MacWorld0202February2002

New LCDs and CRTs Compete for Top Honors, page 56 aCWOr BEST Office v. X, QuicKeys X, and Wacom Graphics Tablets Reviewed, and Ihnatko on the iPod s}iadxg Jonposg 2eW PUL | ZOO" co ff PRODUCTS The Hottest Hardware, the Most- Innovative Software, wae and the Technology _— of the Year 4 Get organized, and take your files with you wherever you go. Burn all your data, video, photography, 3 MP3s, vinyl, cassettes and whatever else you've got to CD with Toast” 5 Titanium, from Roxio. The best selling CD burning software in the world for the Mac” You can even create your own personalized jewel cases for each disc. Hit roxio.com to find out how. Use a PC? Look for Roxio’s Easy CD Creator” 5. 1s and may be wepstered in tome othr aiaatons, Mac sw trademark of Azpla Computer, ie. regatered in the US. and other counties. Al other trademarks see are owned by thes respective owners. Our software is designed to assist Choose 140 at www.macworld.com/getinfo Opinion 14 Forums and Feedback Readers respond. 51 The Game Room PETER COHEN Otto Matic and Red Faction bring out the best in 3-D action games. 152 Ihnatko ANDY IHNATKO The iPod is cool, but its potential is even better. Mac Beat 18 AirPort 2.0, the next generation iffects 5.5, and Q&A with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. of FireWire, After How-to 94 Customize OS X's Finder Toolbar JOSEPH SCHORR With a little fine-tuning, you can make OS X’s toolbar part of your computing toolbox. n indespensable 100 Print Publishing Secrets TERR! STONE Learn the ins. and outs of refining typographic color in QuarkXPress. 102 Web Publishing Secrets DAVID SAWYER McFARLAND Add motion to your Web sites with Macromedia Dreamweaver 4s Timelines panel. 104 Mac OS X Secrets BILL BRIGGS OS X’s early imple- mentation of AppleScript was shaky. find out whether it’s far enough along for your work, 106 Mac 911 CHRISTOPHER BREEN Get help with monitor connectors, hard-to-read keyboards, adding laser printers to AirPort net- works, and performing a custom installation with Software Restore discs. My February 2002 www.macworld.com Incorporating MacUser Macworld's Ultimate Buyers’ Guide: Monitors DAVID MORGENSTERN AND JONATHAN SEFF Without a monitor, a computer is useless, and since your monitor will likely outlive your current Mac, it’s important to make the right purchase. In this buyers’ guide, we help you decide between CRT and LCD technology, and we review 37 displays of different shapes and sizes. 56 Office X-tra Has Microsoft released the first killer app for Mac OS X? Read our review of Office v. X to find out, 28 Reviews ot Pee 28 Productivity suite 996% Microsoft Office v. X $$$. Entourage XY wt! 1988 Excel a $899 PowerPoint Flying Saucer I! $996 Word The latest incarnation of Apple's AirPort 34 Macro utility has new features— $944 Quickeys x 10 and a new look, 36 Ink-jet printer 23 $9962 Epson Stylus C80 39 Graphics tablets 94% Wacom Graphire2 $88$%2 Wacom Intuos2 40 QuickTime-authoring program $991 LiveStage Professional 3.01 4 nN DV-titling software $642 India Titler Pro 1.0 44 HTML editor The 17th Annual Editors’ Choice Award: . ee idence sich $9996 BBEdIt 6.5 Macworld editors present their picks for the year's most-innovative products. 4 81 ra) Web-site diagnostic tool $988 Lift Onsite 2.01 46 Firewall-log analyzer $998 Who's There Firewall Advisor for Mac OS X 4 ny] AppleScript development environment $66%% Script Debugger 3.0 48 Photoshop plug-in $899 Nik Sharpener Pro Drawing Room a Wacom’s graphics tablets | Reviews You Can Trust come in different sizes oursrannine: OO008 for varying needs. Read our VERY coop: $88 review of two models, coop: $$ FLAWED: §§ 39 UNACCEPTABLE: § On the Cover Photograph by Trevor Pearson YOU CLICK SENDING OUT BRILLIANT COLORFUL IDEAS WITH ASTONISHING SPEED AND ACCURACY ONLY TO HEAR A CLIENT ASK, "WHAT AM | LOOKING AT?” e Xerox Phasor* 7700 Tabloid Color Lasor $6,999" XEROX PRINTERS MAKE IT HAPPEN. Color so detailed, you can count the hairs on a moth’s wing. The new Xerox Phaser® 7700 tabloid color laser printer will surprise you in countless ways. It not only prints 22 ppm, color or black and white, but speeds out your first color page in just 13 seconds. It prints as big as 11x17 full bleed, with 1200 dpi giving you the photographic quality color you want and clients demand. And PhaserMatch™ color management software ensures the colors you want are the colors that print. It's just what you'd expect from one of the full line of Xerox color and black and white printers. To see what a difference realistic color can make, call 1-877-362-6567, ext. 1857 or visit us at xerox.com/officeprinting/moth1857 THE DOCUMENT COMPA XEROX XEROX NETWORK PRINTERS Copyright ©2001 XEROX CORPORATION. Al rights reserved. Xerox? The Document Company and Phasor* aro registered trademarks and PhaserMatch” is a trademark of XEROX CORPORATION, “Egimated U.S. retal starting price, Reseller price may vary. * Encore. Fastirack — Schedule The 0 of the award-winning project manager will soon make its debut on Screens and in stores. To preview, pre-order, and find out more information on features and availability, call 800.346.9913 or visit Choose 84 at www.macworld.com/getinto 8 February 2002 www.maeworld.com VPOF CONTENT/EDITOR IW CHIEF Rick LePage EoITOR Jason Sne! EXECUTIVE EDITOR, MACWORLO.COM Lisa Schmeiser SCMOR FEATURES EDITOR Terri Stone SEMIOR NEWS EDITOR Philp Michaels. eviews eoivon Jennifer Berger ASSOCIATE EDITORS Mathew Honan, Kelly Lunstor, Jonathan sett CONTRIBUTING EDITORS David Blatner, Henry Bortman, Christopher Breen, Adam C, Engst Bruce Fraser, Jim Heid, Andy thnatko, Ted Landau, Deke McClelland, Scholle Sawyer McFarland, Tom Negtino, Nancy Peterson, David Pogue, Stephan Somogyi, Franklin N, Tessier Las Law inceron Kristina De Nike s Garaith TESTMANAGER Jom ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL ANALYST _Ulyssis Bravo copy EDIT MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Werner ASSISTANT MANAGING EOITOR Charles Purdy cory eoiroR Sue Voelke! ART AND DESIGN DESIGN DIRECTOR Sharon Anderson DESIGN ASSOCIATE Alisa Mach PREPRESS CONSULTANT Stephen Sugg CONTRIBUTING OESIONER Jennifer Steele MACCENTRAL.COM News pinceron Jim Dalrymple stuion eorrons Peter Cohen, Dennis Sellers INTERNATIONAL EDITORS Mattnew JC. Powell, Australia; Bernard Le Du, France: Sebastian Hirsch, Germany: Enrico Let italy; Yoshio Moriya, Japan; Tomasz Bitner, Poland: Oanie! de Blas, Spain; Nils Holmiby, Sweden: Engin Gedik, Turkey; Simen Jary, United Kingdom FANTONE® ond othe Pantone, lnc, tedemars oth property of Peions, be. ©2002 Howe Packard Crary lights ese. Why some lips get kissed Why fruit gets picked. Why embarrass is cand others get CPR. not easily disguised. PANTONE” PANTONE PANTONE 293 164C 178C Why people’ come in Why fall is unable to Why the shy is sometimes cout of the sun. sneak up on us. blamed for depression. PANTONE PANTONE PANTONE 499C 717C 445C Why burgers get Ripped. Why teeth get pulled. ‘Why men color their hair. PANTONE PANTONE PANTONE 478C 127C 427C Accurate color matters. The new HP Designjet 10ps and 20ps printers. Proof-quality printers starting at $8.49. For a print sample, visit our Web site at wwwhp.com/go/accuratecolor My files are important. Very important. PRESIDENT AND CEO Colin Crawtord I only share my files with those I trust. I trust DAVE’. Accoumne corowaron Rona Bine POF NUMAN RESOURCES Sue Murphy VPICNIEF OPERATING OFFICER Stennen Daniels | OMAN RESOURCE MANAGER SUTEen Wy NETWORK SERVICES MANAGER Sein Greathouse Mac to PC, PC to Mac. | Ir manacen Jennifer Tores Cross-platform file and print sharing is too vital to your business | to risk. Trust Thursby, the company with 15 | Asvocarerumsni ens yetna Raney years experience. Trust DISPLAY ADVERTISING SALES POF SALES/PuBLIBNER Stove Plevin (415/243-9509) SALES & MARKETING COORDINATOR Kasay Mot DAVE, the solution with (418/283-3642) a proven track record. NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER Pau! 