macworld au 2015 05

www.macworld.com.all | MAC / iPHONE / iPAD MAY 2015 $7.95 inc GST AUSTRALIA SECURE OUR LIFE! Protect your Mac and iOS devices rom security threats ALL OF YOUR APPLE WATCH QUESTIONS ANSWERED! gat facebook.com/ ausmacworld twitter.com/ macworldau FITNESS DEVICES HELP GUIDES | APP REVIEWS OWC Memory Upgrades This is performance, upgraded. This is commitment to reliability. This is lab-tested. This is guaranteed for life. This is OWC memory. | www.macsales.com Memory Upgrades for Every Mac An OWC memory upgrade is not only at the very heart of getting the most from your Mac, it's at the very heart of what we believe in. OWC Memory represents our unwavering commitment to excellence and to the DIY spirit that drives our innovation. There's a custom-made OWC memory upgrade to suit every Mac from the last decade, fully tested and guaranteed for life. Because you deserve a performance upgrade you can rely on to work flawlessly for life, you deserve OWC Memory. Feature 16 ENSURING YOUR SAFETY Apple fans enjoy a relatively charmed life when it comes to security, but it still pays to play it safe. ADAM TURNER shows you how, 38 FAQ: APPLE WATCH Now that Apple has launched the Apple Watch, what do you need to know? Find out here. Complete Touch 10s recy. Your print can. vevsea for unlocking your Phone, y GLOZ AV. FAQ: ERYTHING YOU ENEED TO KNOW ‘ABOUT THE APPLE WATCH hne'woo'ppOMOeU MMM Se WO he = Lo eactid eu Fitness devices Julian Hoenig Want to go to | Monterey this egulars wo 0s MAIL 10 HOT STUFF 14 iSNAP 24 MAC GEMS 26 BUSINESS R = 32 GUEST COLUMN Why the MacBook's single eviews portis all you need 62 Sennheiser MX 686G Sport earbuds 34 GADGEI GUIDE 63 SMS Audio BioSport earbuds 36 APP GUIDE 44 SECRETS 64 Zagg Slim Book iPad Air Case with Backlit 56 HELP Keyboard 60 GROUP TEST: 65 Fantastical 2 for OS X Fitness devices 66 Raspbery Pi 2 6 EDITORIAL A farewell and goodbye Macworld Australia. | have had a fantastic chance to delve into the Apple world with you all, but it is time | moved on to a new experience and focused my efforts on a new challenge. The Apple events, product reviews and ever-changing rumours will remain with me wherever | go and much of that has been the result of this community. | got a fantastic opportunity to work on Macworld Australia after a, possibly too-short, internship and | have enjoyed the ride ever since. So, before | am ejected from the Macworld Australia offices, | thought | would look back at the three years | have been here and document my five biggest Apple moments. tis with a heavy heart that | am leaving 5. iPhone 5. The launch of the iPhone 5 heralded the arrival of a sleek, new iPhone with extra screen real estate. With the inclusion of aluminium and coloured models, it was hugely popular, with over two million units sold in the first 24 hours. 4. iOS 7. Apple's mobile operating system had been the cleanest on the market, but iOS 7 gave it a much needed refresh. It was weird at first, but looking back at previous operating systems makes me glad Jony Ive turned his hand to software. MACWORLD AU PRODUCTION: Art Director K ‘Advertising Coordinator Jamuna Ra jamuna a 3. Retina displays. From the new MacBook all the way back to the original Macintosh, the evolution of the displays in Apple's computers has been exponential. Take a look at the 5K iMac — thin, vibrant and with screen real estate to burn. 2. Mac Pro. The revamped Mac Pro in 2013 looked a little like a small, black rubbish bin, but it is an incredible machine with an equally beautiful design. Who would have thought the Mac Pro tower could have been shrunk to its size? 1. Apple Watch. | was hesitant to mention the Apple Watch at first, but it soon became clear that, in my time, Apple's wearable has been the biggest change. | missed the iPod, iPhonevand iPad launches, but | was lucky enough to see the beginning of a huge product channel for the team at Cupertino. One that will get better and better over time. Long-time contributor Anthony Caruana will be taking the reins and, I’m sure, steering them in a more positive direction. Anthony has been writing for Macworld Australia since 2005 and has a rich knowledge of the technology industry from a huge range of work with a dizzying number of titles. I'm sure you will make him welcome. Design and Digital Prepress Monique Bai le Financial Controller S STAFF PICKS Favourite apps on your iPhone right now, JONATHAN STEWART MADELEINE SWAIN TYNAN McCARTHY MONIQUE BLAIR facebook.com/ausmacworld twitter.com/macworldau DIGITAL © Introducing Blackmagic URSA, the world’s first user upgradeable 4K digital film camera! Blackmagic URSA is the world’ first high end digital film camera designed to revolutionize workflow on set. Built to handle the ergonomics of large film crews as well as single person use, URSA has everything builtin, including a massive 10 inch fold out on set monitor, large user upgradeable Super 35 global shutter 4K image sensor, 12G-SDI and internal dual RAW and ProRes recorders. ‘Super 35 Size Sensor URSA is a true professional digital film camera with a 4K sensor, global shutter and an incredible 12 stops cof dynamic range. The wide dynamic range blows away regular video cameras or even high end broadcast cameras, so you get dramatically better images that look like true digital film The extra large Super 35 size allows for creative shallow depth of field shooting plus RAW and ProRes means you get incredible quality! Dual Recorders Blackmagic URSA features dual recorders so you never need to stop recording to change media. That's critical if you are shooting an historical event, important interview or where you just cannot stop shooting! Simply load an empty CFast card into the second recorder and when the current card is full, the recording will continue onto the second card, allowing you to change out the full card and keep shooting! www.blackmagicdesign.com/au User Upgradeable Sensor Blackmagic URSA features a modular camera turret that can be removed by unscrewing 4 simple bolts! The camera turret includes the sensor, lens mount and lens control connections and can be upgraded in the future when new types of sensors are developed This means your next camera will be a fraction of the cost of buying a whole new camera! Choose professional PL mount, popular EF mount and more! Built in On Set Monitoring! Say goodbye to bulky on set monitors because you get @ massive fold out 10 inch screen built into Blackmagic URSA, making it the world’s biggest viewfinder! The screen is super bright and features an ultra wide viewing angle. URSA also includes two extra 5” touch screens on both sides of the camera showing settings such as format, frame rate, shutter angle plus scopes for checking levels, audio and focus! Blackmagic URSA EF $7,949 Blackmagic URSA PL i $8,609 tA Blackmagicdesign _ HAVE YOUR SAY THE MISSING 17 INCHES Rob TARGETED PRODUCT In reference to Macworld Australia's online article, ‘Why the new MacBook's single port is all you really need’ (bit.ly/1BNvjth), the last sentence sells the argument. It will likely be adequate for many users. Great. If you need more, buy something else. For me personally, I'm still grieving the loss off the optical drive, which | use seldom but appreciate when I've got a CD or DVD to install something from. | am old enough to remember when laptops became notebooks, when desktops didn't have optical drives and some programs needed 30 floppy discs to do a full install (and HDDs were 40 MB, yes | did say Megabytes). | rejoiced in the addition of the CD drive in the early 90s and again in 2000 when I bought my first notebook with a DVD drive built in. For the moment | still at least need to be able to plug in a USB stick. But that's me. Billie WILL IT STACK UP? My only concern with the new MacBook is the M processor. If they have found away to disperse the heat generated, then this could be the answer to all my prayers, as | travel a lot, and my old 2010 MacBook Pro is starting to get a bit long in the tooth. The processor will be the make or break for me Jeremiah ADAPTING TO THE MACBOOK What is the point of a lightweight notebook if you have to carry an adapter everywhere? | imagine many users are going to be disappointed that they can’t plug in the ubiquitous USB key to exchange files with others. Milliways IT’S POSSIBLE TO WORK THIS WAY My 11in MacBook Air is my main laptop and although in my office | have a monitor, keyboard and mouse for how often | am there, | may as well not have bothered. The only thing | carry around with my MBA is an adapter in case | need to use a data projector and a mouse that | use from time to time... I'm not seeing any issues with one port on the new MacBook. John FEATURE-BLOAT? In regards to the article, ‘The Apple Watch is flirting with feature-bloat, putting sublime simplicity at risk’ (bit.ly/iMwJEJZ), Jon, give us a break. We all know that, unlike Samsung and the rest of the competition, Apple has actually taken its time over the last three years making sure all these features work. Which is unlike Samsung, which produces devices that are the veritable definition of pointless, unworkable feature-bloat. There are plenty of articles that have harped on about all the features that Apple tried out for the Apple Watch and dropped as they failed to work in the real world. If Apple goes and releases a feature-poor device with no third- party apps, Apple would be in far more danger of being deemed irrelevant in the smartwatch market. Give it credit for taking the time to make the watch functional, beautiful, compelling and of lasting utilty Rocwurst = 2 = BH Letters should be emailed to editor@macworld.com.au with a subject header of ‘Letter to the Editor’ or by post to: Macworld Australia Mailbox, 142 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, Victoria, 3205. Please include your full name and address, including state or territory. 1 Comments on stories or Forum posts on www.macworld.com.au are also eligible for the prize. @ We reserve the right to edit letters and probably will. '@ Letters of fewer than 200 words are given preference. This month's prize to the Macworld Australia reader who has submitted what we think is the most interesting letter is an 8ware 6-Port Desktop USB Charging Station, worth $54.95, from Anyware. The 8ware charging station will clean up your charging habits by offering three 2.4Amp USB ports and three 1.0Amp USB ports in the one place and from the one power point. With current, voltage, short circuit and temperature protections, it is ideal for the home, office or travel. Www.anyware.com.au ‘TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Leto the month Instructions on how o ener erm pat of these contion of entry. 2.To enter send ps or uetes to ecior@macworlé comau with a subjet header of Let othe Ector, Eis wil be judged by ne edna sa of Macwents “Austral, The judges! decision in lation to any aspect fine competitions Few and binding ‘on every person who enters, No coespondence wl be enered ino, Cee pays no pata <eterining te wens), Each entry wil be ncidualy judged based ons dares ofinerest 4. Employees, thorimmesiate lames and agencies associated wih this compton ae not ‘ermiied to enter 8. The Promoter acceps no responsi fr ate or mscrecte ene. 6, The Beal eniylenias at determined by Iho judges wl win he ple) 7, The Promoters ‘ether response nor Sab or any change inthe vale ofthe prize occurrag between the ‘ube date anc the cat the pee) eclaimed.@. The zs) not anelrabe an wil ‘ot be exchanged for cash, 8. The weners) wl be notified by mal. 10. Allertres become the propery ole Promoter. 