power Mac G5 by
operates in a lower power mode for split labeled Nap. Uncheck it, and you'll end not letting it nap—but you might fry
seconds at atime, reducing overall heat —_ the noise, even when the Processor its CPU. Use the Energy Saver system
generation. There are two things youcan _ Performance is set to Highest. However, preference to set processor performance
do to control this problem. The leaving napping disabled for extended to Automatic or Reduced instead.
Pp
noyances
Safari, Mail, and all the iLife
apps are just as important
as the OS upon which they
run. Problems with these
apps can be as detrimental to
your productivity as an OS or
hardware bug can.
(Applonia
Be Pnungia)
25. Mail Forgets My Password
PROBLEM: Whenever Itry to use Mall, It asks me for my password
‘even though: | entered It correctly In Preferences > Accounts.
What's that about?
SOLUTION: Mall has a quirk; it will forget your password if it
has trouble logging In to your account. If you’re a .Mac user, this
can happen frequently, as .Mac’s mail servers have the habit of
summarily rejecting logins (.Mac’s mall servers occasionally
go down but are usually back online quickly). All it takes Is one
falled login before Mall begins asking you for your password.
Unfortunately, the enly thing to do Is type In your password, take a
deep breath, and go about your day knowing It’s not your fault,
26 MacAddict August 2004
PROBLEM: How do/ access AOL
mail with Mail?
SOLUTION: AOL's mail servers
let you check mail from Mail (or
any IMAP email client) instead
of logging into AOL. To set this
up, do the following:
1. In Mail, go to the Accounts
pane of the Preferences
dialog.
2. Click the Add Account icon,
3. Select IMAP from the Account Type drop-
down menu.
4, Inthe Description field, type AOL Mail, and
type your email address (with @aol.com)
and yourname into their respective fields.
28.1Needa
Playlist List
PROBLEM: tn ITunes, when!
select File > Get Info, i get a ton
of info about the selected song
but nothing about the way it’s
organized In iTunes. How can.
I tell which Playlist contains a
given song?
SOLUTION: Merely select
your favorite song, Control-
click it, and select Playlists
inthe contextual menu that
appears, and every Playlist
that contains that song will
appear—choose one, and you'll
Jump right to It.
27. | Can’t Order
Prints in iPhoto
pesca 5. Inthe Incoming Mail Server aay,
: fine imapnel : When I try to order
waning lat Sener [issston ——— | field, type imap.aol.com, then ans oe bcok aIRTOR:
your AOL screen name and
password in their respective
fields.
6. Select Add Server ftom the
I get anerror in accessing
my account information. The
message tells me to try again
later. I've waited days and still
} Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) _| Bad the same problem.
Tweak the account settings to drop-down menu.
access yourAOLmailviaApple 7. Inthe dialog that appears, SOLUTION: iPhoto
Mail. type smtp.aol.com in the synchronizes with Apple’s
servers, so the app gets
Outgoing Mail Server field and
type 587 in the Server Port field. Select
Password in the Authentication drop-down
menu and again type your AOL user name
confused if the date or time on
your Mac is off. Open System
Preferences > Date & Time, click
the Date & Time tab, and ensure
and password in the proper fields. Click ities iaicttate See a
4 en relaunch iPhoto and
OK, then close the Accounts dialog—save eeeeees Site
changes when prompted.
PROBLEM::| hate Internet Explorer, but Safari doesn’t want to work with my bank’s Web site. Why?
SOLUTION: Sounds like your bank’s servers don’t know what Safari is.
If you tell Safari to masquerade as another browser—Internet Explorer,
for example—sometimes you can fool the bank. The first step is to
enable Safari’s debug menu. Quit Safari, open the Terminal, and type
defauits write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1. Next,
press Return and relaunch Safari, and a new debug menu will appear
in the menu bar. If you ever need to turn it off, simply repeat the above
Steps, but change the 1 to a 0 (zero) in the Terminal command. Opena
new window or tab by selecting Safari, Debug » User Agent > Mac MSIE
5.22. Then cross your fingers, go to your bank’s Web site, and log in to
see if it works. You need to do this every time you pay an online visit to
your bank, before you log in.
Disguise Safarias
Internet Explorer for
easier online banking.
30. iPhoto Says I Have Dhow a
a Small Disk
PROBLEM: When | try to export a picture
from iPhoto, the app tells me there’s not pr
enough disk space. | know I have more than
enough. What's going on?
PROBLEM: Sometimes | get server errors when | try to access
new pages in Safari, even though my connection is good.