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SHOWCASE ACCOUNT MANAGER Niki tran (415/203-3664) SHOWCASE ACCOUNT MANAGER Carol Johnstone (495/243369) ONLINE SALES MANAGER D0U9 Detlefsen (a15/243'3598) Trust DAVE. panwesits DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Hilary Weber SEWIOR MARKETING MANAGER Sharon L.Cordesse MARKETING SERVICES MANAGER Joanna Bock Colombo MARKETING INTERN Guillaume Guersing PRODUCTION PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Steve Spingola | PREPRESS MANAGER Alan Anzalone [ROOKING ANO BILLING MANAGER Ricardo Sandoval ro | ‘Ap cooRDINATOR Megan Matteon) ohare Folle" —— www.thursby.com the File ‘senior wee pRooveER Christina Gonzales ONLINE PRODUCTION MANAGER Ron Nea! hal ea OSX mark of Apple Computer, Inc registered in the U.S. and other counthes, The “Built for Mac OS X” graphic ie a Lwademark of Apple Computer Inc, used Under license. DAVE is a registers Now Supports Inkjet Printing. ©2008, Thursby Sokoware Syster Choose 124 at wwwmacworld.com/getinfo 10 February 2002 www.maeworld.cor Anthro on the inside. Milan, Paris and London on the outside. When you first glance at our new fit system furniture, you'll likely think, ‘Hey, looks like Anthro's designers spent their summer vacations in Eur Then when you start putting your computer and accessories on (and in) your fit furniture, you'll realize it's as sturdy and flexible as anything Anthro makes. Our good folks are ready kb to help you choose the right fit system for you. ANTHRO Contact us at ANTHRO.COM or 1-800-325-3841. —_TecHNoLocy FURNITURE Visit us at Macworld Expo Booth #2317 You can draw anythi ith iM ti PowerCADD acWOr HOW TO CONTACT MACWORLD ‘Subscription Information and Services 800/288-6848. trom the United States 16047445, trom al other locations us. na: acwonta tion Services co 80322: (include a maiing label with correspondence. 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Regtints and Permissions, 301 Howard jour company’s ectorial coverage, cal Reprint Management Services a: 71273994900, fax, 717/199-8900; em Mailing Lists We periodically made tists of our customers available to malers of PO, Bor $4529, 8: (60 80322-8529, Please clude a copy of your mang labe SARA Macworld Editorial jeune stories trom past we yout Macintosh problems by jhene, email or fax, Contact Apple tle at BO/S38-9896, ex. 500, ou oti 301 Howard Street, 15th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105; phone, 415/243-0505: fax, a15/442-0766, Mace Mt festhame_tastnomesmacwor'd com, BELIEVE what PowerCADD users are drawing these days. Pen-and-ink sketches. Cartoons. Page layouts, Lervens To THE EDtTOM Dect comments and Felt-marker illustrations with radiant skies and rippling waters. regang any Logos. Doodles. Patent illustrations. Renderings, Anything. tne high volume of m See for yourself. V isitthe Drawing Room at www.EngSW .com, etter We ese where the world is exploding these days. Some ar ¢ drawn in entirely in PowerCADD, often with SketchT ools for pen ink work, PerspectiveTools for architectural delineations, PowerCADD’s new gradient fills and W ildTools for blow-your- mind drawing tools. It's easy (o move between PowerCADD, Photoshop, Illustrator, FormeZ and DesignWorkshop. Tum your genius loose. Call today. Order Power and WildTools. And put some fun back in your life ie to letters macworld com. Due to 2, we canit respond personaly to exch iasions. Al letters publishes tot Maceo of Mae Publishing, MAG 911. Send your questions or Lips ea Using Mac computers, Francieca, CA 9105: ta 4 mmacwotidcom, Please wae your name, address, and telephone o share tins andiscuss Mac problems with other Mac users, iat the Macworkdcom forums MACWORLD CONFERENCE & EXPO As the flagship sponse Engineered Software 615 Guilford Jamestown Road of Macworld Conference & Expo, Macworid encourages al subscribers to attend this ectirg biannual industry event For information about —aINeiNE ee Post Office Box 18344 registration, exhibitor fiscs, conterer dues. dates. and much SOFTWARE Greensboro, NC 27419-8344 more. piease wit warn macworidexpa.com. "| (336) 299-4843 » srw EngSW com ‘era. 12 February 2002 www.maeworld.c Buy a 256MB G4 upgrade and get one GET ANOTHER EXTRAORDINARY PAIR. Ce #1 WORLD'S LEADING NOLO visit shop.kingston.convg4promo Re kingston FEBRUARY 2002 Forums and Feedback Macworld Sense and Sensibility ' || Iv’s fitting that our in-depth reviews i] THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO of 26 digital cameras made so many readers look at the big picture. The November 2001 issue touched off debate on everything from the future of digital imaging to when we can expect Macs to obey voice com- mands. Some readers made a stink about a few reviews, but that didn’t faze us—we’re always willing to listen to reason. So enjoy this taste of recent com- ments. And we're sure this issue will inspire an equally pas- sionate response; we have a sixth sense about these things. m Candid Camera Comments (2) Tom WHITELEY The statement “Conventional wisdom in the camera industry is that 35mm film can ren- der an image in around six million pixels” is just plain wrong (“Mac- world’s Ultimate Buyers’ Guide: Digital Cameras,” November 2001). By most measures, silver-halide film yields significantly more comparative pixels than this. A $10 to $15 single- use camera yields a color negative with significantly more information than a $7,000 six-megapixel digital camera. Digital photography is much, much less cost effective and convenient than silver-based pho- tography. Point-and-shoot film cam- eras are very reliable and are found in most homes today. Film is inex- pensive and totally reliable. The resulting negatives, which few actu- ally keep, are not subject to the unknown stability of digital media and the great problem of future changes in standards. 14 February 2002 www.macworld.com (\KeN zirKEL You didn’t quite identify the consumer audience to whom digital photography offers the greatest appeal. Advanced amateurs are the ones to gain the most from the digital revolution. If you’re some- one who photographs all the family events, gives framed photos as gifts, enters photo contests, and takes your photography seriously, you're going to love the digital workflow. (2)M, £. BAER One of the reasons I’ve decided not to go digital is that ink used in most printers will fade after a relatively short period of time. To me, going with prints developed at my local drugstore is a better bet. Photographie prints will last longer than ink-jet reproductions. We tackled the issue of long-lasting prints in “Macworld’s Ultimate Buyers’ Guide: Printers” (August 2001). While the longevity of ink-jet prints used to be a serious concern for photographers, printer makers have made great strides in creating long-lived inks. If you print your images on suitable paper and handle them with care, digital images printed with today’s long-lasting inks should have a life span similar to that of prints from film cameras.—Ed. A Dim Outlook (\cLenn corwin While I agree that Outlook 2001 is dramatically better than its previous incarnation (Reviews, November 2001), it still doesn’t provide feature parity with the Windows version. I’m one of the few Mac-only developers at my com- pany. All the Windows developers track bugs using fancy forms within Outlook. It’s too bad that these forms aren’t supported on the Macintosh. [2] DENNIS MCELROY It’s great to finally be able to use my Mac for scheduling, e-mail, and the like, at work. The one limitation I’ve experi- enced concerns using Outlook over a wireless network. Although the PC client works just fine, I’ve consis- tently seen the Mac version time-out when sending any e-mail message longer than a paragraph or with attachments of any size. I can only hope Microsoft comes up with an answer, since wireless is taking the country by storm. Time to Speak Up (2) DR. BYRON DE LONG Thank you, Andy Ihnatko, for your heretical observation that, as interfaces go, point and click is passé (“Voice of Reason,” November 2001). While others at Macworld have extolled the promise of voice recognition for both dictation and navigation, you are the only one who has taken the proper editorial tone of irritation, irreverence, and indignation, in reporting on your Radio Shack research. There is no excuse for this lack of innovation, Apple. If your people could design a GUI to run on 64K of RAM in 1984, then there’s no reason, other than lack of vision, that they can’t create useful and reliable voice navi- gation today on what your market- ing division tells us is the world’s first desktop supercomputer. Having to touch a computer to operate it is absurd, and the people who figure this out at the OS level are going to change everything. A Left-Handed Compliment? [2] DALE McGRAW Your review of monochrome handhelds (November 2001) states: “The m500 has a leather cover that folds back, and you can attach it to either side of the PDA . making the m500 friendly to lefties. 