11, The callecton, use and closure of personal niormation provided in connection wih this compton is govered by the Privacy Notce 12 The Promoters Niche Meta Pry Lido! 142 Doreas Set, South Melbowre,Vetoia 9205 Ph 08 9948 4900, ABN 13084 613520). LOZ AVN, he-woo'pyomoeu mam APPLE GIVES STAMP OF APPROVAL TO NEW STEVE JOBS BIOGRAPHY Just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about Steve Jobs, a new book is about to set the record straight with some help from Apple. Becoming Steve Jobs, an unauthorised biography from Fast Company reporters Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli, wasn't given the stamp of approval from Jobs himself, but the book has plenty of support from Apple. CEO Tim Cook, design head Jony Ive and Eddy Cue, Apple's senior VP of software and services, have all publicly bashed Walter Isaacson’s official look at Jobs, which was published after his death in 2011. Jobs picked Isaacson to write his biography and didn't exert any editorial control over the end result, which painted the Apple co-founder in a largely unflattering light. “| thought the Isaacson book did him a tremendous disservice,” Cook said in a new Becoming Steve Jobs excerpt published in Fast Company (bit. ly/1CoQVoS). “It was just a rehash of a bunch of stuff that had already been written, and focused on small parts of his personality. You get the feeling that [Steve's] a greedy, selfish egomaniac. | It didn't capture the person. The person | read about there is somebody | would never have wanted to work with over all this time. Life is too short.” Apple gave Schlender and Tetzeli access to Cook and other executives In return, the authors let the company read the finished version before publication, though Apple wasn't allowed to make any changes that weren't related to factual errors, |saacson also had access to Apple executives and to Jobs himself, which Schlender and Tetzeli didn't have (though Schlender interviewed Jobs many times prior to his death). But it seems like Becoming Steve Jobs is a hit, at least with Apple. Wired's Steven Levy, who also knew Jobs, judges Isaacson's biography less harshly in an opinion piece at Medium, but also says, “Only in Becoming Steve Jobs do | recognise the complexity and warmth that | saw first-hand in Jobs, particularly in the last few years of his life.” “After a long period of reflection following Steve's death, we felt a sense of responsibility to say more about the Steve we knew,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling told The New York Times (nyti.ms/1LMu4JM). “We decided to participate in Brent and Rick’s book because of Brent's long relationship with Steve, which gave him a unique perspective on Steve's life. The book captures Steve better than anything else we've seen, and we are happy we decided to participate.” SNOWDEN DOCS SHOW CIA’S ATTEMPTS TO HACK APPLE DEVICES Researchers sponsored by the US Government have reportedly tried to defeat the encryption and security of Apple devices for years. Several presentations given between 2010 and 2012 at a conference sponsored by the US Central Intelligence Agency described attempts to decrypt the firmware in Apple mobile devices or to backdoor Mac OS X and iOS applications by poisoning developer tools. Abstracts of the secret presentations were among the documents leaked by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden to journalists and were published in March. The US intelligence community's interest in hacking Apple products goes back as far as 2010, when a researcher presented possible methods of implanting the iPhone 3GS with malware at an annual conference called the Trusted Computing Base Jamboree, which, according to The Intercept, is sponsored by the CIA's Information Operations Center. The presentation also covered ways to jailbreak the device. Over the next couple of years, the same conference included more talks on ways to bypass the security of Apple devices. For example, in 2011 researchers presented a technique to ‘non-invasively’ extract the cryptographic key that's used to encrypt the firmware of devices based on Apple's A4 processor, like the iPhone 4, the iPod Touch and the first generation iPad The key, which is called the Group ID (GID), is stored inside the physical chip. The researchers tried to recover it by studying the electromagnetic emissions that occur during Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) operations, a technique known as differential power analysis. “If successful, it would enable decryption and analysis of the boot firmware for vulnerabilities, and development of associated exploits across entire A4-based product-line,” they wrote in a description of their presentation. It's not clear if the researchers ever succeeded in recovering the key, but their presentation covered the progress they had made until then A separate talk described methods of determining where the GID key was located on the A4 integrated circuit and how it could be recovered through an invasive technique like the ‘physical de-processing of the chip’. By the following year the A5 processor used in the iPhone 4s, iPad 2, iPod Touch fifth generation and the iPad mini was also being targeted. Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) operated by Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sandia Corporation, had a talk entitled ‘Apple A4/A5 Application Processors Analysis’. The presentation had no abstract and attendees looking for more information about it were instead instructed to call or email a CIA official. It wasn't just Apple's master encryption keys that the US intelligence community was interested in, but also the individual keys used by private developers to sign their iOS or Mac OS X apps. Researchers from Sandia Labs gave a talk about their efforts to create a modified, or ‘whacked’ version of Xcode, the free tool that developers use to create software for Apple devices. The poisoned version of Xcode could insert a backdoor into any applications created with it, hide the confirmation prompts when a developer's private key was exported and embed a developer's key into all iOS apps created with the tool, from where it could be later extracted. “We also describe how we modified both the Mac OS X updater to install an extra kernel extension (a keylogger) and the Xcode installer to include our SDK [software development kit] whacks,” the researchers wrote in their talk’s description The FBI and US intelligence agencies have voiced concern over the past year that the increased addition of default encryption to mobile devices and internet communications make lawful electronic surveillance impossible. They call this the Going Dark problem. Such agencies would like to see an approach where companies could offer encryption, but also be able to comply with government requests for data. Many security experts and privacy advocates believe this would involve building backdoors into encryption implementations that could also be exploited by hackers. "Il want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services,” Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote in an open letter in September. “We have also. never allowed access to our servers. And we never will.” JURY CLEARS APPLE OF INFRINGING PATENTS FORMERLY HELD BY NOKIA A Texas jury has found that Apple didn't infringe on five wireless technology patents NEWS that once belonged to Nokia and were sold to patent licensing firm Conversant. In 2012, Core Wireless, which is a subsidiary of Conversant, sued Apple in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, alleging iPads and iPhones used technology covered by Core patents to transmit data. Core was seeking a portion of the revenue Apple made from selling the devices and would make from future sales. Core’s lawsuit initially claimed that Apple infringed on more patents. According to court documents, patents were removed over the years to simplify the case. The jury also rejected Apple’s claim that Core didn't license the patents, which are considered essential, on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. Conversant purchased Core in 2011 and in the process acquired 2000 Nokia patents and patent applications. Microsoft had to license those Nokia patents as part of the 2011 negotiations over Windows Phone becoming the main mobile platform for Nokia's phones. Conversant, which was. then called Mosaid, licensed the patents to third parties, kept an eye on potential infringers and shared a portion of the revenue with Microsoft and Nokia. The patents and patent applications cover 2G, 3G and LTE (Long Term Evolution) and are used in many wireless products, Conversant said. = = GLOZ AVN ne-woo'pyomaeu MMM H OT STUF F Aselection of Apple, Mac and iOS news from Macworld.com.au GSSS eee |G Re iFIXIT TEARS DOWN 2015 13IN RETINA MACBOOK PRO If you can’t get your fingers on the Force Touch trackpad in the new MacBook, there may be another option. The new trackpad — which simulates clicks by vibrating a taptic engine, even though the trackpad itself isn't hinged and doesn't move — makes an appearance in the newly refreshed 13in Retina MacBook Pro. as well iFixit tore down a new Retina MacBook Pro (bit.ly/1MqUq4v) in March and discovered some secrets Apple didn’t reveal at its special event. For starters, the trackpad has its own chips, including an ST Microelecronics 32F103 ARM Cortex-M based microcontroller and a Broadcom BCMS5976 touch digitiser (also found in the iPhone 5s and iPad Air) Apple said the early 2015 Retina MacBook Pro would enjoy a little extra battery life over the previous version, which makes sense because it's using Intel's more efficient Broadwell chipset. But iFixit found the battery is larger too, up to 74.9 watt-hours, four percent larger than the late 2013 model. It's not even one battery: iFixit dug out an array of lithium-polymer cells, which were covering the trackpad assembly. (The large amounts of glue keeping the batteries secured contributed to the Retina MacBook Pro's pretty dismal reparability score of 1, on a scale of 10.) At the time of the breakdown, iFixit isn’t convinced that the Force Touch trackpad in this Retina MacBook Pro is the same as what we'll see in the MacBook, but it likely works the same way: a series of electromagnets “push and pull against a metal rail mounted beneath the trackpad, to create a tiny ‘buzz’ of feedback with each click (and a second buzz for a ‘force click’)” This buzzing is enough to make you forget the trackpad isn't physically clicking, Because software controls the taptic engine, you can even tweak how hard you'll have to press to trigger ‘clicks’ and ‘force clicks’ right in System Preferences. ANALYSTS: LIKE THE ’08 AIR, NEW MACBOOK REVEALS APPLE’S INTENTIONS Apple's new thinner, lighter and nearly port-less MacBook is a peek at where the Cupertino company will take its laptops, according to an analyst. “The MacBook is an engineering showcase regarding Apple's overall push toward miniaturisation over the next three to five years,” says Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies. “It's an important statement about the way Apple believes the market should move.” In March, Apple introduced the MacBook, a 12in laptop that starts at $1799. Bajarin points to several elements of the MacBook that tipped Apple’s longer- term plans for its notebooks, including miniaturised logic boards — which allow a case even thinner than the slim line MacBook Air - the multi-use USB-C port, and the revamped trackpad that features vibrational feedback. “It's also driving toward wireless,” says Bajarin, of the hint at a more distant future provided by the MacBook's port subtraction. “Notebooks won't have any ports, even charging will be wireless.” What Apple now has in the MacBook will migrate to other lines, just as happened with the original MacBook Air, which debuted in 2008. That laptop — which was an expensive proposition at launch — foreshadowed the slimming of other models (the business-grade MacBook Pro and the consumer-oriented iMac), the wider use of solid-state drives (SSDs), and the disappearance of an integrated optical drive, not only in Apple's products but in those that rivals designed to run Windows. Bajarin is convinced that the same will repeat with the MacBook as guide. a m = wn “it's much the same as the [original] Air was, a marvel. There was nothing like it,” says Bajarin, implying that the MacBook fits that description, too. And as with the Air, competing OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) will undoubtedly copy the MacBook to craft Windows-powered alternatives aimed at the same upper-range market. But not immediately. “If only from a motherboard engineering standpoint, Apple has at least a year’s lead on rivals,” says Bajarin. Others see more similarities between the position of the MacBook Air in 2008 and the MacBook of seven years later. “[The MacBook] is clearly a niche product,” says Stephen Baker, analyst with the NPD Group. That too was said of the MacBook Air when former CEO Steve Jobs pulled it out of a manila envelope at the Macworld Expo in 2008. Dismissed as underpowered and