SOLUTION: This can happen if your DNS (domain name
service) servers are not responding properly. Your Mac
coneapetim._eSererplat
SOLUTION: This bug chiefly affects
version 4, Though Apple says 4.0.1 fixes It,
we've found that’s not always the case. The
most reliable solution is to delete the IPhoto
nce file, Quit IPhoto, go to user name
> Library > Preferences, trash the com.
apple.iPhoto.plist file, and restart IPhoto.
Find Web
Remove the com.apple.iPhoto.plist file
from your user Preferences folder.
31. Safari Ca
rest behind the scenes. But if that DNS server doesn’t respond,
your Mac is dead in the water.
Simply tell your Mac to use a different DNS server; most
ISPs have two or more. When you log in to your ISP, it assigns
your Mac a DNS address. Restarting or logging out of, then
connects to sites via their numeric IP addresses, not the text-
based URLs you type. It does this by querying your ISP’s or
local network’s DNS server and requesting a translation of the
URL. The server returns the IP address and your Mac does the
back into your (SP may enable your Mac to grab a different
address. If not, call tech support and ask for a complete list of
addresses. Open the Network preference pane, click TCP/IP,
and type the addresses in the DNS Servers field (one per line).
August 2004 MacAddict 27
32. AppleWorks
Keeps Playing
with the
Beach Ball PROBLEM: I'll admit to liking quirky music, Only about half
the stuff in my iTunes 4.5 Library is available in the iTunes
PROBLEM: AppleWorks used ‘ ;
fo work really well forme; Music Store, so when ! click that little arrow next to an
but now | affectionately call obscure song’s name in iTunes’ Song Name column, it sends
It Apple-doesn’t-Works—and me to the Music Store, only to find a search with no results,
that’s only when I'm feeling rather than a list of songs or albums by the same artist. Isn’t
affectionate. That damn beach
ethil i for me?
Bail aaive more een there something more useful that little arrow can do for me:
and although it’s fun to space
‘out while watching It, that’s not
always my desired effect. there is. Option-click
the little arrow, and
Sten festetike thenescted | instead of goingto the
‘stepchitd Apple Is forced to Music Store, you'll go
care for only occasionally, It to the Album entry in
does Its job except when It your iTunes browser.
doesn't—and this Is one of
those instances. AppleWorks
keeps its own cache of recently
used items, which sometimes
gets clogged up with all sorts
If you're browsing a
Playlist, for example,
and you come across
a Winger tune you
Option-click the arrow in iTunes 4.5’s
Song Name column to jump to that
song’s album listing in your iTunes
of temporary files, especially | ove, but you can’t browser instead of the Music Store.
peli a alas remember the name
hawaver ia'straighiforward: of that other killer Winger tune you love, just Option-click the
You simply need to delete a arrow next to the first Winger tune, and the song list of your
single folder. Quit AppleWorks,
entire Winger album appears. This trick can help you navigate
go to user name > Documents
quickly through iTunes.
> AppleWorks User Data > . ;
Bearline ponte aa ike Recast Ifyou want this to be the little arrow’s standard behavior,
Items folder, and drag It to the quit iTunes, fire up the Terminal, type defaults write
Trash. The next time you open
AppleWorks, It will re-create the
com.apole.iTunes invertStoreLinks ~bool YES, and
press Return. When you relaunch iTunes, your wish will be
Thobesch belluowtpemeryou | sranted—if you want to ungrant that wish, type the same
‘so often. command, but change YES to NO.
PROBLEM: Sometimes when | visit Web pages, Safari hangs
and spins the beach ball for 10 to 15 seconds before letting me
scroll or type into a form. This never used to happen.
SOLUTION: Safari has an option to keep track of everything you
type into forms on Web pages. When you visit a Web page with
forms, Safari needs a few seconds to sort through this data and
Uncheck the Other Forms
check box in Safari's AutoFill
figure out which pieces, if any, are relevant. To solve your spinning preferences to speed up Safari.
beach-ball problem, you can either disable the feature altogether
orcomb through your data and clear out unnecessary stuff.
To disable the form-filling feature, go to Safari’s Preferences
> Autofill and uncheck the Other Forms check box. Note that
this is not the same data used to fill out your name, address,
and passwords; it’s a list of Web sites that contain forms. To
clear out unnecessary data, leave the box checked and click
the corresponding Edit button. Then comb through the list,
highlighting and removing sites you don’t visit regularly. If you do
take the time to comb through and delete unnecessary items, be Alternately, you can edit the Web
aware that it will only solve your problem temporarily—with the __ sites in the list and remove the
feature enabled, the cache will fill back up before long. ones you don’t visit frequently.
34. Safari’s
Stalling
PROBLEM: Suddenly Safari
stalls when loading Just about
any Web page. Other browsers
‘on my Mac work fine, but
matter what ido. Am Ia bad
person?