1 own the m500, and the leather case will fit only the unit’s left-side slot. Consequently, the stylus will fit only in its right-side slot. I'm sure that the leather cover can slide into the right- side slot—that is, if you want it sliding out and falling to the ground every time the unit is turned upside down. If you want the cover on the right side, you'll have to carry the stylus in your pocket, because the left-side slot is too small to hold the stylus. Routed © NEIL LEE The wireless broadband routers review (November 2001) was definitely not up to your usual stan- dard. I have an SMC Barricade, which comes with a print server (a fact that asn’t mentioned) and has 128-bit WEP with a firmware upgrade that’s months old. You could have men- tioned that all of these routers were upgradeable with firmware updates, to let your readers know that this addi- tional functionality exists. And how did your reviewers miss the printer port in the back of the Barricade? Brought to You by Aqua © DAN CIPOLLA I’m upset that I haven't seen any publicity for Mac OS X. Every time [ turn on the TV, I see an ad for Windows XP. When I turn on the radio, I hear an ad for XP. Why isn’t Apple advertising? How can it hope to succeed without promoting itself? Gateway advertises how great and friendly its stores are. Apple has stores, but they’re not advertised, so a large portion of the American public doesn’t, know about them, Panoramic Views (S)ron stewart I didn’t think thar anyone else knew about Panorama (Reviews, November 2001), ’'m a network administrator, and I love Panorama’s speedy style. The small manufacturing company where I work has grown from two Macs to 20, and it uses Panorama for mailing- list, order, and parts-orders databases, along with Everywhere’s SQL server. I'd recommend ProVue’s Panorama to any company using Macs. [2] STEVEN H. BLACKWELL (FILE~ MAKER SOLUTIONS ALLIANCE PART- NER) Your conclusions about Pano- rama as compared to FileMaker Pro seem to be utterly insupportable. File- Maker Pro is fully multiuser. In con- junction with FileMaker Server, it can support as many as 250 simultaneous users. It also serves files to the Web, faithfully rendering most complex lay- out elements to browsers supporting Cascading Style Sheets and rendering more-generic layouts to older brows- ers. It has been cross-platform for many years; it currently runs on the classic Mac OS, Mae OS X, and Win- dows. I don’t understand how your reviewer could come to the conclusion that FileMaker Pro had been “blown out of the water” by this product. (ZI) KEVIN MALLON (PUBLIC RELA TIONS MANAGER, FILEMAKER) You state that “Panorama has always blown away competing products, such as FileMaker Pro and 4D, in the per- formance department,” but you fail to support this claim by not providing benchmark-testing comparisons. Mak- ing unsupported claims such as this blurs the line between editorial opin- ion and factually responsible reviews. I did test FileMaker (with a large RAM partition) and Panorama by performing some common real-world tasks, using a data set of 122,000 records. Panorama 4.0 substantially outperformed FileMaker Pro 5.5 in each test; in some tests, Panorama was more than 10 times faster. Given the review’s length, I felt it was suf- ficient to note that Panorama has historically been faster than its com- petition, and that it continues to be so today.—Geoff Duncan. Prepare for a Sleepless Night {=| m. wRoe When you give a prod- uct a score of 4.5 mice, which part of the mouse constitutes the 0.5? My friend and I have come up with the head and tail ends, half if you cut it down the middle, or sections if you quarter or otherwise dice it. I feel I will lose sleep over this if it is not answered. Crossing Over (2) cary pepe Thanks for “Make AirPort Cross Platforms” (How-to, November 2001). I had an AirPort network running in my home, but I was using a dial-up connection on my lone Compaq. Because of your article—and a modest investment in a Lucent/Orinoco Silver USB client receiver—the PC now gets high-speed access, too, It was every bit as simple as you stated. | © Post your comments on our forums at | www.macworld.com or send them by mail to Zl Letters, Macworld, 301 Howard St., 15th Fl, San Francisco, CA 94108; via fax to 415/442- 0766; or electronically to letters@macworld com, Include a return address and daytime phone number, Due to the high volume of mail received, we can't respond personally to each letter. We reserve the right to edit all letters and posts. All published letters and forum com> ments become the property of Macworld. CORRECTIONS ‘A MultiMediaCard is not compatible with a Secure Digital card ("Macworla's Ultimate Buyers’ Guide: Digital Cameras," November 2001), Also, the Kodak DC4800 Zoom comes, with a fens cap, and the Olympus Camedia €-2100 UltraZoom comes with a2.7x digital zoom and a CRT viewfinder, The phone number for Miramar Systems (Make AirPort Cross Platforms," How-to, November 2001) is 800/862-2526, worw.maeworld.com February 2002 15 Outstanding Color, Unlimited Possibilities. 19 agement software = Fast RISC processing $137” XANTE COLOUR SCREENWRITER For Screenprinting Specialties Film positives leat transfers jutput up to 13” x 19” olor proofing, labels, & more! $137” MORE GREAT PRINTING | SOLUTIONS FROM XANTE: Accel-a-Writer 3N © Serves as a workgroup laser printer © Resolution up to 1200 dpi © Output up to 13" x 18.5" .$58™ COMPUTER TOL FoR SEEN PRTERS ScreenWriter 3 © Desktop film positives for screen printing applications © Resolutions up to 1200 dpi © Output up to 13" x 35.5" $69” _ OMPUTERTO-PLATETECHIOLOGY | PlateMaker 3 © Computer-to-plate Accel-a-Writer® 3G * Monochrome graphics up to 2400 © Output up to 13° x 35.5 © Output up to 13" x355 peronter $113” CLEARLY ™ Also available from the XANTE ColourLaser product line: Ss 14 | @ Sok a |? | ane & —e Introducing the XANTE ColourLaser 21, XANTE's latest and most dynamic digital color printing solution. Along with the precision color performance and consistency you've come to expect from XANTE, you get the ultra high-speed printing you've craved. The XANTE ColourLaser 21 is the ultimate digital color workhorse — combining XANTE’s color management expertise; product versatility, and an affordable price — its quality is unsurpassed * High volume, high performance * Oversized printing up to 12" x 35.5" * Duplexing capabilities *XANTE's color management * Low cost-per-page * And much more! Lease price per month**.........$257 *YXANTE Innovations in Printing Technology 1-800-926-8839 exr.2171 Enter online for your chance to win a FREE ColourLaser 21! WWW.XANTE.COM / MW9 ark or egstered trademarks of XANTE CORPORATION. Adobe, crated PANTONE an oer atone. dent of registered traders respective hole’, XANTE BS SS08 fox 51475 6803 wersontecom Choose 113 at www.macworld.com/getinto What's New, What's in the Pipeline, What's Hot | FutureWire LATEST VERSION OF FIREWIRE STANDARD TO BOOST SPEEDS, CONNECTIVITY Any glimpse into Apple’s future will likely reveal a FireWire cable. Whether at the center of the company’s digital- hub strategy or in the latest digital- video hardware, the FireWire connec- tivity standard has never been more integral to the modern Macintosh. But the standard that Apple devel- oped for high-speed peripherals hasn’t been refined for years. The same can’t be said for the rival Universal Serial Bus standard. Intel launched the faster USB 2.0 specification more than a year ago (see News, August 2000); devices using the new specification have been available since fall 2001. The current FireWire standard can handle data at a maximum trans- fer rate of 400 Mbps. USB 2.0 beats that with 480 Mbps—a massive jump from USB 1.1’s transfer rate of 12 Mbps. You used to be able to pigeon- hole USB 1.1 as the low-bandwidth peripheral interface and FireWire as its high-bandwidth counterpart, but now many observers see USB 2.0 as competing directly with FireWire. Adding Fuel to the Fire So how will FireWire keep the fire stoked? By topping USB 2.0’s speed. The 1394 Trade Association—named after the IEEE 1394 specification trademarked by Apple as FireWire— has announced a next-generation FireWire specification called 1394b. It will boost FireWire’s sustained data-transfer rate to 800 Mbps and 18 February 2002 www.macworld.com faster, reaching 3,200 Mbps at high- end implementation. The 1394b specification should be finalized by the time you read this. It has passed two IEEE ballots; it awaits only formalization and a few minor revisions to the connector design. The 1394b specification can be used with Cat 5 (Ethernet) cable, Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) cable, and 50-micron Multimode Fiber (MMF) glass cable. The optical cables permit high data-transfer speeds over dis- tances of up to 100 meters. The automotive industry likes POF for 1394b cabling because it’s light and inexpensive and presents no fire risk in an accident. For data transfer at the highest speeds for the longest distances, MMF cable must be used. Professionals in audio and video studios are keenly interested in switching to 1394b over MME, because one such connection has the potential to replace dozens of tradi- tional copper cables. (Copper can manage the highest speeds, but only at distances of up to 4.5 meters.) Most consumers won't have to worry about optical cables, but they will need to negotiate connectors, The new connectors and cables for 1394b have been designed with ease of use as a primary concern. While 1394a (the current Fire- Wire standard) and 1394b specifica- tions are compatible, 1394b requires different hardware to run at higher speeds. So 1394b devices need to be identifiable, and one way to recognize them is by the connectors. Currently, a four-pin small con- nector and a six-pin large connector are used for all FireWire devices. But 1394b adds two more—a beta connector and a bilingual connector, both rectangular, measuring 8mm wide by 5mm high. The beta connector will connect only 1394b devices to other 1394b ILLUSTRATION, DOUG ROSS; INFOGRAPHIC, TERRY PACZKO devices. It’s keyed so that it will fir into only beta or bilingual sockets. The bilingual connector can link 1394b devices with 1394a devices; it can also connect two 1394b devices. The bilingual connector is keyed so that it will fica bilingual socket but not a beta socket. Does it seem confusing? Don’t worry. The 1394 Trade Association offers this simple maxim: “If you can plug it in without breaking anything, it will work.” Even though the keying system is difficult to describe in words, it’s designed for easy interoperability in practice. Rivals or Partners? So how will the faster FireWire stan- dard affect its rivalry with USB? At any speed, FireWire offers di advantages: letting devices communi- inctive cate without a computer, protection of intellectual property, and guaran- teed bandwidth for streaming data. These features make FireWire an {Bilingual \ cable igloo 8 attractive technology for consumer electronics, digital video, and pro- fessional video and audio produc- tion. Without significant modifi- cations, USB won’t make inroads into these areas. On the other hand, USB 2.0 offers speed at a low price. For most devices that people connect directly to their computers—digital cameras, printers, and MP3 players—USB 2.0 will more than carry the load. More important, none of these devices take advantage of the intelli- gence that FireWire offers. And USB 2.0 is fully backward compatible with USB 1.1, without the need for any new connectors. Both USB and FireWire bring unique features to the Mag, so it’s best to view them not as competing but as complementary standards, Each has strengths, and products will be based on FireWire or USB depending on their requirements—not on the mar- keting spin.—DAVID READ 6-circuit rT ’ (legacy) | heal ~ | Xe \ | ) Bilingual Beta cable Beta only = = = Cable Ready? FireWire devices for the current standard sport 4-pin or 6-pin connectors. The 1394b standard introduces two new connectors—bilingual, which can connect to the 6-pin and 4-pin sockets on older FireWire devices as well as to newer peripherals, and beta, which can connect only to the sockets of newer devices. Apple has yet to announce whether it will adopt 1394b. a 2001/04/27/nab4.htmi X TAKES EFFECT If Mac OS X is to become the default platform for Mac users, the software that people use daily needs to appear in OS X-native form. For people who work with digital video, that includes applications for editing video and creating visual effects and graphics. Adobe has solved one part of that equation with the release of After Effects 5.5. The newest version of the 3-D-compositing application sup- ports Mac OS X 10.1; the updated soft- ware also runs on Mac OS 9.) and higher. And while OS X compatibility represents a major addition to After Effects, it's not the only new feature. The Light Transmission feature lets layers cast colored shadows, giv- ing users more control over composi- tion illumination, The Advanced 3-D Renderer properly antialiases inter- secting layers, improving the composi- tioning quality. Users now have access to multiple, simultaneous 2-D and 3-D views of compositions. Also included are several new effects—such as levels controls, four-color gradients, and cell patterns—and an improved Effects palette for managing them. In addition to the SWF and RPF formats, After Effects 5.5 can import MPEG-1 files— previously a Windows-only feature. After Effects 5.5 Standard sells. for $649. The $1,499 Production Bundle offers additional effects such as color stabilization and Advanced Lightning, import of Maya 3-D camera data, the Smart Mask Interpolation Keyframe Assistant, and the Zaxwerks 3-D Invigorator Classic plug-in. A remaining piece of the OS X puzzle for video professionals is Pre- miere, Adobe's popular DV-editing program. Adobe confirms that it will run natively on OS X but hasn't said when it will do So—JONATHAN SEFF jeagq DEW | More Info: www.macworld.com/ | Mac users may still be waiting for an | OS X-native version of Premiere, but Adobe offered a glimpse of what to expect at last year’s NAB show. www.maeworld.com February 2002 19. In with the new... TechTool Pro 3 is the super utility for your Macintosh. Besides repairing and recovering data, TechTool Pro can help you circumvent problems in the first place. Our new virus detect and repair feature, as well as our software conflict check feature, lets you keep your computer in tip-top shape. When booted from the included emergency CD, you can even check, repair and optimize your OS X computer. Every day, more and more Macintosh professionals are choosing TechTool over other system utilities. In fact, even Apple Computer includes TechTool Deluxe with every copy of their AppleCare™ Protection Plan. Simply put, TechTool Pro 3 is the most complete and powerful troubleshooting utility available for your computer. Why would you settle for anything less? WiMicromat Inc. 800-829-6227 707-566-3831 In with the newer... The frst 2N4 final disk 1 >> ‘Or Mac Qs x. as For Apple's next-generation operating system, you'll need a next-generation disk utility. That's why Micromat has introduced Drive 10, the first and final disk utility for Mac OS X. Problems with your drive? Drive 10 can repair almost any drive problem with one simple click of your mouse. All within OS X's native environment. While Drive 10 is a new product, it is derived from TechTool Pro, Micromat's world-class diagnostic and repair utility. Using TechTool's time-tested routines as well as some new routines developed exclusively for OS X, Drive 10 offers many tools for checking and repairing any drive on your system. Don't entrust your OS X drive to ancient utilities. Protect your data and drive safely with Drive 10. info@micromat.com www.micromat.com ©2001 Micromat, Inc. All rights reserved. TechTool is a registered trademark of Micromat, Inc. Drive 10 is a trademark of Micromat, Inc. Macintosh and AppleCare are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Choose 37 at wwwmacworld.com/getinfo ith Apple’s newly released Fi Cut Pro 3 (800/692-775 wwwapple.com), professi video editors will be able to store more footage, perform sophisticated color corrections, and use real-time effects, without needing anything more than the program and a Fire- Wire-enabled G4 Mac. The latest version of the digital- video-editing application also runs natively in Mac OS X, providing pro users with what Apple hopes will be another reason to switch to the next- generation operating system, Real Time, Real Advantages Final Cut Pro 3, which also runs in Mac OS 9.2.2, takes advantage of the Velocity Engine technology built into the G4 processor to deliver dual- stream rez di Real-time effects were part of Final -time effects, such as cross- olves, titles, and color correction. Cut Pro’s architecture in previous ver- sions, but they were usable only with additional third-party hardware such as the $999 Matrox RTMac. Now, all you need is a Mac with a G4 proces- sor and FireWire support. Real-time software acceleration also enables the new