overpriced, the Air remained a minor player in Apple's laptop lineup for several years, arguably until at least 2010 when the company went exclusively to SSDs, shaved down the form factor and introduced a cheaper 11in model. Further price cuts in 2014 accelerated the Air's prominence. The experts also believe that the new MacBook will follow the same sales path as the Air, which was initially seen as a prestige product. “They're after the heart of the executive high-end status PC,” says Ezra Gottheil of Technology Business Research. To further that, Apple for the first time will offer colour choices: the traditional silver, a dark space grey and gold. Not coincidentally, those are the same hues as the iPhone and iPad. “Gold is going to be a big hit in China,” Bajarin predicts But while these analysts are generally impressed with the MacBook, some are puzzled by its positioning in Apple's portfolio. “I'm struggling to understand why the MacBook Air is no longer the lightest [model], and why they felt they needed another line,” says Baker. Baker has a point. Until March, the ‘Air’ label had been used for Apple's lightest and thinnest notebooks (and iPad). The ‘MacBook’ nameplate, meanwhile, had been unused since 2011, when it was assigned to the most basic Apple laptop. “The ‘Air’ name worked well for Apple. | would have liked to see them extending the name rather than fall back to the MacBook,” says Baker. Gottheil disagrees, saying that the lineup makes sense, including the retention of the ‘Air’ label. “They still want something at the price point of the Air,” says Gottheil “But they don’t want to have a cheap ‘MacBook’. Because it’s one step up from the least expensive, they're segmenting their market and at the same time saying that thin and light rules.” & LOZ AVN, he"woo pyomseumMMM Walk in the Rain This month’s winner is Janet Storer, with a shaded depiction of Brisbane during Cyclone Marcia. Shooting during February's storm in Queensland, Storer managed to snap this black and white shot that captures the scene. “During February, Cyclone Marcia, a category five storm, crossed the Queensland coast near Yeppoon. It then made its way down the coast as a tropical low dumping heavy rain on Brisbane where | live,” says Storer. “We were out driving and had stopped to look at our local creek, which had become a raging torrent. As we were heading home | saw this lonely figure braving the elements and quickly grabbed my iPhone to take this shot through the front windscreen.” After taking the photo with her iPhone 5s, Storer transferred the image to her iMac and applied a few more editing touches. “I converted the image to black and white using the iPhone's basic editing and ‘on my iMac computer used Photoshop to clone out some distracting rain drops and add a slight vignette blur to the foreground to add to the misty atmosphere.” Since retiring from her job as an ABC TV producer's assistant, Storer now spends part of her time taking photos around the globe. “Photography has become my creative pastime, as has travelling to many parts of south-east Asia and Europe with my partner, Terry. “My iPhone 5s is a perfect travelling companion, as it can be whipped out for a quick snap and is a terrific device for sharing photos or movies with family and friends from anywhere in the world.” While she is travelling Storer has a number of apps she enjoys using. “| have a couple of editing apps on my phone. Snapseed is a favourite for playing around with textures and PS Express | use as well. But | tend to transfer my images to my iMac for greater flexibility with Photoshop and Nik software. For my library of images | use iPhoto and don't keep a huge library of photos on my phone in case it is stolen or lost!” In iSnap, we're on the lookout for some of the best photographs being taken with iOS devices. Submit your favourites to macworld@macworld.com.au for your chance to be featured in the gallery below. Each month’s winner will win a prize and appear on this page! This month’s prize is a Mount and a Flex from iStabilizer. Secure your smartphone to virtually any surface with the iStabilizer Flex. Secure your iPhone to a car headrest, tree branch, pole, fence, tripod, desk, kitchen countertop or anything else you can think of. Just a tiny accessory to make a huge impact in how you use your smartphone, the iStabilizer Flex is a favourite accessory for iPhone users everywhere. www.istabilizer.com "2° belkin mixitT” Metallic Range SHINE ON Perfectly colour-matched to complement your iPhone Belkin has launched four new colours in the MIXIT Collection - Gold, Silver, Pear] White and Black. Each cable is perfectly colour matched to complement your iPhone. As always, you can mix and match with other | NADH products and colours to create your favourite personalised comb ~ OER ann Rae fe oe, —— For information & availability visit: pe belkin.com/au/produc 04/2015 1675) Y A RELATIVELY GHARMED LIFE WHEN IT COMES TO SECURITY, 1 LAY IT SAFE: ADAM TURNER SHOWS YOU HOW. YOUR SAFETY ENSURING hen you're an Apple user it’s easy to become blasé about security, but malware and other security threats aren't just for Windows and Android users to worry about. While hackers don’t tend to focus on Apple, history shows that Macs and iGadgets are not impervious to attack. It’s better to be safe than sorry. There's no magic bullet when it comes to security. The best approach is to rely on layers of protection and ensure you keep up with the latest software patches. You'll want to take extra precautions if you're trying to keep children safe online. Finally, a healthy sense of paranoia is a great last line of defence against security threats that target human foibles rather than technical flaws. ON YOUR MAC You can break down security threats into two main categories - remote threats coming in over the internet and local threats from removable media or someone who actually gets their hands on your devices. If you're looking to guard against both on your Mac, then the best place to start is the Security € Privacy panel in System Preferences. You should have set a password for your user account, but if you're concerned about uninvited guests trawling through your Mac, then it’s best to disable automatic logins on the General tab, so you're required to enter your password when you boot up your computer. Also, set your screensaver to demand a password. Many security precautions require striking a balance between safety and convenience ~ to make life easier you might set it to only ask for a password if you've been away for more than a few minutes, The System Preferences panels feature a padlock at the bottom left that lets you lock each panel to prevent changes unless you enter your password. It's a sensible security precaution to guard against accidental changes or deliberate tampering. ‘As an extra level of protection, FileVault encrypts your entire hard drive to make it virtually impossible for even the most skilled and determined intruders ee <« Genera Firewall Privacy cc eerene rman 7 ne ee as pat of ts sctip you forget Sot assword and ecovry aya Gata eos eens ky 0 eee sen, Cy FEATURE = a S102 AVN he"woo‘pyomoeu MMM FileVauitis turned otf for the disk *Mac HO" (Bice he ack to make changes. Lock it down, FileVaull is located in your Mac's System Preferences, to access your files. Be warned, if you lose your password and recovery key, then you can’t ever recover your data. If the thought of losing your precious files forever upsets you more than the thought of them falling into the wrong hands, then think twice about enabling FileVault. At the very least, make sure you have unencrypted backups of irreplaceable files such as family photos. Rather than encrypt your entire hard drive, you may use Disk Utility to create an encrypted Disk Image for storing particularly sensitive files. Alternatively, you can create encrypted vaults using third-party software such as Knox, Concealer or Boxcryptor. Once again, forget the password and your files are lost forever, so proceed with care. Mac OS's firewall is disabled by default, which is fine if you're at home behind a broadband modem/router with a built-in firewall. That, of course, assumes that you trust all the other computers on your home network. It's best to enable the firewall when you're away from home and can’t vouch for the security of the network and the intentions of fellow users. Unfortunately, Macs don’t adjust firewall settings automatically when you switch networks, so on MacBooks it’s easier to enable the firewall and leave it on. The built-in firewall only lets you configure incoming connections, there’s no easy way to manage outbound connections in an effort to catch apps surreptitiously trying to phone home. If you want a highly configurable two-way firewall, then look to Little Snitch. KEEP YOUR SECRETS Secure websites that use HTTPS create an encrypted link directly from your browser to the website's server. This prevents other people who are using your network from eavesdropping on your traffic ~ including your internet service provider ~ but HTTP Secure doesn’t protect all of your internet traffic. If you're particularly concerned about security when you're away from home then use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). This creates a secure link from your Mac to a VPN server, encrypting all of your internet traffic to protect it from eavesdroppers in between. You'll find free VPN services, but the paid services tend to be faster and more reliable. Some VPN services offer Mac software, or else you can configure your Mac's built-in VPN software under the Network panel of the System Preferences. The big security question for Mac users is whether or not you need to install third- party anti-virus software. Don't make the mistake of thinking there aren’t viruses targeted at Macs; we've seen a few major threats in recent years. OS X features basic built-in XProtect anti-virus, which runs in the background checking downloads for a handful of known threats. Click the Security & Privacy Advanced button and ensure that you've ticked ‘Automatically update safe | downloads list. While you're at it, in Safari | you should disable ‘Open safe files after | downloading’ on the General preferences | tab to give you a chance to reconsider . after downloading a file. | FEATURE Security threats can also come from bogus websites masquerading as trusted ‘websites - such as your bank - in an effort to steal your passwords and other sensitive information. You're often directed to the website by a phishing scam email purporting to be from the bank. Your spam filter may pick it up as a scam, but, as a further line of defence, Safari may detect that it’s a bogus website and block access. Some Mac users consider that Apple's built-in security, combined with cautious web-surfing habits, offers enough protection. Others prefer the extra safety of third-party anti-virus software, which guards against a range of other threats. Building on Apple's built-in security, some third-party anti-virus suites use advanced link scanning to check websites for malicious activity in real time, rather than relying on a list of bogus websites, They also scan for a wider range of viruses, to stop you from inadvertently passing on infected files to Windows users. Some employ heuristics to detect and block suspicious activity on your Mac, which may be evidence of a yet unidentified virus. WATCH WHAT YOU INSTALL Whether or not you're running third-party anti-virus software, there are sensible precautions you should take to reduce your risk of a security breach on your Mac. The first step is to keep your operating system and applications up-to-date, as updates often address security issues as well as adding new features. New versions of Mac OS like OS X 10.10 Yosemite often address security issues that can’t easily be patched in their predecessors, so it's worth upgrading your older Macs to the latest version of Mac OS that they'll support. As for non-Apple software, the safest option is to install from the Mac App Store where possible. By default Gatekeeper stops you installing software from other sources, but you can override this on the General tab of the Security & Privacy panel. When you're installing software from other sources, keep a close eye on the installation options to ensure that you're not inadvertently loading bloatware like C2 