SOLUTION: Uniikely though
It may sound, chances are this
problem appeared because
you installed an HP printer.
HP adds some fonts to your
system, one of which—Times
RO—has a known problem
with Safari. To fix the problem,
simply remove that font, It may
exist in user name > Library
> Fonts and/or In Library >
Fonts—If you see it in elther
place, drag It to the Trash.
3B citsans.afore
B Hewveicaneve.dtont
1D Herculanumdfont
1B Hoefer Text.dfont
1B MarkerFelt font
B optima.dfont
Delete the Times RO font to
slap Safari out of its font-
induced stupor.
36. | Want to
Listen to Web
MP3s
in iTunes
PROBLEM: Every time Iclick
an MP3 fileon a Web page, It
plays In Safarl. How can I hear it
in iTunes, with my EQ and volume
settings arranged just so?
SOLUTION: In Safari's location
bar, change http Inthe URL to
daap, and press Return. This
automatically opens the MP3
file in iTunes and plays Itusing
your settings. DAAP (Digital
Audio Access Protocol) is Apple
Proprietary, and most Web
servers don’t support It. But
‘once Safari passes control to
iTunes, Tunes is smart enough
to open the file using standard
HTTP—typing daap saves you
the trouble of having to go into
TTunes to open the song.
28 MacAddict August 2004
PROBLEM: | have two accounts set up in Mail: one for work
and one for home. How can i make Mail check one account
and not the other without digging into preferences every
morning and afternoon?
SOLUTION: There are a few easier ways, but they're not readily
apparent. Although the Get Mail button will check all of your active
mail accounts, you can take accounts offline without going into
the preferences by simply Control-clicking the appropriate in-box
and choosing Take Account Offline in the contextual menu that
appears. Mail will skip that account when you click Get Mail or
when you're doing automated checks. One note: If you take all
your email accounts offlineandthen Wawa
click Get Mail, Mail will assume you
really do want to check your email and
turnall of them back on.
Wa
Rename.
Delete.
‘Synchronize “Mac.com”
Edit "Mac.com’...
|v Use Small Matibox Icons
Erase Deleted Messages
Erase Junk Mall
Mark All Messages as Read_
Take your work account offline for the
weekend to avoid emails from your boss.
38. Can I Convert
AAC Files to MP3?
PROBLEM: When I go to Convert
PROBLEM: I boughtaton ot on me. | really need to know the cu
‘stuff from the iTunes Music Store
bat can only listen to those tunes
in iTunes or on my IPod. They
‘won't work with my cute little
flash-memory MP3 player, and
SOLUTION: This sort of thing hapy
first place. As you mentioned,
however, there are legitimate
reasons for wanting to convert SOLUTION: Sure you can. All y
them to MP3, andit’snotdifficult, | to find it. Calendars are stored i
First, burn an audio CD of your. doing the following:
Lille seeeleaiaaed 44 Mount your iDisk from the
Munes Preferences > importing aon
and set i to Import Using Tho Finder's Go menu.
MP3 Encoder (otherwise you'll 2. Choose Go > Go To Folder.
wind up with more AAC files—the | 3. In the resulting dialog, type
Tesulting AAC files will be /Volumes/user name/Sites/
pridestctet cae natal «calendars.
work with MP3-only devices),
‘Then rip and encode the files 4. Drag any unwanted
back Into Tunes, calendars to the Trash.
PROBLEM: | can’t figure out how to get my Hotmail account
configured for Mail—is it possible?
SOLUTION: While there's no native support for Hotmail
in Safari or Mail, the free, open-source HTTP Mail Plugin
(currently in beta, http://sourceforge.net/projects/httpmail-
plugin) allows you to integrate your Hotmail and MSN mail
accounts with Mail. Install Plugin, then launch Mail, go to
Preferences » Accounts, click the plus-sign (+) icon, and
choose httpmail from the Account Type drop-down menu.
Se
39. Currency Conversions Cause Crashes
files Is often the quickest fix. Quit the offending
application—in this case, Calculator—and goto
user name > Library > Caches > name of offending
application. Delete the entire contents of this folder,
I ust don’t ike having different
forms of music on my Mac. How | Then go touser name > Library > Preferences, and
dolconvert these Store-bought | delete any preference files related to the offending
‘AAC files to MP3? app. For Apple apps, these are most often of the
format com.apple.application.plist. Restart the
SOLUTION: Apple has made application and try converting those drachmas.
this difficult for a reason:
Converting AAC files to MP3
allows you to share those songs
with anyone, and doing so would
be Illegal according to the terms
of use you agreed to when PROBLEM: | deleted some old ci
downloading the song in the .Mac. Now | can’t delete them.