color correction tools in Final Cut. These tools, which include primary and secondary color correctors, range checking, zebra- stripe overlays, and waveform and vectorscope monitors, allow users to fix color problems and apply cor- rected settings to clips, The other key addition to Final Cut is OfflineRT, a format based on the new QuickTime Photo-JPEG codec. With OfflineRT, users can transcode DV, SD, or HD footage in the Photo JPEG format in real time, for time-code-accurate, low-resolution offline work, The DV format normally lets you store 5 minutes of video per Three for the Show TRIO OF FEATURES IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF FINAL CUT PRO UPDATE gigabyte of hard-drive space; Photo- JPEG provides 40 minutes of video per gigabyte. That makes it possible to edit clips offline—on an airplane, with a PowerBook G4, for example—using a fraction of the hard-drive space required for DV. Coming Attractions Final Cut Pro 3, which should be ship- ping by the time you read this, costs $999; registered users of Final Cut Pro can upgrade for $299, You'll need a Mac with a S0OOMHz Gé4 processor or better to use the G4 real-time effects, and a PowerBook with a 667MHz G4 to use mobile real-time DV effects, At December 2001's DV Expo trade show in Los Angeles, Apple not only unveiled the Final Cut Pro update but also previewed the upcoming Mac OS X version of DVD Studio Pro, which is expected to ship in the first three months of 2002.—JONATHAN SEFF without having to open the file,” says Andrew Salop, a senior product manager at Adobe. Adobe sees XMP as a way to attach metadata to files with- ACRONYM SOUP ADOBE TRIES TO SIMPLIFY PUBLISHING TASKS WITH XMP- As cross-platform publishing continues to accommodate new methods of file delivery, two electronic asset-management issues loom before those who create publishable files—catalog- ing metadata and then accessing that descriptive information through multiple applications. Adobe has one answer to both problems: XMP, or Extensible Metadata Platform. The XMP technology is based on Extensible Markup Language, or XML—the lingua franca for defining other, more specific markup languages—which is nonproprietary; data captured in XML can usually be read by any application that parses the markup language. “Metadata provides insight into what an asset—an object with intrinsic value, like an image or a document—contains, out forcing print and design professionals to break a sweat. To promote XMP, Adobe is making a file-information interface available in its applications. Users fill in certain data fields, such as author and keyword. That information will then be asso- ciated with the file via XMP. With XMP, Adobe wants users to catalog metadata as they create files, instead of after. And XMP. bundles that information within the file rather than storing it ina third-party database. XMP's information options are based on the Dublin Core, a metadata set that describes document properties, such as creator and description. Like XML, the Dublin Core is publicly available, making data recognizable across platforms and applications. Adobe has already incorporated XMP into Acrobat 5, Illustrator 10, and the forthcoming InDesign 2. It plans to eventu- ally build XMP into all of its applications —LisA SCHMEISER www.maeworld.com February 2002 21 jeaq 2eW yeag 2eW PRO FILE NAILIMG A NEW LOOK Q&A with TRENT REZNOR Trent Reznor ushered in a new era of digital cudio production with the 1989 release of Pretty Hate Machine, an album that helped launch an entirely new genre of music. roughout the 1990s, Reznor’s band, Nine Inch Nails, continued to break new sonic ground and push the limits of what could be done with music on a computer. And he’s still breaking ground, with ___AT A GLANCE the December 2001 release of the Nine Inch Nails tour film And All That Could Have Been and its accompanying CD. Reznor and Nine Inch Nails Webmaster Rob Sheridan shot the entire TRENT REZNOR film on MiniDV, edited the video in Final Cut Pro, mixed the audio in Digidesign Pro Tools, and AGE: 36 assembled the DVD rough cut in DVD Studio Pro—MATHEW HONAN | RESIDENCE: New Orleans, LA MACS: Power Mac G4/867 with Q: Why did you make it what we get down to what in Final Cut. So 1GB of RAM, PowerBook G3/S00 decide to shoot And wanted it to be. we wanted to do. we would have pro- SOFTWARE: Propellerhead Soft- All That Could Have Fromourperspec- —Q:_ What did you fessionally recorded Ware Reason, Mark of the Unicorn Digital Performer, Digidesign Pro- Been on MiniDV? tive, we weren't use to edit footage? audio synced up Tools, Native Instruments Absynth Reznor: Costwise, _video editors. The Sheridan: When to 30 different it made sense. cool thing about this the tour was over, instances of a song, We bought a few process was finding the wholethingwas like five angles from _ured out digital using a Commodore {Canon} XL1 cam- out that, yeah, you edited in Final Cut Chicago and three video editing, and 64 for MIDI. At the eras, and we could can do this. The from beginning to from San Diego. we wanted to [figure time of Pretty Hate film every night of —_ease of use of the end.Wehadsome- Q: Howwasusing out] what we could ~— Machine, | had a Mac the tour from eight hardware and soft- thing like 200 Mini-DV Studio Pro? do {with} DVD. We Plus. | did all the different positions. ware made it pos- DV tapes. Welined Reznor: Ithadliter- hada veryrudimen- sequencing of that It seemed like it sible to get the up all that footage —aily just come out, _tary knowledge of record on that. With was something we tedious crap out of andalllthedifferent_—_andiit was timely what you can do. Broken, Studio could manage and _the way and just takes of one song because wehadfig- DVD Studio Pro,we —_Vision had come out. used with the inten- That was the first tion of mocking up marriage of MIDI something. We knew and digital audio, we were taking itto and that forever an authoring place, changed the way | The Whole Mouse in Your Hand and we could beta record. Now that it’s The TrackPad on Apple's PowerBook and test it at home. This gone from recording iBook models gives mobile Mac users a was a way for us to everything on tape handy way to operate their laptop. But it get afeelfor things with a few things on doesn't give them multiple programmable buttons—the TrackPad has the same in very easy-to-deal- the computer to single-button clicker you'll find on other Apple-made mice. Power users who with terms. It putsa recording everything want the one-two punch of multiple buttons—or folks who simply can’t stand lot of power insome- on the computer, the TrackPad—can choose from among a mess of mice, but only if they're willing thing that doesn't its changed the to lug that peripheral around with their laptop whenever they hit the road. For nea Giawnainy | eecerameel as: users who put as high a premium on proportions as on programmability, there's @: Didn't you ple in the studio. the Super Mini Optical Mouse from Atek Electronics (888/889-9990, www record Pretty Hate The programmer is .atek.com). Just an inch wide and 2.5 inches long—smaller than even Macally’s Machine ona Mac? —_ much more the engi- pint-size iOptiJr—the Atek mouse can rest comfortably on your index and middle fingers. More important, the $50 Super Mini Optical Mouse fits right on your PowerBook’s palm rest, perfect for those cramped cross-country flights. Travelers will also enjoy the convenience of the miniature travel pouch that first one. Iwas also —_to know Pro Tools. Reznor: I'vehada —_neer now. All the Mac since the very engineers now have comes with the mouse. The three-foot-long cord plugs into your Mac’s USB port, and downloadable driver software lets you program the right and left buttons. More Info: wwwmacworld.com/ fi 2 One drawback: the driver software works only on Mac OS 8 and 9. Mac OS X (AA 2002/02/macbeat/reznor.htm! -= users can operate the mouse, but if they want something they can program, — ——__ eas “i ik — Trent Reznor describes the role of Macs y they'll just have to reconcile themselves to living large-—P' fa hs eacoedang Fula m 22 February 2002 macworld “= = eas) = = SS — =. ANew AirPort Opens With recent updates to AirPort software and hard- ware, Apple (800/692-7753, www.apple.com) has added some much-missed features to its wireless Ethernet products. But in some ways, AirPort 2.0 is more of a teaser for cool stuff yet to come. Apple says that it had three main goals with Air- Port 2.0: to increase compatibility, to redesign the Base Station, and to improve security. Apple also wanted to get existing users up-to-speed—all the new client- side benefits are available even to older AirPort cards, though only new Base Stations can take advantage of most of AirPort 2.0’s features. The exception is Air- Port’s newfound compatibility with America Online. Before, AOL users had to use a separate ISP when connecting to the Internet through their Base Stations. Now they can connect to AOL directly—even with existing hardware, The new Base Station, which is iBook-white instead of silver, has been beefed up considerably to support as many as 50 Network Address Translation (NAT) users, up from 10 to 20, It also has two Ether- net ports—a 10-Mbps port for your broadband con- nection and a 100-Mbps connection for your - LAN—and a built-in firewall. The — most important thing about rye: . the new Base Station, how- ever, may be its expand- ability. Apple has hinted at future software upgrades. that will add new features, something that the older hard- ware apparently made more difficult to achieve. On the security front, Apple seems to have taken note of all the secu- rity problems in 802.11b, the technical standard underlying AirPort products. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) has proven to be the security equivalent of snake oil. It left Air- Port users stuck with 40-bit encryption keys. New Base Stations support 128-bit keys. While 128-bit WEP may be simply a higher grade of snake oil, enabling longer keys on the client side is an important step since this format has become a standard for many corporate and university environments. The AirPort 2.0 client software also supports Cisco’s LEAP (Light- weight Extensible Authentication Protocol) security scheme, which improves wireless security considerably. Unfortunately, LEAP requires Cisco-made base sta- tions, so AirPort Base Station owners don’t get the security benefits.—sTEPHAN SOMOGY! DIGITAL CAMERAS @ A4)3-megapixel camera from Ricoh (888/742-6410, wwwiricohzone.com): The Caplio RR1 ($699) offers 2,272-by-1704-dpi resolution and a 3x optical zoom, It comes with 8MB of on-board memory and a 64MB Smart- Media card, and it features three operating modes. PRINTERS © Two inkjet printers from Hewlett-Packard (800/752> 0900, www.hp.com): The HP Photosmart 1215 ($299) and HP Photosmart 1315 ($399) offer 2,400-by1.200-dpi resolution. The 1215 prints 15 black-and-white pages per minute and 31 color pages per minute. The 1315 prints 17 black-and-white pages per minute and 13 color pages per minute. It also has a 2.5- inch color display. STORAGE DEVICES © Anexternal FireWire drive from Maxtor (800/ 262-9867, www.maxtor.com): The 80GB Personal Storage 3000DV ($350) is an 80GB hard drive with a 7,200-rpm. mechanism. Its storage capacity is 33 percent more than that of previous 3000DV external drives. © Two drives from OPS (800/559-4777, www.qps-inc com): The 120GB Que M3 Ultra Slim Hard Drive ($499) is an external FireWire drive that runs at 7,200 rpm. The 32x Que CD-RW Drive (USB 2.0 version, $299; FireWire version, $249) features 32« CD-R burning, 10x CD-RW rewriting, and 40x CD-ROM reading speeds. It includes BurnProof technology to prevent buffer underruns. VIDEO PRODUCTION © Pinnacie Systems’ video editing system (650/526" 1600, www.pinnaclesys.com): The CinéWave RT ($9,995; upgrade, $2,495) lets users perform real-time editing, effects processing, and ‘compositing on their Macs, using uncompressed standard-definition video. The CinéWave hardware~ ‘software system combines the Targa Ciné Engine with Final Cut Pro, Commotion Pro, Knoll Light Factor, and. CinéWave RT software. AUDIO SOFTWARE ® Peak DV 3.0, from Bias (800/775-2427, www bias-inc.com): The digital- audio editor, which runs on both OS 9 and OS X, was previously available only to Final Cut Pro users ($199; upgrade, (ree), CROSS-PLATFORM SOFTWARE @ Virtual PC 5.0, from Connectix (800/950-5880, www.connectix.com): The updated application runs ‘on both OS 9 and OS X. It includes support for Windows XP and for DVD- ROM data, as well as Virtual ‘Switch networking for increased networking capa- bilities. The Windows 98 ‘and DOS versions of Virtual PC 5.0 are already shipping. Versions with Windows 2000 and Windows XP Home preinstalled will ship in late December and early continues wywemaeworld.com February 2002 23 COURTESY OF APPLE; ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARK MATCHO jeag oeW jeag OeW — DMhats HOT A QUICK LOOK AT THE WORLD OF TECH 1. Lawyers and consumer groups criticize the proposed settlement to the Microsoft antitrust case. Bill Gates disagrees, noting that mounting legal fees have forced him to light victory cigars with $20 bills instead of the customary c-note. 2. Thousands of Mac users descend upon San Francisco for Macworld Conference & Expo. Attendees include Mac enthusiasts, software developers, and confused moviegoers who thought they were in line for the Harry Potter matinee. 3. Could a new design for the iMac be in the works? We're not sure, but Steve Jobs was spotted pricing colored translucent plastic at a Home Depot a couple of weeks ago. January, respectively (Virtual PC with Windows 98, $199; Virtual PC with 005, $99; upgrade, $79). © Revolution 13, from @ Listen 13, from Mac ‘TAX-PREPARATION SOFTWARE @ TaxCut Deluxe, from H&R Speech (603/644-7253, wwwemacspeech.comy: This update to the speech: Block (800/472-5625, www fecognition program, which taxcut.com): The software Runtime Revolution ([44]131 runs. on OS 9, adds a One runs on OS 8.6 and later, 718 4333, www.runrev.com): ‘Shot Command feature and —_including OS X. A Tax Law The tool for cross-platform support for non-English lan- Assistant toot keeps users application development now —_quages. Italsofeaturesnew apprised of how tax-law runs natively on OS X.it fea- ways toenhance user speech changes affect them. Auto tures cross-platform access —_iles ($99: upgrade, free). entry lets users import W-2 to ODBC, Oracle, and MySOL_—@ OpenOSX Office 1.0, from and 1099 data electronically ‘OpenOSx (760/935-4736, wwwopenosx.com): The databases, plus extended Ten new state editions are support for Internet proto: cols (Standard edition, $349; Professional edition, $995). now available, bringing the ‘open-source productivity total number of states cov: ered by TaxCut to 36 ($25; online version, $20 for fed suite offers OS X-native GAMES versions of word processor © Harry Potter and the AbiWord and spreadsheet eral, $10 for state). Sorcerer's Stone, from Aspyr application Gnumeric. as Media (888/212.7797, www aspyr.com): The 3-D-action © Quicken Turbo Tax Deluxe, from Intuit (800/952-2558, wwwiturbotax.com): The well as graphics editor Gimp ($30, $50 with Gimp; upgrade, $10). game based on the movie updated program reflects uns on both OS 9 and SCIENCE SOFTWARE the new tax laws. A Tax 0S x ($30). © Mathematica for OS X. | aw Advisor feature offers PRODUCTIVITY from Wolfram Research personalized advice on the SOFTWARE (800/965-3726, wnwwolt changing laws. The Auto: @ ViaVoice for Mac OS X. from IBM (888/746-7426, wwwuibm.com): The speech: ram.com): The mathematics __ mated Tax Return feature and calculation software now lets users import 1098 now runs on OS X, offering —_—_data. More financial institu: recognition software now speed and stability enhance- tions and payroll processors runs natively on OS X.Itadds ments (commerciallicense, have signed up with Intuit an expanded vocabulary, $1,495; upgrade from 41, to make W-2 and 1099 data faster training, and G4 opti: $45 if purchased before available for download mization (S171; upgrade, March 23, 2001, or free if (S50; online version, S20 $20 for Via Voice for Mac purchased after: upgrade to $30) — mpiled by Enhanced Edition users). from 4.0 and earlier, $375) PHILIP MICHAELS 24 February 2002 www.macworld MAc OSX UPDATES powered by laa versiontrackercon Aladdin Stuffit Deluxe 6.5.1 Adds Stuffit Contextual Menu for OS X Aladdin Stuffit Expander 6.5.1 Adds automatic file transfer to Paim upon synchronization Arkaos WJ 2.1.2 Multimedia authoring tool AtWork 2.2 Cocoa-based time-billing application Blizzard Starcraft X 1.0 Multiplayer action game CE QuickMailPro 3.0 Client component for e-mail system Clipboard Manager 1,0 Tool to create multiple clipboards CustomGrid 2.2 RealBasic plug-in for spreadsheet-grid control Epson Stylus Photo 820 1.1aS Printer driver Extensis Suitcase 10.0.1 0S X version of font-management application Graphisoft ArchiCAD 7.0v2 Architectural-design software adds OS X 