Napliw Know it. The safest way to download software is via the App Store. browser toolbars that can hijack your search options. Always treat pop-up browser alerts with caution when they ask you to install new features and codecs or update plugins like Adobe Flash ~ especially if they pop up while you're visiting a shady website. Also avoid installing such updates when you're connected to a public network, including a café or hotel Wi-Fi hotspot. Even seemingly innocent sites can harbour security threats if the site, or the network you're using, has been compromised. Java is no longer pre-installed on new Macs and it’s best to leave it that way unless you really need it. If you do need to install Java for a specific application, you should still check that Java is disabled in your web browser. Under Safari's Security tab you'll see Enable JavaScript; you want to keep this ticked. Click on ‘Manage website settings’ and look for Java - from here you can control which plugins can work with which websites. Java isn't the only plugin that presents a threat. Adobe's Flash is a common source of security flaws and you may find it safer to disable it by default - which may also help your Mac run more smoothly, as Flash can be a resource hog. Under ‘Manage Website Settings’ try changing Flash from Allow to Ask. Instead of automatically seeing the Flash content on web pages, you'll see a notification ‘Flash blocked for this website’ - click on the notification and you can choose to allow Flash to run. While you're at it, uninstall Adobe Reader if Apple's own built-in PDF reader meets your needs. Security flaws in Adobe Reader are another popular target for hackers. PARENTAL CONTROLS If children regularly use your Mac, then you should create a separate children’s user account. While helping keep children safe online, this also stops them prying in your files, installing new software or inadvertently altering your settings. Go to Users & Groups under System Preferences, click the plus icon to create a new user account and then select ‘Manage with Parental Controls: Give them a name and password, then click Create User. Now you can open the parental controls for that user and configure a range of settings, including limiting the apps they can use, websites they can visit, people they can contact and times of day they can use the computer, Alternatively, children can use the Guest account on your Mac, although all their information and files will be wiped when they log out. You'll see a fast user switching drop- down menu on the Menu Bar, near the Spotlight icon, which makes it easy to switch between accounts without logging out. If you find this slows your computer down, though, try logging out of one user before you login as another. Parental Controls Parental controls lat you manage your children's use of this computer, the applications on it, and the Internet. To change parental control settings, click the lock icon to enter the name and password of an administrator. {ce tne tock to make changes. Control. Create a new account for each child to help keep them safe online. If you're looking for more protection against malicious and inappropriate online content, you might change the DNS settings in the children’s user account to a service like OpenDNS Family Shield or Norton ConnectSafe. These free services let you block website categories rather than specific websites, although they both offer advanced paid services with more granular control. One great aspect of these DNS-level filters is that they won't bog down your computer, unlike some desktop web filtering software. You can edit the DNS settings for individual wireless networks via the System Preferences Network panel, then lock the panel, but you can’t set it to automatically apply those settings when you join a new network for the first time. It is possible that changing your DNS settings could impact on your unmetered content deals with services like iView, Netflix and Presto, so if in doubt check with your internet service provider. ON YOUR iGADGETS While you're upgrading your Mac's security it’s a good idea to lock down a few features on your iPhone and iPad in case they fall into the wrong hands. Secure your iGadgets with a passcode to keep them safe from prying eyes. Use the Touch ID and Passcode option under the Setting menu - if you're already using a code you'll need to punch it in before you can make any changes. From this menu you can control what's visible on the lock screen, as well as switch from a simple four-digit passcode to something more complicated. You can also set a grace period during which you can unlock your device without the need to re-enter your code. Alternatively, you may configure the Touch ID fingerprint reader to act in place of a password in some circumstances. While you’re at it, you should dip into the General, Auto-Lock menu to FEATURE automatically lock your device when it’s idle. You should also explore the Restrictions menu to see if there are features you want to lock down temporarily or permanently, such as forcing the App Store to demand your password for every purchase rather than remembering it for 15 minutes. Don’t use the same passcode for your lock screen and Restrictions, because your kids will eventually catch sight of your lock screen passcode over your shoulder. The lack of user switching on iGadgets is very frustrating if you tend to let children play with your devices - it’s one area where Apple really could learn from Google's Android. Restrictions is a half-baked workaround; for example, it can’t limit access to your email. One workaround is to engage the General, Accessibility, Guided Access feature, which lets you use a triple tap on the button to temporarily lock the device to a single app. While you're setting up your device, make sure you enable Find my iPhone, under the iCloud settings. This lets you track lost devices, lock the screen and even remotely wipe them (you can also enable similar features on your Mac). There’s also an Activation Lock to stop someone else using your stolen phone. Complete Touch iD rune it an be used Fingerprint. If you iOS device has Touch ID, intergrate it into your routine = o SLOZ AVN ne'woo"‘pyomoeU MMM BEAD earure ‘As with your Mac, take care when using your iGadget on public Wi-Fi networks. If you've got a generous mobile broadband allowance, there may be no need to jump on potentially insecure Wi-Fi networks. If you're particularly concerned about privacy and security, iOS has built-in VPN software. The Restrictions menu is i0S’s equivalent of parental controls. If you're looking for more protection against inappropriate online content, you may download a kid-friendly browser from the App Store. Alternatively, you could change the device's DNS settings. Go to the Wi-Fi menu, click on the information icon next to your home Wi-Fi network and manually change the DNS settings. Unfortunately there’s no way to lock this down to stop someone changing them back. There’s also no way to change the DNS settings for your 3G/4G mobile broadband connection. ON YOUR NETWORK You may be surprised how many internet- enabled devices are scattered around your home. It’s important to keep them all up-to- date to address the latest security threats. One of the biggest threats to your home security is an insecure Wi-Fi network. This lets your neighbours piggyback on your internet connection along with anyone parked in the street. Along with leeching your monthly bandwidth allowance, they could be snooping through your computers, listening in on your web traffic and even breaking the law online while leaving a trail of breadcrumbs that leads back to you. It’s important to use a strong Wi-Fi password ~ at least a dozen characters long with a mix of upper and lower-case letters, as well as numbers and symbols. Use WPA2 or WPA2 encryption; if your old wireless base station only offers WEP At the source. Make sure the Wi-Fi networks your devices connect to are secure as well. (Wired Equivalent Privacy) then it's time to upgrade. While you're at it, make sure you change the default password for the modem/ router and any other networking gear. Just like your Mag, it’s important to regularly check for software updates for networking gear such as broadband modem/routers, wireless base stations, Network Attached Storage devices, network cameras, Wi-Fi extenders, network switches and smart home gear, such as smart light bulbs. Last year’s Heartbleed encryption flaw and Shellshock BASH vulnerability were particularly nasty and required security updates for a wide range of internet-enabled devices. Any device or feature exposed to the internet is a potential security risk, so disable non-essential services. Pay particular attention to your modem/router and NAS, which may share your files online as well as allow remote FTP = a _ MUITEO OO oe eon iotnn, Supe ee % account - Payroll a eae ~ .witraward, RDO, cost Spi Od\usimneng, Reece maps. depots =, allowances, child support, lev MEN, mut oe kin, “ sructures, salary sacrifice, worker- same Tebates, Bank 2 commission alleave, long service! SAS) Unit Sdlary aging nn PeWsOnal leqve ye pore peremPoyes Of Leave, Bernt ing: ‘ors empl pralectee ee : hedule - Job Projects (<2 activities, Brey aig amnree job project cred = Setaiils, SESS tcccton job 2S Riaing and quoting, billing =| ©" st, resource 8 Proje a eet erates “Inventory - manufactur’) ~ aterials (BOM), szefoo. +5 Spdes per product, formul) te, layby, muti'shop. ba ee eecng, Inward goods, ariv:': «| verles, resources, price. ccs (i itkdepartment, open to ©) casting integrated emailin: <& i ales. quotes, orders, invoice: | t www.sapphireone.com oi) 22 (File Transfer Protocol), SSH (Secure Shell), Telnet and WebDAV access. Familiarise yourself with the security settings on your networking gear, so you can configure these features correctly and disable whatever you don’t need. You may find advanced security options, such as blocking access from IP addresses after a certain number of failed login attempts. Don't think hackers won't find you; they use software that automatically scans the internet looking for vulnerable devices. They're particularly interested in network storage drives, because some are fully-fledged computers capable of running a wide range of applications. There are reports of hackers installing software to surreptitiously mine Bitcoin or even encrypting the contents of a NAS and demanding a ransom for your data’s release, If you do want to use remote access features, such as Apple's Back to My Mac, make sure you take the time to understand what you're doing. Some internet-enabled devices in your home can use UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) to automatically enable port forwarding on your modem/ router, Port forwarding is not the kind of thing you should attempt manually if you don’t know what you're doing, as you could leave the door open for hackers. When it comes to keeping children safe online, you can also implement DNS-level filters via your broadband modem/router. This way they're automatically applied to every internet-enabled device in the house, unless you manually override the device-level DNS settings. Remember, your devices are only protected when they're on your home network, not once they switch onto mobile broadband from the phone network. Also, remember that no amount of technical safeguards are a substitute for parental supervision. DON'T DROP YOUR GUARD People are generally the weakest link in the security chain, so it pays to keep your wits about you when you're online. Using strong, unique passwords is essential. If you have trouble remembering strong passwords, use tricks such as starting with the first line of a lyric or ‘iowa (Create an ICloud Security Code. . re our. sci Cade canbe ed tet pond x iat aa mer ai iClou Joe Kise aaa Ml ~hesaunt sae G keyenain BD rraios ns + [Sm Ootions. ? Ea ee Security Code. Pick a four-digit security code to protect your iCloud keychain. iCloud will war you if your code is too easy to guess, for example something like ‘5050. rhyme. The first lines of ‘Advance Australia Fair’ may become AaLuR+FwAyAf+1788, easy for you to remember, but difficult for a person to guess or a computer to crack by brute force. For more passwords, look to the next line of the song. If you still have trouble remembering passwords, Apple’s iCloud Keychain