> Update Currency Exchange Rates In the Mac OS X Calculator, It quits
irrent value of my drachmas.
pens a lat with Mac OS X apps. Deieting all related caches and preference
Remove its cache files to remind Calculator how to
doa currency update.
‘alendars from my Mac and then realized | had published them on
our .Mac stuff is stored on your iDisk—the trick is to know where
in a hidden directory, but you can force your Mac to look there by
Then enter your account information in the Accounts dialog
and click OK. If you want to remove the plug-in, find it in
user name > Library » Mail » Bundles
> httpmail.mailbundle > Contents >
MacOS, and toss it in the Trash.
Use the open-source HTTP Mail
Plugin to access Hotmail or MSN mail
accounts with Apple’s Mail.
‘August 2004 MacAddlet
29
(Disconnecticus
communicatus)
etwork
StINeSS
Na
Well, one thing was easier on
a Mac in 1984: networking. Of
course, you couldn’t do all the cool
things you can do now, but it sure was
nice not worrying about subnet masks,
SOCKS proxies, and 802.whatever protocols.
42.1 Can‘’t Print to a
Windows Printer
PROBLEM: My Mac is connected to the same network as
my Windows-based PC. | could print to the old printer | had
connected to my Windows machine, | connected and shared
the new printer the same way and installed the appropriate
driver—my Mac sees the printer, but it won’t access the right
driver. Can | force it to use the right driver, or am | out of luck?
SOLUTION: You’re in luck—Apple’s Printer Setup Utility
has a few tricks up its sleeve. When you click the Add
button, hold down the Option key. An Advanced option will
appear at the top of the pull-down menu in the resulting
pane. Select Advanced, and from the pane that appears,
choose Windows Printer Via SAMBA from the Device pull-
down menu. Next, name your printer in the Device Name
field, and type the SMB path to the printer in the Device
URL field as smb://computer name/shared printer name
(for most situations)
PROBLEM: [havea third-party wireless router, and while It works
_ 43. Airport Crashes My Router
fine with other Macs, when J connect my AirPort Extreme-eni bled
PowerBook to It, my router crashes. ! have to unplug the router’s power
cable, then plug It in again for it to work. What do you thinks going on?
SOLUTION: While it’s technically a standard, some routers just
can't deal with the soon-to-be-more-widely-used-someday-maybe
1Pv6 protocol, which was originally designed to accommodate the
exponentially expanding number of Internet addresses but isn’t
currently all that popular. To turn. a
It off. go to System Freferencos >
Network > AirPort > TCP/IP, and
click the Configure IPvé button. in
‘the pane that appears, turn It off by wre 5
Selecting Off in the Configure IPvé Tings fe oo better
drop-down menu andenjoyciash. compatibility with some
free router bliss. third-party routers,
44. My Macs Can’t Find Each Other
PROBLEM: Ihave a wireless network setup here at home, and
or smb://user name:
password@workgroup/
server/shared printer
name (if you're in an
authenticated server
environment). Finally,
choose the appropriate
printer driver from the
Printer Model pull-down
menu, and click Add.
Hold down the Option key when
adding a printer to get the
Advanced menu, which allows you
to add some particularly pesky
Windows-based printers,
Internet on each machine works flawlessly. However, I'm
having a heck of a time getting my Macs to see each other reliably.
Sometimes they see each other fine, while other times it’s as though
‘the network doesn’t even exist. Internet access always works, so |
know the network {s in good shape. What the Woz Is going on?
SOLUTION: This Is a weird problem that has an equally weird
‘source: the name of your wireless network. We've seen strange bugs
appear when a wireless network has multiple words (that fs, contains
spaces) in its name. If your network Is named My Home Network,
‘try renaming It MyHomeNetwork—chances are this will reselve the
problem. This bug can also affect other networking apps, Including
Retrospect backups, so It's worth changing your network name even
30 MacAddict August 2004
If you aren't yet experiencing problems.
45.1 Want 46. My USB Print
Server Won’t Work
PeOBent: At home, my network router uses one set of IP addresses PROBLEM: Ihave my USB
(in the 10.0.x.x range), and at work, our routers use another (in the printer hooked up to one
192.168.x.x range). Sometimes when | move my ’Book from work to of those third-party print
home, | have to restart it to get it to refresh its address on the new ‘Servers—It connects to my:
older Base Station and lets
network. There’s got to be an easier way. me print wirelessly across my
‘ = ———’ |_ network. Well, at least It used
SOLUTION: These addresses are provided to your Book viaa protocol Changing the DHCP Client to. Ever since upgrading to
called DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). Apple has Panther, I can’t get It to work.
thoughtfully provided a button in the Network preference pane (labeled
Renew DHCP Lease) that you can click to reacquire DHCP information
from your router, But clicking it can result in significant delays when
changing from one network to another. Here’s a workaround: Go to System Preferences > Network
> Ethernet (or AirPort) » TCP/IP. Ensure that Configure IPv4 is set to Using DHCP and change what’s
listed in the DHCP Client ID field. If nothing’s there, type a fake IP address—anything that’s
different from what was listed as your IP address when you opened up the preference pane—then
click Apply Now. Your Mac immediately reacquires its private IP address from the DHCP server.