10. support HP LaserJet driver 101001.00 Printer driver for many HP models Ico 2,832 Instant-messaging, SMS, and chat client now stores contact list on the server iView Media Pro 1.3 Improves POF support for asset-management application Lexmark 222/232 Color Jetprinter 2.0.3 Printer driver Now Up-to-Date & Contact 4.1 Updates version 4,0 of the calendar and contact manager to run on OS X ProSQL 1.0 Database-management and -reporting tool SparkME 2.1 ‘Audio-editing and -processing application ‘Symantec Norton AntiVirus X 8.0b16 Beta of virus-protection utility Tri-Backup 3.03 ‘Automatic backup and synchronization utility Memory Monitor 1.1 Displays memory-usage graph in the Dock Wing 1.0 Network-performance diagnostic too! Wacom Tablet 4.71-8 Driver for all Wacom USB tablets WebEvent Publish 2.0 Web-based event-publishing application For these and other current updates, \ visit: www.macworld.com/subject/updates The best-selling connection between high-speed, high-capacity, low-priced ATA drives and your PCI Power Mac 2Wire/USE Portable, flexible, secure—these driverless, car key-sized USB “drives” are simply amazing! Join the desktop video revolution—upgrade your original iMac” with this 500 MHz G3 processor/FireWire adapter combo SIMPLY FAST Choose 133 at www.macworld.com/getinfo Do it all... For more information visit www.sonnettech.com mm With ordinary printers, you see the marble statue called David. t= With our printers, you see a painted model named Jason: a product reviews Hands-on Evaluation and Authoritative Buying Advice | Microsoft Office v. X High-Quality Carbonization Delivers a Strong Office Suite for OS X BY TOM NEGRINO rewritten for Mac OS X is turning into a flood, and Microsoft Office v. X, the eagerly awaited upgrade to Office 2001 ($$$$; Reviews, January 2001), provides the mainstream pro- ductivity programs Mac users have been waiting for. But Office y. X is far more than a mere port of Office to OS X. With its superior integration into the OS X environment, nicely reworked Entourage X, and improved overall performance, Office v. X is a compelling upgrade. Office 2001 will remain available for people still running Mac OS 8 and 9, but Microsoft will be releasing only T= TRICKLE OF APPLICATIONS 28 February 2002 www.macworld.com WEDNESDAY («]o[m) <|> bug fixes (not updates) for that ver- sion. Office v. X requires OS X 10.1 or later to run, and future Office devel- opment will happen only for OS X. General Office Office v. X demonstrates Microsoft’s strong support for Apple’s transition to Mac OS X. Microsoft has Carbonized the entire Office suite, and its devel- opers have done an excellent job of implementing new technologies such as Aqua; sheets; the Quartz drawing envi- ronment; and Carbon Events, OS X’s architecture for efficient multitasking. OS X users have become accus- tomed to seeing the performance of MICROSOFT OFFICE V. X Overall: $9H Entourage: $$$ 1/2 Excel: $998 PowerPoint: $$6% Word: $565 Pros: Takes excellent advantage of Mac OS X features; improved Entourage X interface and calendar; fast. Cons: No Palm synchronization with the Entourage X application; minor printing and screen redraw bugs. Company's estimated price: $499; upgrade from Office 2001, $149 (for a limited time only); upgrade previous versions, $299, OS compatibility: Mac OS X Company: Microsoft, 800/426-9400, www.microsoft.com Carbonized applications lag behind classic versions of the same programs, as with the recent Painter 7. But Office v. X shows that when Carbonization is done well, you don’t have to sacri- fice speed. Even on a 400MHz G4 machine, the Office programs opened quickly, usually in 5 or 6 seconds. Operations are at least as fast in Office v. X as in Office 2001, and many are faster; some tasks, such as searching through Entourage’s mail database, are significantly faster. Office 2001 introduced the Proj- ect Gallery, a handy dialog box that served as a launcher for Office 2001 LLovo MILLER and icons sport the more im colorful, rounded Aqua look. The Office programs! Save dialog boxes take advantage of Aqua’s sheets, oats De, so they don't have to be | Sree errr et 5 dismissed before you can | Sedillo mvc na ‘seer }} work in another document 1 sathogeis, 3] or application (see “Saved s a= == ae | by Sheets”); however, Print Saved by Sheets Aqua's sheets allow you to switch from ‘one document or application to another without having to first deal with an open Save dialog box. templates, Office v. X’s Project Gal- lery adds a Based On Recent cate- gory, which displays copies of Office documents you've recently created or worked on. Double-clicking on a copy creates a new document that includes the text of the original docu- ment, ready for modification. It’s basi- cally just a more convenient method of performing a Save As operation, but it does save a few steps. Like Adobe and Quark applica- tions, Office v. X sports an antipiracy serial-number verification over your Ethernet LAN. When you start up an Office program, it looks for other Office programs with the same serial number running on any other com- puter on the LAN; if it finds a match, it will not run. (Macworld Lab has confirmed that the check is contained within the LAN and does not send any information over the Internet to Microsoft, so this shouldn’t raise pri- vacy concerns.) Longtime Office users will have to get used to changed keyboard com- mands throughout the suite. Most of these changes are due to Office’s com- pliance with Apple’s Aqua user-inter- face guidelines. For example, #8-M previously sent and received all e-mail in Entourage 2001, but Aqua reserves that keystroke for minimizing the current window to the Dock, so in Entourage X, the Send And Receive All command is 8-K. A Refreshing Aqua Blast You'll see Office v. X's embrace of dialog boxes do not appear as sheets. In keeping with Aqua’s more active interface, the Office applications now draw more artention to themselves when an inter- face changes. For example, when you show or hide the sections of the For- matting palette, the sections slide smoothly into view, rather than sim- ply appearing, as in Office 2001, Similarly, if you drag a tool palette to an edge of your screen to make it a tool bar, the document window and other tool bars slide politely out of the way. All the Office applications take advantage of Mac OS X's Quartz drawing technology to set the opac- ity of drawing objects or pictures, and PowerPoint Quartz’s supe- rior text manipulation to antialias text on slides for clearer presenta- tions. Interestingly, Word does not antialias document text, because if it did, the smoothed on-screen text would not look like the same text on the printed page. Word With the exception of Entourage X, you won't find many new features in the Office v. X programs. Word X’s primary new feature, besides Nisus Software's Nisus. Writer has boasted noncontiguous text selection since its early days, but this a welcome addition for Word users. The new Clear Formatting command resets the text selection to the default style for that paragraph; itcan be a real time-saver, Entourage With a full interface makeover and a heartier database, Entourage X is a big improvement on Entourage 2001. Swapping the old Outlook Express look for the coolness of Aqua, Entou- rage now lets you switch between its mail and personal information man- agement (PIM) features via six large buttons, making it easier to get to the features you want to use. Microsoft has also redesigned tool bars for each of the program’s main areas. Microsoft has also reworked the Calendar utility and made it much more useful, with a new three-pane view (see “Big Calendar Changes”). In the main Calendar pane, color codes denote weekends and week- days, events spanning multiple days are now displayed as banners rather than multiple events, and if you pause the cursor over an event, a label with the event's full name pops up. The second pane i: current day’s Tasks, Oddl: removes Tasks that you’ve marked as completed from the list, instead of striking them through, as in the separate Ti view. The third pane contains minicalendars, which are nice, though they're not as useful as they could be. You can adjust the continues a list of the Calendar interface changes, is noncon- tiguous text selection, which enables you to select one or more separate blocks of text in a single operation (see “Separate Selections”). Just select the first block of text, hold down the % key, and select another block, Your operation, such as text pty ta