can remember them for you. Alternatively, you may use a third-party password manager like LastPass or 1Password to safely keep track of all your secrets ~ only requiring you to remember a single master password. A healthy scepticism when browsing the web and checking your email can also serve you well. No, you haven't won £15 million in the UK lottery, or inherited money from long-lost relatives. No, some LastPassEE=x3 URL: bites fv amazon.com’ Name ‘amazon.com Username: Notes: shady foreign dignitary doesn’t need your help to smuggle gold out of the country. Also watch out for online romances that gradually become demands for money to help sick relatives or deal with other emergencies. Your spam filter and browser may pick up phishing scams, but as a general rule you should never trust an unexpected email from a service provider asking you to click a link or open an attachment. Scammers are known to masquerade as banks, courier companies, law enforcement and even the tax office in an effort to trick you into installing malware or giving away sensitive information. No matter what the security threat, stopping to think twice is often your best protection. & Cancel ‘Automatic. Applications like LastPass (reviewed in April) can make password security safer and simpler Parallels Desktop’ 10 for Mac The #1 choice of Mac users for over 8 years Parallel: , ss eee roma, 10.0 Mac Yocom soos, Easy to Get Started Works with What You Know Seamless Experience Fast Get Windows on your Mac in Run Windows 8.1, Windows Copy & paste and drag & drop Handles resource-hungry a few easy steps. Move your 7, Windows XP and more. between Windows and Mac. Windows applications with existing PC applications and files Together, Mac OS X® and applications and use Mac lightning speed and Microsoft or install Windows from scratch Windows become the best gestures in your Windows Office runs faster than ever. Windows PC. applications. B WB HEFD SS0° gl Harvey Norman po 0A VN £ @ sess To learn more, visit www.parallels.com/au/products/deskt Parallels © 2014 Paras P Holdings Gm. All rights reserved WHATSIZE UTILITIES ID-DESIGN $18.99 WhatSize will help you figure out the mystery of what's filling your drive and give you both advice and tools to trim the fat. WhatSize combines the functions of analysis and utility. Its analysis scans every file and folder on the disk and builds sortable, browsable and visual directories. Its utilities can suggest files to remove. It all starts by selecting a drive in the Devices list: WhatSize goes about its indexing business or loads a previously completed scan. The analysis part is divided into Browser, Outline, Table and PieChart. Browser and Outline correspond to the columns and views in the find. Table comprises every file and folder on a drive, and can be sorted and filtered. The PieChart view visualises how storage is divided up into folders and files. GOODTASK 2 PRODUCTIVITY Haha Interactive $24.99 PEAKHOUR UTILITIES Digitician $12.99 Haha Interactive's GoodTask 2 helps you keep track of all your activities, to-do items and reminders. The app, which the developers say has been rebuilt from the ground up, supports | location-based actions, recurring tasks, natural language-based data input and a host of other great features that will help make getting your life organised a much easier job. If you find yourself at the end of the month staring at an unexpectedly large internet bill, you should take a look at Digitician’s PeakHour, which tracks all your network usage in real time. The app also helps you figure out how to optimise your wireless access points and make sure your ISP is giving you the speeds you're paying for. MEMO 2 UTILTIES Activity FREE BOOKENDS PRODUCTIVITY Sonny Software $74.99 Like Stickies? Then you'll love Activity’s Memo 2, which brings sticky notes to your desktop — with a twist. In addition to allowing you to type all kinds of text and plaster it over your desktop, the app supports encryption and password protection, making it easier to keep your sticky data away from sticky beaks. research paper, you know how painful it can be to manage citations and bibliographies — a problem Bookends hopes to solve. The app aids collecting and organising information from a variety of professional and scientific sources, online services and even your own collection of papers. Once loaded, the data can be searched using full-text queries at the click of a button. APPLICATIONS GE = : == : s<) || a2 2 a | IREAL PRO ANIME STUDIO DEBUT 10 2 A MUSIC GRAPHICS & DESIGN Technimo Smith Micro Software $49.99 $24.99 iReal Pro pairs a song with Anime Studio Debut 10 its chord progressions in is a complete animation teal time and follows along package that lets you create as its harmony develops and export your very own to better understand how cartoons. Not only is this a you can emulate your great tool for having some most cherished artists — or fun and being creative, but maybe even improve on it's also great for sprucing up your business presentations. The app can their technique. As a bonus, hundreds of fan-made tablatures are available manage different characters and backgrounds, synchronise audio and for import — free of charge — from Technimo’s forums. video, and export your animation to several video formats. DELUXE MOON HD 4.875 FRACTION CALCULATOR WEATHER 7 EDUCATION Sergey Vdovenko 4; PalaSoftware $2.49 $1.29 Deluxe Moon HD gives you a If fractions aren't your thing, | you're in luck! Palasoftware's | Fraction Calculator gives you a handy way to double-check your calculations right from your desktop. The app supports both phases and provides a complete negative and positive values, lunar calendar that you can use and makes quick work of converting numbers between fractions and to peek back at the moon's history and look ahead to see future phases. decimals. Plus, its elegant interface looks right at home on Yosemite. ‘Asa bonus, the app can be accessed from Yosemite's Today view. thorough look at Earth’s satellite without having to look out the window — perfect for moon gazing in inclement weather. The app tracks the moon's HOUDAHSPOT fmm os ed ‘Auto-Size Columns UTILITIES —— Houda Software cone Nea uss29 Fle Pathname File Size w kind Houda Software's HoudaSpot may well be the answer to a question all computer Last Used users find themselves asking from time to time: ‘Where did | put that file?’ The app Shor Path 98 goes beyond Spotlight’s capabilities to find files in every nook and cranny of your sire hard drive by name, content, author, pixel count and all kinds of other metadata. You 4 can make your searches as complex as they need to be, and view your results with been a convenient and easy-to-use interface that keeps all the important details at your fingertips. Users can customise columns in their search results, set up templates for recurring searches and access the Info pane to see a range of data on specific files. Available via www.houdah.com. BES) 2usiness MACBOOK AIR VERSUS MACBOOK — A BUSINESS TRAVELLER’S PERSPECTIVE BY ANTHONY CARUANA The introduction of the new 12in MacBook has forged a new niche in Apple's notebook product line. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he famously slashed the number of products the company was making. He drew a grid with four boxes, labelling one side with ‘desktop’ and ‘laptop’ and the other with ‘consumer’ and professional’ That led to the establishment of the MacBook and PowerBook product ranges, each focused on a particular type of customer. The announcement of the MacBook is an interesting one. Apple has blurred the lines between consumers and pros largely because the core components such as processors, memory and storage are so commoditised. When you compare a MacBook Air with a MacBook Pro, other than the size of the devices, the two product line are functionally very similar. That's not to say the two lines are identical in every way, but in terms of which device a developer, photographer, consultant, writer or video editor might choose, once they decide on the device's physical characteristics, such as weight and thickness, they can pretty much choose from either product line and know they have a computer that will suit their needs for at least two or three years. The MacBook is a different kettle of fish. With a 12in display, it sits between the 1lin MacBook Air and the 13in MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, but it’s about 10 percent lighter than the smaller MacBook Air and more than 50 percent lighter than 13in MacBook Pro. In an era of shrinking baggage allowances for carry-on that can be the difference between getting your bag into the plane with you or having to hastily repack or throw something out. Storage and memory are good enough for most travellers. For $2200 you get 512GB of SSD storage and 8GB of system memory. That's the same as our current 13in MacBook Pro. While we've supplemented the storage with a 256GB SD card to accommodate our iTunes library, it’s adequate for most applications. Apple’s main compromise with the MacBook has been on the processor. The Intel Core M processor family is specifically designed for mobile devices. As such, it is very power efficient, enabling the MacBook to have a run time of up to 10 hours of movie playback according to Apple. With judicious use, we could imagine getting through most of a long haul flight from Australia to the US west coast between trips to the charger. For travellers, that better life may be worth the high cost of the MacBook compared to a similarly equipped MacBook Air The downside - that new USB-C port is the only port, other than the headphone socket, the MacBook has. So, if you're planning to deliver a presentation you'll need an adapter, sold by Apple, to connect to projectors or displays VGA or HDMI. The same goes for the 27in Cinema Display you've been using in the office. For frequent travellers, we'd expect spending another $160 to buy two - one for the office and the external display and other that stays in your travel bag. Our suspicion is Apple will rationalise the MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro product lines over the next year or so. We'll see a return to the ‘Professional’ and ‘Consumer’ product differentiation although I doubt we'll see it articulated in those words. For travellers, the questions will be around what compromises you're prepared to make. If battery life is your killer feature and you're processor needs are modest, then the MacBook makes sense. But if you need more grunt and access to multiple USB ports and an SD card slot then the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro will make better sense. WHAT IS USB-C IN THE NEW MACBOOK AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? BY ANTHONY CARUANA Apple's recent announcement of the relaunched MacBook product line has been met with mixed reactions. With a CPU that sits it in the niche between high-powered notebook and tablets, it’s something of an ‘inbetweener’ ~ the sort of thing the late Steve Jobs said of devices like the iPhone 6 Plus. Perhaps the most interesting innovation has been Apple's adoption of the new USB-C connector. This one connector can carry enough data and power to supply the needs of the modern notebook computer. But it’s not all plain sailing. A BRIEF HISTORY OF USB USB has been around since 1990 when it was introduced via the myriad different connectors available in computers of the time. USB-A is the rectangular connector that we're most familiar with. Until now, the USB ports on all Macs have been USB-A ports. USB-B is the port we usually see on devices like printers. It's the squarish connector. We've also seen micro- and mini-USB connectors, but these are really variants of the USB-B connectors that have been shrunk down to suit mobile devices. AND WE ARRIVE AT USB-C USB-C boasts a number of advantages over its predecessors. For a start, it doesn’t have a right way up. You can plug a USB-C cable into a port without worrying about whether you have the cable the right way around. While USB-A can carry power, it’s limited. If you remember the introduction of the MacBook Air - Apple’s external DVD drive required connection to a special USB-A port that delivered a little more power than the USB standard allowed. That power carriage is bi-directional so the USB-C port can be used to charge the new MacBook