ID isa sure-fire way to get
your Mac to refresh its
DHCP information.
Set your network printer's
queue to Ip1 to make sure
your docs really print.
47.1 Can’t
Logintoa
48. My AirPort Doesn’t Like PPPoE
PROBLEM: My ISP uses PPPoE. When! connectto the Internet with | SOLUTION: Launch Printer
Windows Server
my Mac directly connected to my DSL modem, everything’s fine, but if!
go through my AirPort Base Station, { can only load about half of every
Setup Utility, select the printor,
and click Add. In the pane that
PROBLEM: Myoffice server _ : appears, select IP Printing in
funs Windows and use Penthar | Web Page and connections become generally wonky. What gives? seers cose Fe a
peludos en ai ue SOLUTION: Apple’s AirPort software used to fail to negotiate the | LPD/LPR from the Printer Type =
Sues te ene proper settings with PPPOE providers at times and cause exactly drop-down menu, enter the IP &
trouble logging PEIN these problems—and many, many more. Thankfully, as of Base address of your print server In
SOLUTION: Later versions of | Station firmware 5.1, things are ties Rees Gaia etl eld yous Ey
Panther tequize the Windows working just fine. Connect your can fod Sis addiees ealng Your cs
raschini (6 ehaia’ at geet Mac directly to your DSL modem, souter's configuration uulity). g
folder in addition to sharing an | 8M download AirPort Update type [o7.0) thes Gulens Nanis :
cutive dale: To ahetectckier version 3.1 (or later) from www. fieles then choose your printer
ih Windows ssantclak ove apple.com/swupdates. Install model ane. river from the
Bi ene te apes: ave then inthe Printer Model drop-down menu.
Enable Sharing in the resuiting | AltPort Admin utility. Once it soos Suc Ade, 911d REN anes
Incase you're wondering, Ipt Is
dialog, and click OK. Windows
will update its permissions,
and your Mac should connect
properly.
your Base Station, it will offer to
upgrade the firmware. Click the
Update button, and your problems
shovid be over.
Update your Base Station's
firmware to stay ahead of bugs.
the name of the most common
dofault printer queue in 1P
printing.
49. Changing 0 d
Network
Locations Takes | prosiem:my AirPort Base Station shares NAT (network address translation) to share a
Forever my cable-modem with three other Macs inmy single IP address among all the Macs in your
PROBLEM: I’'mnotclear on
house. | set up a Web server on my Mac and
want my friends to be able to access it. My IP
house. The Station assigns each Mac a private
IP address that’s not accessible from the
how touse networking presets. 1 . ; - 5
aes = scaice address is set to 10.0.0.100 in my Network outside world—you need to have your friend
set up, but choosing them from preference pane. Even though | set my Base connect to the external IP address provided by
the Location pop-up menu In the Station to forward Web-page requests your ISP, Unfortunately, your Mac has no way
Network preference pane doesn't | through port 80 to my Mac, my friends can’t of knowing what that address is. To find it, go
always sctivate them. Ihave to see my Web page when they point their to any one of the following Web sites:
Gaovand Apaly Now Whetethe | Web browsers to http://10.0.0.100/. Are my http://checkip.dyndns.org
Point of the preset?
SOLUTION: Go to your Apple
menu and choose Location.
From the list that appears,
‘choose your preferred location
to activate It immediately.
network settings wrong?
SOLUTION: No, your network settings aren’t
wrong—they’re just telling you what your Base
Station wants them to tell you. Your Base
Station uses a little network trickery called
http://ip.nefsc.noaa.gov
www.whatismyip.com
www.whatismyipaddress.com
Once your Base Station’s forwarding is set
up, have your friends use that IP address to
access the Web site you’re hosting.
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August 2004 MacAddlet
31
32 MacAcicict August 2004
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Ke Lee i (O
,FACE-OFF!
MacAddict Gets Up Close
and Personal with Ten
Dv Camcorders wee -
Moviemaking on your Mac is a breeze,
thanks to boffo apps like iMovie and iDVD.
| A modern Mac packs a lot of video punch,
but only when paired with an equally
critical piece of equipment: a top-quality
camcorder. Choosing the right camcorder,
however, can be a challenge. Browsing
in a big-box electronics store might help
you narrow your choices, but it’s easy to
get a little befuddled by the sheer range of
choices, confusing manufacturers’ claims,
+ | and pushy salespeople. To help, we’ve
auditioned ten MiniDV camcorders—MiniDV
being the best DV format for Mac-based
moviemaking. Read on to see which ones
get starring roles in the low-cost, midrange,
and prosumer categories.
by Andre
uda
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAMANTHA BERG
August 2004 MacAcict 33
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ou have a lot of factors to consider when
navigating the ocean of camcorders that
clutter the aisles of Best Buy, the Good
Guys, Costco, and the like: optical and
digital zooming, night-vision modes, special
effects, and built-in lamps for low-light shooting,
to name just a few. There are more camcorders
available than you can shake a stick at—assuming
you’re the stick-shaking sort—with more coming
along every day.
To help you in your quest, we picked out a
representative sampling of ten MiniDV camcorders
from major manufacturers, priced from about $500
to $3,000. We tested each camcorder's image
quality, ability to deal with high- and low-light
situations, exposure-shift response (how quickly
the camcorder adapts from one lighting extreme
to another), comfort, usability, ergonomics, zoom
capability, and audio-recording capability. We
focused each camcorder on similar images and
evaluated their performance in bright sunlight,
regular room lighting, and darkened rooms. Finally,
we considered each camcorder’s weight and
shape, as well as the design of its controls, and
then added up all of our findings to determine our
winners—and losers.
We first looked at four low-cost models: the
Canon ZR90 ($599, www.canondv.com), JVC GR-
D72 ($549.99, www.jvc.com), Panasonic PV-GS15
($499.95, www.panasonic.com), and Sony DCR-
HC20 ($499.99, www.sony.com). These compact
camcorders are easily portable, and are often
equipped with bells and whistles—such as built-
in effects and lamps—that are absent in pricier,
more-professional camcorders, which concentrate
exclusively on high-quality video.
We then set our sights on four midrange
camcorders: the Canon Optura Xi ($1,499), JVC GR-
Dvp9 ($1,299.95), Panasonic PV-GS200 ($999.95),
and Sony DCR-HC85 ($999.99). These models have
higher resolutions, better lenses, and fewer—or
more useful—gadgets, and they're edging from
the consumer into the prosumer realm. Controls on
these models are in most cases manual rather than
automatic—standard operating procedure as prices
increase. rey
Finally, we indulged ourselves with the
Sony DVR-VX2100 ($2,999.99) and Canon GL2
($2,799). These prosumer camcorders are larger
than the others, eschew the image-processing
gadgetry found in many lower-cost camcorders,
include manual and automatic controls, and have
high-quality optical components. At this level a
camcorder is all about image quality—if you can
afford one of these beauties, you'll enjoy video
good enough for both personal and professional
use. Even some working videographers favor
prosumer camcorders, although most prefer still
more-expensive gear.
34 MecAddict August 2004
iniDV camcorders can be complex lil’
beasties, stuffed with features and
capabilities that can either help you
shoot better video or unnecessarily
confuse you. Before setting foot in that electronics
store, read on to arm yourself with the real story
behind manufacturers’ claims.
Canon Optura Xi
Optical and Digital
Zoom Zooming—bringing
a faraway subject closer
to view—is a standard
camcorder feature, but
don’t get caught in the
digital-zoom hype. Some
models reviewed here tout
impressive-sounding 700x to
800x digital zoom (such as
the midrange Panasonic PV-
GS200 and the low-end JVC
GR-D72). Others, such as the
high-end Sony DCR-VX2100
and Canon GL-2, have much
smaller digital zooms (48x and 100x, respectively).
Optical zoom for all these camcorders, however,
ranges from 10x to 24x (see “Camcorders by the
Numbers,” p38).
There’s a world of difference between optical
-and digital zooms. Optical zooming brings an image
closer by changing the focal length of the lens—the
method used in still cameras—and doesn’t degrade
the image. Digital zooming makes the image appear
larger by magnifying pixels, a process that can
make an image look jagged and pixelated. A digital
zoom isn’t useful at the higher ranges—when you
z00Mm all the way in on an 800x model, for example,
you won’t See anything recognizable. Also, when
you zoom in that far, any camera movement will
make the image extremely shaky, as though you’ve
consumed a gallon of espresso before shooting. So
don’t pay much attention to a camcorder's digital
zoom spec unless you want close-ups that look like
indecipherable experimental video. Look instead
for the optical zoom number. A 10x to 16x range
is fine for most uses, and the image will always
be clear and unpixelated (see “Optical and Digital
Zooming,” right).