and to charge your i0S device when it's connected. USB-C can carry far greater volumes of data than USB-A and USB-B. It’s similar to Thunderbolt in its ability to move data for external peripherals such as printers and hard drives, but it can also handle video. WHAT WILL IT MEAN? It sounds like good news doesn’t it? One port type that can do everything. To BUSINESS some degree, it sounds like Nirvana for peripheral makers. One public standard that means no more fragmentation from having to make different products for the ‘Apple and generic PC markets. If you've forgotten to pack your Mac's charger, you'll be able to potentially borrow one from your Lenovo-toting friends. We're not going to discuss how Apple has deployed USB-C just yet. Apple's shift to USB-C will mean some frustration for long-term Mac users. If you're like us, you probably have a box of cables, connectors and adapters that Apple has abandoned. This evolution means recent shifts such as MagSafe and Thunderbolt are about to be resigned to garage sales. But the long-term benefit is, hopefully, Apple will stick to this industry-wide standard and stop using proprietary cables and connectors. Perhaps an upcoming version of the iPhone, iPad and iPod will use the mini-USB cable for sync and charge - following on from the standardisation adopted by every other smartphone and tablet maker. The bad news is that until we refresh all of our peripheral devices or move to everything being wireless, we'll need to invest in dongles and adapters in order to use USB-C. =) LOZ AVN ne"woo‘pyomoew mmm TWO CONTACT MANAGER APPS BETTER THAN THE ONE THAT CAME WITH YOUR PHONE BY LIANE CASSAVOY I've said it before, and I'll say it again: your smartphone's contacts app isn't the best contact manager around. A wide variety of third-party apps is available, making it easier than ever to keep track of all those names and numbers. And just like your list of contacts, these apps are constantly being updated - some of them much improved since last time I looked at them. FULLCONTACT FullContact doesn’t look like the Cobook Contacts app I tried out last winter, nor does it act much like it. So I was very surprised to find out that it is, technically, the evolution of that app. FullContact previously was a web-based contact manager. The company behind that product acquired Cobook and worked that app’s mobile functionality into FullContact’s feature set. The result is a well-designed mobile app with the power of a desktop client. You can sign up for FullContact on your iPhone, iPad or on the web. (An Android version is in the works.) Once you're logged in, you can add contacts from Facebook, Google, iOS (including iCloud) and Twitter. FullContact pulls all of those contacts together, adding social media profile pictures (which, alone, makes the app so much more visually appealing that the stock iOS app), and cleaning and de-duping your contact list. FullContact does this automatically, which may be concerning to some users. I was hesitant to hand over control, but I found the app surprisingly effective at cleaning up my contact lists. I still had a couple of duplicate contacts left, but I liked that it didn’t automatically merge contacts when it wasn't sure. FullContact also syncs your contacts across your devices. It includes a social feed option, so you can see your contacts’ recent posts, and a contact history, so you can see the last times you were in touch. All of these are very useful when you're about to reach out to a professional contact. FullContact is available for free, in a Basic version that allows you to store up to 5000 contacts, a two-way sync with Google every 24 hours, and 10 free Business Card Transcriptions (this is when you take a picture of a business card, and FullContact has a real person transcribe that card and send it back to your phone as a contact). The $12.99-per-month Premium version allows up to 25,000 contacts, real-time syncing with Google, and 50 Business Card Transcriptions per month. Both versions allow you to purchase extra transcriptions as needed. PURECONTACT PureContact is very different from any other contact manager I've tested. Depending on how you intend to use it, that could be a very good or a very bad thing. PureContact values quality over quantity and, because of that, it's best thought of as a favourites app, not a full- fledged contact manager. If you're going to be using it to stay in touch with a select group of people, it’s incredibly handy. But if you're looking for an app to manage hundreds of contacts, this is not the one for you. That’s because you have to add all of your contacts manually. Unlike most contact managers, PureContact doesn’t scour your various address books and services for people with whom you've been in touch. Instead, it accesses your phone's (Android or iOS) address book and lets you select who you'd like to add. All of the contacts you choose are given their own circle, which you can tap or swipe to access or take action. PureContact lets you assign actions to behaviours, such as a right, left, up or down swipe, or a double tap. You can have the app email your contacts on a right swipe, but call them when you double tap. I love how you can personalise these actions in a way that makes sense for you. L also like PureContact’s simple, sophisticated design. It’s clutter-free and easy to use. At $1.29, it’s also very affordable. Still, that price tag may be hard to justify when the app is simply serving as a souped-up version of the ‘favourites’ function your phone likely already offers. FOUR GMAIL MOBILE APP TRICKS FOR iOS AND ANDROID BY BEN PATTERSON There's more to the recently revamped Gmail app than a pretty Material Design. Read on for four new Gmail tricks, starting with... SET A VACATION RESPONDER You can set a vacation reminder directly from the Gmail app, perfect for letting friends, loved ones and co-workers know that you won't be replying for a good long while. For iOS: Tap the menu button in the top-left corner of the page, then tap the Settings button (the one shaped like a gear) next to your email address. Flip the Vacation Responder switch, then fill in the blanks - you know, start and end dates, subject line, message and so on. Tap the Save button. Bonus tip: Any vacation message you set in the web version of Gmail will automatically sync with the Vacation Responder settings for the Gmail app, and vice versa. For Androi the top-left corner of the screen, scroll down and tap Settings, then tap the Gmail account for which you'd like to set an out- Tap the menu button in of-office message. Tap Vacation Responder, then fill in the start and end dates, a subject line and the body of your message. Checking the box next to ‘Send only to my contacts’ will ensure that only people you know will get the message. Flip the ‘Vacation Responder’ switch on, then tap Done. SHUSH AN ANNOYING EMAIL THREAD Gmail makes it easy to ‘mute’ an annoying message thread - like the kind where everyone chimes in with a “congrats!” or “so cute!” or “see you there”... over and over again. Once muted, the thread won't appear in your inbox again unless you're the only person in the To field. For iOS/Android: See a message thread you'd like to mute? Open it, tap the three- dot (for Android) or down-arrow (for iOS) menu in the top corner of the screen, then tap Mute. Want to unmute a message? Search for ‘is:muted’, open the muted message you'd like to unmute, then move it back to the inbox. That'll clear the thread's Muted label. eusiness GE SWIPE BETWEEN MESSAGE THREADS Here's a handy little Gmail feature that’s easy to miss. Want to read the next message thread in your inbox? No need to tap the Back button to return to the inbox screen. Instead, just swipe from right to left (for older threads) or left to right (for more recent threads). ATTACH BIG GOOGLE DRIVE FILES TO YOUR MESSAGES With a little help from Google Drive, you can send a massive file — as in, say, more than a few GB - toa friend via email, or deliver a large batch of files. Don't have a Google Drive account? Well, if you're using Gmail, you've actually got one already. First, you'll need to load the files you want to send into Google Drive. Open your Google Drive account, then drag the file you want to send onto the web page. The file should begin uploading automatically. Next, open the Gmail app, compose a new message or reply to an existing one, tap the Attach button (it looks like a paperclip), then tap Insert from Drive. Find the file you want to send, tap it, then tap the Select button (for Android) or the curved arrow (on iOS). ne-woo'ppomoew mam SLOZ AVN BED susiness COMPNOW FIRST TO ROLL OUT APPLE'S DEVICE ENROLMENT PROGRAM BY TANIA CAO Apple’s Device Enrolment Program (DEP) is now officially available in Australia at CompNow. The family-run organisation has become the first IT provider to offer businesses and education institutions the program, which easily deploys and configures iOS and OS X devices. DEP, which is apart of the Apple Deployment Program (ADP) “provides a fast, streamlined way to deploy organisation-owned iPad and iPhone devices and Mac computers purchased directly from Apple, or from participating Apple Authorised Resellers or carriers”, explains Apple. CompNow, the first Authorised Apple Reseller in Australia explains, “Through combining your Device Management Software (MDM), your Volume Purchasing (VPP), and purchasing your hardware directly through CompNow, you can now enjoy true zero-touch configuration of your devices - both iOS and OS X.” VPP allows organisations a simple solution in purchasing, downloading and installing apps and books from the App Store and iBooks Store. Through the ability to purchase iOS and OS X apps and books in volume, devices can be easily distributed with the same apps or books to employees, contractors, teachers or students. There are two VPP websites - one for business and one for education. The VPP for Business allows you to get custom built apps for iOS. Custom built apps are created by third-party developers to fit your acquired needs, and can be downloaded privately through the VPP store. The VPP for Education lets app developers offer special pricing for app purchases of 20 or more for eligible institutions; however, special prices for books are not available. Welcome to iPad The zero-touch configuration for IT will mean that large-scale deployment of iPads and Macs are “seamless” says Apple. Devices will be configured according to the requirements placed by organisations, with assurance that all devices will receive the same configuration. APPLE’S NEW MACBOOK PRO AND AIR MODELS DON’T SUPPORT WINDOWS 7 IN BOOT CAMP BY IAN PAUL Microsoft is pretty much done with Windows 7 and, now, so is Apple. The new 13in MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops introduced in March will not run Windows 7 via Apple’s dual-boot assistant, Boot Camp. According to Apple's support documentation, Boot Camp only supports Windows 8 and 8.1 on the new devices; however, official Windows 10 support will likely roll out later in 2015. ) FileMaker An Apple Subsidiary This is the second time Apple has decided to give Windows 7 the cold shoulder. The late 2013 Mac Pro also ceased to support Windows 7 in Boot Camp, but other Macs released in 2014 did support Microsoft's operating system. Apple hasn't officially said if the lack of Windows 7 support for Boot Camp is the new normal going forward, but it seems likely. In January, Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 7, meaning the OS will only receive security updates for the next five years, and retail disc sales for Windows 7 ended in late 2013. With Microsoft winding down its own support of Windows 7, now is the ideal time for Apple to say goodbye to it as well. NOT THE END. Anyone who has Windows 7 discs kicking around will still be able to use the OS on the newer MacBooks ~ just not with Apple's software. Third-party virtualisation options such as Parallels Desktop or ‘VMWare Fusion still support Windows 7 installs. If you need a free option there's also VirtualBox, though Parallels or VMWare Fusion tend to offer better performance. ‘The lack of Windows 7 support with Boot Camp may annoy people who need it for work, but with the virtualisation options around it shouldn't be a deal breaker. If Windows 7 support is absolutely critical, however, and you