Still Images Most camcorders, including
all the ones we've reviewed here, can take still
pictures in addition to shooting video—handy
for Disneyland trips if you only want to take one
camera. All these camcorders except one (the Sony
DCR-HC20) save images to media cards; the DCR-
HC20 saves stills to tape. The ones that save to
media cards can store high-resolution images (such
as 1,600 by 1,200 pixels in the case of the Sony
DCR-HC85), while tape-only recording limits you
to the same resolution as the video (640 by 480
pixels). And be forewarned: You'll get much better
still photos with a digital camera. Camcorders are
designed primarily for video recording—don’t try to
make yours serve two masters.
Multiple CCDs A camcorder with three CCDs
(charge-coupled devices), light-sensitive image
sensors, uses a Separate sensor to capture each
color—red, green, and blue—that makes up a video
image. Three-CCD camcorders generally provide a
better picture with less visual noise, or graininess,
especially in low-light conditions, because they
have more image data to work with than single-CCD
models. Adding CCDs adds cost, so the low-cost
and midrange camcorders we looked at are all
single-CCD, except the Panasonic PV-GS200. The
two prosumer models we tested both use three
CCDs. In well-lit situations, single-CCD models work
acceptably well.
Night Shooting Some camcorders, including
all the models we looked at except the Sony DCR-
VX2100, Canon GL2, and Panasonic PV-GS15,
can shoot in night mode—in darkness, thatis.
Camcorders accomplish this in two ways: One is to
turn on the device’s built-in lamp, and then reduce
the shutter speed to allow more light to come in
for each frame; the rate adjusts automatically
according to available light, and can go as low as
1/2 second (under normal bright light it’s up in the
range of 1/500 to 1/2,000 ofa second). Camcorders
using this method include the Canon Optura Xi and
ZR90 (Canon calls its night mode Super Night),
Panasonic PV-GS200 (Magic Pix), and JVC GR-D72
and GR-DVP9 (Night Alive). Unfortunately, a low
shutter speed often produces unrealistic motion
because it exposes the frames much longer—
movement can be blurred or jerky. Also—to point
out the obvious—if you turn ona lamp, you're not
truly shooting in the dark any more.
The alternative method uses infrared light,
which is invisible but creates an image with a
greenish tint. Colors don’t come through with
infrared shooting; the image looks mostly black
and green—think of the scary scene near the end
of Silence ofthe Lambs, where the killer is wearing
night-vision goggles to foliow the agent through
a darkened house. The Sony DCR-HC20 uses this
method, calling it NightShot Plus, and the Sony
DCR-HC85 uses a combination of infrared light and
slowed shutter that it dubs Super NightShot Plus.
Other Formats There are other DV formats,
but we recommend sticking with MiniDV, the
most widespread camcorder type and the least
troublesome option when it comes to getting
editable video onto your Mac. Sony’s Digital8
format, used in camcorders such as the Sony
TRV460 ($399.99, www.sony.com), records DV
onto standard analog 8mm videotapes. This is a
handy setup, but one that never caught on—Sony is
shifting its focus to the MiniDV format. |t’s best to
stay with the flow of the industry so you don’t get
caught with an obsolete device later on.
Camcorders that use Sony’s MicroMV format
don’t work with Macs, and camcorders that record
directly to DVD-R, such as Sony’s DCR-DVD101
($899.99, www.sony.com), produce MPEG-2 video,
which can’t be edited in Apple’s iMovie or Final Cut
Pro or Express. To get usable video onto your Mac
with a DVD-R camcorder, you’d need to perform
serious futzing with noncommercial conversion
shareware such as Studio Per Varte Visuale’s
MPEG2 Works ($10, www.mpeg2works.2ya.com).
Optical
rd Digital
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oom at 25x. Evel
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, the ima
zoom numbers tempt y
August 2004 MacAddict 35
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36 MacAddict August 2004
Sony DCR-HC20 eeeee peas)
> $499.99 > www.sony.com, ay
This little guy is the best camcorder in the low-
cost category, with the best overall image quality
under high- and low-light conditions. You control
the settings in a touchscreen LCD display, which
provides two useful features: Spot Focus allows
you to focus ona particular subject, even if that
subject is not in the center of the screen, by
touching the LCD where you want the camcorder
to focus. Similarly, Spot Metering allows you to
touch the area of the subject in which you want
the camcorder to set the exposure, so if there’s
bright light in one part of the shot but dim light in
another, you can choose the area that provides
the best overall exposure setting. The NightShot
Plus infrared feature lets you shoot in complete
darkness without the jerky effects of recording
at low shutter speeds—we found it worked quite
well. One drawback is the DCR-HC20’s black-and-
white viewfinder—the only one in our camcorder
menagerie. Since the controls are on the LCD
anyway, the viewfinder is nearly superfluous, so
we'll let that slide, This DCR-HC20 isn’t particularly
quiet, and its built-in microphone picks up some
motor noise. It’s an excellent camcorder, however,
so don’t let that put you off—treat yourself to
wail!
orders
y,
an external
microphone to lessen the noise.