want to use Boot Camp, there are still a number of Macs on the market that will support it. Check out Apple's support pages (support.apple.com/en-au/HT204048) for a complete list. &% PROUDLY SUPPORTING MAC IN BUSINESS The home for business-minded Apple users on macworld.com.au While many Mac, iPhone and iPad owners use their devices for purely personal pursuits, there are those who document, record and share as part of the their day to day work. What are the most efficient and effective hardware and software options for your needs? How can you start using it immediately to drive sales, connect with colleagues, create powerful presentations, reduce communication charges? We examine the latest technology for enterprise users to help you make the best use of your time and resources for your business. Jonathan Stewart - Editor of Macworld Australia We started this section as we appreciate that technology is a critical foundation for the success of your business. macworld.com.au BE} Guest COLUMN... BY GLENN FLEISHMAN Why the new MacBook's single port is all you really need pple’s revelation of a single- port MacBook had been : leaked months ahead of time. Still, many were in denial and remain so. From their perspective, which you can read in comments on articles, a single port is a nonstarter. They point to the many uses of a port besides charging its battery: to charge and sync iOS and other devices; for tethering a phone or tablet to use its cellular connection; to connect to monitors, printers and scanners; and more esoteric uses, like target disk mode, in which a laptop can be mounted as a disk on another Mac. In fact, that’s how | use my laptop! But here's the thing: when you use technology versus write about it, you're @ pundit for yourself. Unless you make a special effort, your use case seems like the preferred one - you see it every day, it makes sense to you, and everyone else appears to be an outlier. As a tech writer, though, | try to break through the barrier of my own choices, and make sure | understand how everyone works. It's often difficult to know whether I've found a pocket or people or a widespread trend, but | rely on where companies invest their money in new products, reported and estimated sales figures, and how third- party ecosystems grow or fail. — What shakes out with the new MacBook is the difference between what I'd call a nomadic desktop user, who is an often reluctant mobile road warrior, and the mobile-first or mobile- only user, for whom a computer is like a bigger, different smartphone or tablet, and their usage pattern mirrors that. NOMADIC DESKTOP ROAMER Creating makeshift shelters of desks and electronics wherever they roam, the nomadic desktop user expects to have and needs external devices to carry out her work. This includes an external monitor (or maybe two), at least one external drive and one hopes a gigabit Ethernet connection. As one of this herd, | sympathise. I've always treated a laptop as an accessory to my main machine, which was a desktop computer, whether all-in-one, a Cube or a tower. | resisted an Air for years, and bought a 15in MacBook Pro a few years back. But | sold it months later when | realised it was just too hurking for my needs. A mid-2011 MacBook Air has been my stalwart companion since. More recently, set up ina co-working space, my focus shifted so that my laptop became my main computer and Mac mini my adjunct machine, used occasionally. But I'm still tethered to the trappings of desktop life. At my co-working space, I've left a DisplayPort-equipped Asus monitor, a USB 100Mbps Ethernet adapter, a charger, a keyboard and a mouse. Also, the kitchen sink For we breed of nomads, a MacBook could be a hard sell unless and until clever docks are introduced. These are expected. A single dock, likely requiring external power, could handle DisplayPort output and a USB 2.0/3.0 hub, as well as pass-through power. So far, USB-C network adapters haven't been discussed by Apple or others, but it should be possible, and that would be a must-have dock item as well. Even with a dock, we're going to feel less capable with a single port or with USB-C as our only wired interface. We don’t want to carry piles of adapters or a dock — the worst thing we have to do is pack separate mini-DisplayPort-to-DVI and -VGA dongles if we're expecting to give presentations on the road. I'm likely an outlier in that category by owning a MacBook Air over a MacBook Pro. While | run Adobe InDesign, Lightroom and Photoshop regularly on my MBA, it's a stretch and often involves tedious delays that | wouldn't encounter with an MBP Stil, | prefer the flexibility. For my confreres, though, you're more likely regularly plugging in external hard drives, and if you're lucky enough to already be working at Thunderbolt 2 speeds, even a dock doesn't help, as you'd be knocked down to 5 Gbps with the new MacBook at best. MOBILE LAPTOPIAN The sweet spot of the MacBook is aimed squarely at the person who lives on a laptop and rarely, if ever, has need of its ports except for charging. They often find themselves unable to plug in, and they need battery life long enough to let them not worry about that. When you look at sales figures of wired peripherals, where they are stocked, and what kind, it’s clear that wireless has won the day wherever it's possible — as with printers and networking - and that a relatively small number of users combine laptops with the regular use of external storage and other devices that benefit from the highest of high-speed performance. What those users look for is the time between charges, not the capabilities when tethered. Apple describes the lightweight, 12in MacBook as having nine hours of wireless web, the same as the heavier, 11in MacBook Air, and both get an hour more when just playing video. Apple shrinking the logic board and pumping in more battery in empty spaces certainly had an effect. (Apple estimates 12 hours of routine use for the 13in MBA.) The iPad Air 2 weighs half as much but gets 10 hours for any mix of surfing, streaming and viewing. It's clear Apple sees the range of nine to 10 hours as ideal to go without a charge. But do these folks never plug anything in to a laptop, except an iOS device to charge it? David Brennan responded to a query about ‘no port’ users, by noting that he uses a Mac mini for more intensive tasks, but carries around a MacBook Air of my vintage for everything else. “I could live quite happily with no ports,” he writes, and a MacBook is on his list for when his current MBA battery is past its prime. Chris Brennan, a colleague from across the world in the UK, notes that in his personal use he's gradually become almost entirely untethered already. Even when he's at work, “My printer is wireless, as are the keyboard and mouse in the office.” Between ubiquitous Wi-Fi, wireless peripherals, cloud storage and the long battery life of a MBP he can see living off one dual-purpose port. And another responder noted similarly that all the purposes to which GUEST COLUMN he used to need a USB port, such as a flash drive, he now relies on Dropbox and other cloud services. He writes, “I'd bet that there’s a middle ground between people who've worn the gold off their USB contacts and me, who think they use the ports most months, but actually only use it once or twice a year, and would cope just fine if it wasn't there.” Add to this picture the fact that USB-C will allow bidirectional charging: you'll be able to get third-party batteries inexpensively with multiple ports that can be both power source and hubs. This will make the rarely pluggers even more able to live away from the grid. PAINTING A RAINBOW The new MacBook is polarising, because it reveals some of our fears about the direction Apple seems to be taking. | mean, by all that’s holy, they took our floppy drive! Our optical drive! Our FireWire! What... will they take next?! Veteran Mac users feel this most of all, because events of the last 15 years have whipsawed us with changes every two or three. For the right user, the one- port MacBook is a fine compromise, even if there could have been two. For the wrong user, Apple still has a whole line-up of other computers, many aimed at us nomads. & LOZ AVN ne"woo"pyomaeu MMM Kensington KeyFolio Thin X2 Plus Ifyou like to ditch your MacBook when you travel and just bring along your iPad, the KeyFolio Thin X2 Plus makes a useful companion — it includes an integrated Bluetooth keyboard with backlit keys. Available in black or white, the case doubles as stand in landscape orientation, powers ff the keyboard automatically whenever disengaged from the magnetic stand, and is compatible with the iPad Air's magnetic sleep/wake feature. Kensington $119.95 www.kensington.com/au rir rerPle ‘The Surtr for iPhone 6 features a 2700mAh battery that can be charged by either a conventional wall outlet or by the integrated solar panel on the back of the case. The case’s battery will give you another battery cycle and is recharged by via a micro-USB port. Its available in black, orange or blue and the only thing you have to fear isa cloudy day. EnerPlex US$99.99 + shipping www.goenerplex.com xey a stem Casetify Customised Apple Watch Band 4 This company lets you create your own customisable Apple a4 Watch Band by connecting to Instagram or Facebook, picking your A] favourite picture and using itto fill in the details on your band. Not | 44 four different Apple Watch bands for US$50 apiece. Casetify / US$50 + shipping http://www.casetify.com ETGUID into DIY? You can pick from Casetify's ‘Launch Collection’ lineup of y RTS j= Knomo Knomad Air The Knomad Air is a portable organiser with plenty of room for your iPad, iPhone and all of their accessories. The organiser features elastic straps that hold your, charger and cables in place, dedicated pockets for documents and devices, and a stylus holder. The Knomad Air comes in black, blue or brown, and includes @ unique ID tag that helps retrieve a lost device. Knomo US$69 + shipping www.knomobags.com TurtleCell for iPhone 5/5s The TurtleCell features built-in retractable headphones that are always on hand whenever you want to listen to music or take a phone call. The case sports an in-line microphone, as well as an audio switch for turning the headphone feature off and on; it comes in black, red, aqua blue or platinum grey. TurtleCell US$39.95 www.turtlecell.com the stand, but can be popped out if needed for travel. Twelve South / $49.99 www.twelvesouth.com The HiRise for Apple Watch aims to both showcase your new wearable and charge it overnight. The stand ships in silver or black, with a brushed metal finish and its non-slip rubber base will keep it from sliding. The Apple Watch charging cable slips into the back of Unitek USB OTG hub with KM Swap & File Transter This device from Unitek connects Mac, PC and Android devices and allows you to control both devices with the same set of keyboard and mouse. To drag files to another desktop, plug into the ports and you'll be able to work across two platforms. The port includes three USB 3.0 ports and data transfer rate of up to 5 Gbps. Anyware $39.95 WWW.anyware.com.au prooucts Qi Griffin Technology WatchStand The Griffin Technology WatchStand holds your Apple Watch at an easy-to-view angle while it charges. The WatchStand accommodates both flexible and semi- flexible Apple Watch bands and its internal core slides ‘out so users can safely keep their charging cable out of the way. The stand’s moulded base allows you to prop up and easily view your iPhone, as well. Griffin Technology US$29.99 + shipping www.griffintechnology.com SLOZ AVN newoo pyomoew mam BED sPruications AP P G U | D E Cool software for the iPad, iPhone & iPod touch. ADOBE COMP CC PRODUCTIVITY Adobe iPAD FREE Instead of being chained to the desktop while roughing out an initial draft, designers can now create more freely from nearly anywhere using only an iPad, safe in the knowledge that the work they've done so far will actually be part of the final project. Comp CC enables designers to dummy up designs using stock placeholders for image frames, text, lines and shapes. The app comes equipped with vectors for basic shapes, while other assets (such as those created with Adobe Shape CC) can be placed directly from a Creative Cloud Library, camera or iPad photo library. It may not be a full-featured solution, but there’s