Canon ZR90 €@800
> $599 » www.canondy.com
The ZR90 is at the top of Canon’s three-camcorder
ZR line, which is aimed at home users. Its optical
zoom of 22x is the second-highest zoom of all the
camcorders we reviewed. The maximum digital
zoom is 440x, whichis less ludicrous than the
Panasonic PV-GS15’s 800x, but images shot at
| Built-in Special Effects:
ry Just Say No
] Ws haven't discussed the special-effects capabilities
! of these camcorders at all—you know, the ones
that make the image into a mosaic or flip it end over end,
| that sort of thing. Why would we ignore such niceties?
| Because they’re gimmicky, useless, cheesy, a waste of
time and energy to learn—and most important, they're
for people who don’t have a Mac to edit video. That's
not you—with iMovie, iDVD, or Final Cut Pro or Express,
CONTENDERS: Weighing in around $500.are
(from lefttoright) the JVC GR-D72, Panasonic
PV-GS15, Canon ZR90, and Sony DCR-HC20. These
lightweights'tend to have more extras, such as
special effects, than the higher-end models, which
focus on high-quality video.
even relatively low digital-zoom levels were still
quite pixelated—and virtually unrecognizable when
we zoomed in all the way. The ZR90’s night mode
picks up images in extremely low light, but the
image quality looks worse than a third-generation
VHS dupe of The Blair Witch Project. Luckily, the
camcorder has a shoe adapter so you can attach
an optional video light. The camcorder has what
appears to be a built-in light below the lens, but
it’s actually a white LED assist lamp used in night
mode. This is useful in a pinch, but doesn’t provide
decent image quality. As a bonus, the ZR90 comes
you have toois enough to ignore these in-camcorder
features altogether and create far superior special
effects on your Mac. The effects available in these
video-editing apps outnumber and outclass anything
built into a camcorder, The low-cost Sony DCR-HC20,
for example, includes some typical effects such as
Solarize (for an overexposed, washed-out look),
Pastel (exaggerated colors for a cartoonish effect),
and Sepia (a tinted monochrome look for old-timey
footage)—but none of them produces good results.
Take a tip from the prosumer cameras, which don’t
play the special-effects game at all.
with a wide-angle lens adapter that allows you to fit
more of life’s rich pageantinto a shot.
JVC GR-D72 @®800
> $549.99 > www.jve.com
The GR-D72 has some decent features for the price,
including a built-in LED lamp that automatically
turns on (assuming the camcorder is set to auto)
in low-light situations. There’s also a Night Alive
mode that reduces the shutter speed for even darker
situations or when the lamp doesn’t illuminate your
subject well enough. Unfortunately, the low shutter
speed makes the video look grainy and jerky. You
can also turn the lamp on and off manually, useful
for situations where lighting is inconsistent. A built-
in Strobe effect captures a series of fast-sequenced
images on tape, and a thoughtful Blank Search
function stops you from recording over prerecorded
portions of tape. The overall picture quality is
average for a camcorder in this price range, but not
as good as the Sony DCR-HC20's.
Panasonic PV-GS15 ®@@®00
> $499.95 > www.panasonic.com
The Panasonic PV-GS15 is a compact, comfortable
camcorder with all the features you need for basic
video shooting. This model’s 24x optical zoom is
the highest among all the camcorders we tested,
and images look quite good at full optical zoom.
The PV-GS15 also has a ridiculous 800x digital
zoom, which made it impossible to make heads or
tails of what we were shooting. If you want to take
high-quality stills, you may want to look at other
models—or, better yet, get a digital still camera—
because the PV-GS15 records JPEG still images
onto SD media at a maximum of 640 by 480 pixels.
This resolution is fine for video but not for printable
stills. The LCD lamp is nice and bright, but we’d
prefer a hot accessory shoe to attach an external
one. This camcorder has selectable shooting
modes in addition to night mode, including Sports
Mode for fast-moving images, and Portrait Mode,
which focuses on a nearby subject but leaves the
background out of focus.
It’s not wise to do special effects in-camcorder
anyway, because you can’t undo them as you can
when editing on your Mac. Built-in effects perform
a destructive process that alters the image data—
‘once it’s done, it’s done. You can’t change your mind
and take out cross-dissolve transitions or turn a sepia
image into a full color one if you add those effects
in-camcorder, With software such as iMovie, you can
create effects, tweak them, and try them out until
kingdom come. If you decide you don’t like them,
simply consign them to the cutting-room floor by
choosing Und
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