more than enough here to knock out quick comps for clients or even attractive first drafts for mobile, web or print work. PLANET QUEST GAMES OutOfTheBit iPHONE & iPAD FREE Planet Quest is a charming new rhythm affair that finds you abducting humans from a hovering UFO. As the planet spins, you'll tap in time with the current track to suck them up into your ship, and when one song ends, another immediately begins. It's a game you can play in an instant, but one you'll want to keep plugging away at. PERISCOPE SOCIAL NETWORKING Twitter iPHONE FREE Periscope is a live video streaming app that allows Twitter users to communicate via a live video with as many people as they like and also alert their followers that it has vig begun. When the video is finished, users 6 “can make it available for reply for 24 hours. ve] a Broadcasters can converse with viewers with eo an in-built messenger and receive ‘hearts’ depending on how well liked the video is. LAYOUT FROM INSTAGRAM 1 PHOTO & VIDEO L a Instagram iPHONE FREE Layout makes a persuasive case for Instagram collages. If you don’t want to spam your followers with a series of similar images, even though each one is slightly different enough to warrant its own post and caption, Layout lets you sum up an experience in one perfectly curated photo, which is exactly what Instagram is all about. " MR JUMP GAMES (Button SARL iPHONE & iPAD FREE Mr Jump is a minimalist one-touch platformer game by 1Button. Expect to jump a great deal and then die. Each of the 12 levels features pits, pixel-wide platforms to land on and other obstacles, and each level introduces a new game mechanic or obstacle to watch out for, too. This free game is already shooting up the App Store charts and with good reason. APPLICATIONS GLOZ AV. he‘woo'pyomaeur MMM ATARI FIT 2) ANGRY BIRDS STELLA POP! ] GAMES HEALTH & FITNESS | Rovio Entertainment Atari | iPHONE & iPAD FREE iPHONE FREE Need a little incentive to get off your bottom? The free Atari Fit app for iPhone offers more than 100 exercises, so you'll have a useful guide to getting in shape — and if you actually do the exercises, you can earn ‘coins’ that unlock classic games like Pong, Super Breakout and Centipede. This bubble-popping affair is built in the mould of arcade classic Bust-a-Move (aka Puzzle Bobble), but really it’s a near-identical copy of Bubble Witch 2 Saga — from the interface to the power-ups, map screen and more. Angry Birds Stella Pop! remains an enjoyable freemium game, besting its rival on production values while delivering amusing gameplay — but also | difficulty spikes and arbitrary waiting periods. GOOGLE CALENDAR HERE PRODUCTIVITY NAVIGATION Google Nokia Apps | iPHONE FREE iPHONE FREE a taney” ~—s 1,- GOOgle Calendar has finally arrived as Nokia’s free Here app for iPhone is trying to its own app on iOS — sparing Google- loving iPhone users the hassle of syncing | disparate calendars across platforms. The | new app includes a schedule view, the : | ability to schedule events directly from Gmail, view single or multiple days and ‘smart suggestions’ to help you quickly fill position itself as an alternative both to Apple’s native iOS map and to the ever-so-popular Google Maps. This app encourages you to download maps to your phone for offline use; its features include voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation, maps for more than 100 countries, real-time traffic information in more than 40 out your event details. countries and public transit directions for more than 900 cities. OMNIOUTLINER PRODUCTIVITY The Omni Group iPHONE & iPAD $37.99 A good outline is an evolving idea. It's a workshop for hammering out the greater shape of something — a paper, presentation, business plan, book, screenplay — by adding, discarding and rearranging information. This is where OmniOutliner performs. Version 2.3 for iOS brings iPhone support and settings specific to using an external keyboard with the app: using the Tab key to navigate between cells, showing keyboard shortcuts in inspectors, | and typing Command-V to paste text styled or plain. The app can import text shortcuts from TextExpander if it's installed and additional templates from OmniOutliner 4 for Mac are available. For collaborators, OmniOutliner takes full advantage of Omni Sync Server, a free service that could be the model of cloud syncing — updates appear on iPhone, iPad and Mac devices within seconds, even when the document is open on all three. FAQ: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE APPLE WATCH BY CAITLIN MCGARRY AND SUSIE OCHS pple Watch debuted in 2014, which was plenty of time to think up all kinds of questions that company didn’t answer the first time around. How long does the battery last? How will Apple Pay work? How much do the things even cost? Now that Apple has launched the Apple Watch, what do you need to know? Find out here. APPLE IS FINALLY MAKING A SMARTWATCH, HUH? Yes it is ~ several, actually. The Apple Watch has three editions, varying in materials and luxury: the Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THOSE THREE? Apple Watch is made of stainless steel, in a shiny chrome or a space black finish. Its touchscreen is covered by sapphire crystal, which should make it more scratch- resistant than the Gorilla Glass Apple has used on its iPhones. Prices range between $799 and $1629, depending on whether you buy the 38mm or 42mm case and which band you choose. MESSAGES. Julian Hoenig Want to go to Monterey this weekend? Apple Watch Sport has an anodised aluminium case (which is lighter than stainless steel) in silver or space grey, and the face is Ion-X glass, which is also designed to be hard and rugged (as well as a little bit lighter) than the sapphire. It’s definitely the lightest of the three Apple Watch editions, making it an ideal exercise companion. It’s also the cheapest option at $499 for the 38mm version and $579 for the 42mm model. As for the Apple Watch Edition, it ramps up the luxury factor with an 18-carat gold casing in yellow or rose. As you may expect, it's heavy. Gold, y'know. The Apple Watch Edition also comes in a fancy leather box that doubles as a charging cradle! It costs about as much as an entry-level car, ranging from $14,000 to $24,000, depending on size and band choice. ARE THERE MUL BECA ACTUAL Yes, each edition comes in two sizes, which is something we haven't seen with any Android Wear watches so far. You'll be able to get the Apple Watches in heights of 38 and 42 millimetres - about FEATURE 1.5 and 1.65 inches, respectively, if you've had it up to here with the metric system. The Watch's promotional videos feature plenty of women wearing the watch, which is especially nice to see, since other smartwatch makers appear to be ignoring those of us with slender wrists. CAN YOU SWAP OUT THE WATCH BAND? Absolutely. Apple announced six bands, and it seems like it'll be easy to mix and match any band with any watch, swapping them out as your heart desires without the aid of any tools - as long as the band and watch are the same size. (The Leather Loop band, for example, only fits 42mm watches, not the smaller 38mm size.) Apple says it's come up with its own proprietary system to make switching bands easy ~ but that also means you probably won't be able to swap in just any band. And even if Apple’s bands fit your watch, the finish might be different. The solid-gold hardware accents on the rose grey Modern Buckle band won't match the anodised aluminium finish of the Apple Watch Sport, for example. For working out, the sweat resistant elastomer Sport Band comes in black, Ana Frazao What a wonder- ful surprise David, How did you know 40 Bg white, pink, blue and lime green. The Sport Band comes as the default on the Apple Watch Sport, naturally. Weirdly, different colours of the Sport Band have different weights, with black being the lightest. Owners of the Apple Watch and Watch Edition get three leather straps and two metal straps to choose from. The Leather Loop is designed to be soft and comfortable, with a highly adjustable hidden magnetic closure - you just wrap it around your wrist and the strap sticks to itself to stay closed. That one comes in stone, light brown and bright blue. Available in pink, brown and midnight blue, the Leather Modern strap has a two- piece magnetic closure and a subtle texture. And the old-school Classic Buckle strap is a black leather strap that closes with a stainless steel buckle just like the traditional watches you've seen your whole life. Crafted from stainless steel, the Link Bracelet band closes with a butterfly clasp. Apple has included a link-release button on several of the links, so you can remove links yourself to customise the fit - instead of having to take it to a jeweller or watch repair shop. That one comes in a regular stainless steel tone or in space black. With myriad tiny, interlocking loops, the Milanese Loop band resembles chain mail, only much more modern. The stainless steel mesh is also magnetic, so you can adjust it to more sizes than you could the Link Bracelet. WHICH PHONES DOES IT WORK WITH? Good news: you do need an iPhone to pair with your Apple Watch, but it doesn’t have to be the brand new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. An iPhone 5, 5s or 5c will work just fine. That's a big deal since the watch’s $499 starting price may be harder to justify if it also required the purchase of a shiny new phone. CAN LEFT-HANDED USERS WEAR IT? Don't worry, southpaws, Apple hasn't forsaken you. The Apple Watch works well for lefties, because the display rotates. All you have to do is flip the watch over so the Digital Crown is on the left side. Then swap out the band so it’s also in the right position, and then strap the watch to your right wrist. Easy, right? WHAT KINDS OF SENSORS DOES THE APPLE WATCH HAVE? CAN IT TRACK MY HEART RATE? Apple says that the watch has a couple different sensors, including a gryroscope and an accelerometer (as you'll find in most smartphones), plus a ‘custom’ sensor that uses visible-light and infrared LEDs along with photodiodes, all on the back of the device, to determine your heart rate. The Apple Watch can also talk to your iPhone’s GPS and Wi-Fi to help with figuring out location and other information. SO IT’S A WATCH AND A FITNESS TRACKER? The accelerometer lets the watch count your steps, and it extrapolates distance on its own, or relies on the GPS in the paired iPhone to trace your exact route. That step data comes in handy for two of the apps Apple has included on the watch: Activity and Workout. Activity shows your progress toward daily goals for moving, exercising and even standing. Workout is for more detailed tracking of a variety of activities, including distance, pace, time and calories burned during each session; you can also use that app to set workout goals, and the watch will give you feedback as you reach those goals. Both of the watch’s fitness apps sync data back to the Health and Fitness apps on your iPhone, too. You can’t use third-party fitness apps like Runtastic or Nike+ Running without your iPhone in tow, though. HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE THE APPLE WATCH? IT’S GOT A TOUCHSCREEN, RIGHT? It does have a touchscreen, but the Apple Watch's big innovation is the little dial that sticks out the side, also known as the Digital Crown. That's a high-tech version of the crown you'll find on standard wristwatches, which you turn to set the time or wind the watch. In the case of the Apple Watch, however, the Digital Crown acts more like the iPod's clickwheel. You can turn the crown to scroll through a list or zoom in and out of a map. Pressing the Crown returns you to the watch’s home screen, just as pressing the Home button on your iPhone would. Below the Digital Crown, you'll find a button, which Apple simply refers to as ‘the Button’ Press it to access the Friends app, which brings up a Contacts-style collection of the people you like to stay in touch with. Tapping a picture of a friend lets you send them a message, make a phone call or make contact with the Apple Watch's Digital Touch features (which we'll talk about below). You can touch and tap on the screen too, but if you recall using the sixth-generation iPod nano (the little square one from 2010 that you could buy watch bands for, remember?), the size of your fingertip is bound to obscure part of