throughout bee (cuting tn ante bea) Cheap batoome (mates, ds dvenstaty farm wash ne Wess uve ene dye sheet per fo Laund Sea et ad's oom askat ls shirts in master closet fash and replace towels and washcloths in allbathtooms ‘Wash and replace dish towels from titchen ironing irom any Hees ng on lett der hale maser ir Cg Be ‘Howse Cleaning List ck of master closet hes on beds; the way i the and Tele utton-dowa and u SMBIASd) Aqua as soon as you open any of the suite’s programs. Alll of the controls formatting, is applied to all selected text. This is hardly Separate Selections Word X lets you format several noncontiguous blocks of text ina single operation. www.macworld.com February 2002 29 Yu SMBdIAd pane to show one or more months, but you can’t view the previous month and the next month without the current month (you don’t need the current month shown as a mini- calendar, because you already have it in front of you in the main Calendar pane). It would also be helpful if the minicalendars displayed days with events differently from those without, Another annoyance is that there’s no way to export your Calendar infor- mation out of Entourage without the help of an AppleScript. The absence of one important Entourage feature may give many potential upgraders pause. Unlike previous versions, Entourage X cannot synchronize with Palm hand- helds, because Palm Computing has not yet released the required Mac OS X-native programs, called con- duits. Microsoft has promised to make Palm synchronization avail- able for Entourage X, after Palm does its part, with a free download- able update. Microsoft has rewritten the Entourage database for increased reliability, faster performance, and integration into the multitasking OS X environment. The database is always running in the background, ready to accept events and updates from other Office programs, even when Entourage isn’t open. That allows Entourage to work with the new Office Notifications program, which opens a window to ler you know when scheduled reminders come up. Office Notifica- tions also lets you know when you have an incoming instant message in the new MSN Messenger 2.1, which is included on the Office y.X CD. epraee Excel and PowerPoint Neither E Point X has a lot of new features, but both programs benefit from OS X tech- 4 : (4 i ; 2 0 8 6 4 2 o. ‘el X nor Power- ? & Signal Strength [asancary Javebrvary la Moreh nologies, especially Quartz. You can now control the opacity of drawing objects, including chart elements for better-looking charts that are also more useful (see “See-Through Charts"). Another nice new feature in Excel is the ability to customize key- this ability mak board shortcuts. As in Word, you can add, remove, and reassign key- board shortcuts; unfortunately, you can’t customize them in Entourage or PowerPoint. Excel X protects you from crashes with AutoRecover, which saves a snapshot of your document at intervals you specify. If an Auto- Recover snapshot more recent than your last manual save is available when you reopen a document after a crash, Excel opens the snapshot and allows you to continue working. PowerPoint’s new Packages fea- ture allows you to consolidate your presentation and any linked files, such as external images, sound, or movie files, into a single iam a= om EB: folder, which you can then burn to a CD or send via e-mail; this solves the headache of file manage- ment. Export of Power- Point presentations to QuickTime movies is also improved; they can now include interactive features such as hyperlinks and slide transitions. Big Calendar Changes No part of Office has changed as much as Entourage’s Calendar. Event banners, pop-up labels, an integrated Tasks list, and better use of color make Calendar far more useful. 30 February 2002 www.maeworld.cam Teething Pains I found a number of bugs in Office v. X, mostly of See-Through Charts Both Excel X and PowerPoint X enable you to control the opacity of graphic objects, allowing you to create charts that are easier to read. the annoying but not disabling vari- ety. PowerPoint X failed to print one slide of a presentation to a PostScript printer, even though the slide printed fine in PowerPoint 2001, Sometimes Word X could not keep up while I was scrolling through a document—the program displayed duplicated lines or dis- rorted graphics—although the doc- ument looked fine when I stopped scrolling. In constant use and abuse over three weeks, the Office v. X programs occasionally crashed; however, they did so far less often than Office 2001's programs, which were quite reliable. Macworld's Buying Advice If you've made the transition to Mac OS X, you've experienced the annoyances of switching between native and classic applications. It’s very likely that you've also endured the aggravation of crashing classi applications. Upgrading to Micro- soft Office v. X solves both prob- lems; the new suite provides reli- ability and performance superior to Office 2001's. While these programs include few new powerhouse features, Office y. X’s excellent integration with OS X technologies such as Aqua and Quartz demonstrates Microsoft's attention to detail. If you rely on Office programs, the Office v. X upgrade should be an essential part of your move to Mac OS X. m OS X Native Support OS X/ OS 9 Interoperability Undoable Drives Windows XP Support Multiprocessor Support in OS X DVD Support Enhanced Usability Virtual RC for Mac | Version 5 b* ~X 9 * Run Windows’ applications on Mac OS X Designed from the ground up to give you the flexibility to work the way you want to. Harness the power of running multiple operating systems on your Mac including: Windows XP, 2000, Me, 98, 95 and PC-DOS. Launched interchangeably from OS X or OS 9, its new features will take your productivity to a whole new level. Upgrade now! To order or learn more about Virtual PC visit www.connectix.com/vpcSmacworld/ or call 1-800-395-2043. Connectix © 2001 Connectix Corporation. Connectix, the Connectix logo and Connectix Virtual PC are trademarks of Connectix Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. Choose 106 at www.macworld.com/getinfo Elite 12/600N * 12 pages per minute * 600 x 600 dpi resolution * Maximum Print Area 8.5" x 14" * Letter/A4, legal, envelope * 250-sheet Universal Tray * PostScripf® Level 2 & PCL® 5 compatible * 35 PostScript fonts, 15 PCL fonts * 45 downloadable fonts * 8 MB RAM expandable to 64 MB * 1st year Platinum Exchange © EtherTalk®, TCP/IP © Ethernet (10Base-T), USB, Bi-directional Parallel Options: 2nd Paper Feeder Add $299 (includes 500-sheet Universal Tray) Additional 8 MB Memory Add $ 49 250-sheet Universal Tray Add $129 50-sheet Envelope Tray Add $129 Face-up Catch Tray Add $ 49 $799 * Price after mail-in rebate. Offer ends 3/31/02. 1200 dpi available on poper sizes up to 13" x 20°. Maximum resolution is 800 Business Lease pricing available * 21 pages per minute * 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution © Maximum Print Area 8.5" x 14" * Letter/A4, legal, envelope * 550-sheet motorized Universal Tray with built-in level indicator * PostScript Level 2 & PCL 6 compatible © 136 PostScript fonts, 80 PCL fonts © 16 MB RAM expandable to 256 MB « Ist year Platinum Exchange © EtherTalk, TCP/IP, alee © 10/100Base-T Ethernet, ECP Bi-directional Forel 8S. 232 Serial Options: 2nd or 3rd Motorized Paper Feeder Add $249 {includes 550-sheet Universal Tray) Additional 8 MB Memory Add $ 49 500-sheet Upper Output Bin Add $399 75-sheet Motorized Envelope Tray Add $299 Duplex Unit Add $289 "Macworld $1149 * 21 pages per minute * 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution * Maximum Print Area 8.5" x 14" * Letter/A4, legal, envelope * 550-sheet motorized Universal Tray with built-in level indicator * PostScript Level 2 & PCL 6 compatible * 136 PostScript fonts, 80 PCL fonts * 32 MB RAM expandable to 256 MB © 1st year Platinum Exchange © EtherTalk, TCP/IP, NetWare * 10/100Base-T Ethernet, USB, ECP Bi-directional Parallel, RS-232 Serial Options: 2nd or 3rd Motorized Paper Feeder Add $249 {includes 550-sheet Universal Tray) Additional 8 MB Memory Add § 49 500-sheet Upper Output Bin Add $399 75-shee! Motorized Envelope Troy Add $299 $1499 inally, there’s a family of printers that provides the versatility your business demands. Take a look at GCC’s extensive Elite” line — high performing, affordable laser printers with a solution specific to your business’ needs. Printers that deliver sensational output and impressive dependability. When you buy direct from GCC Printers, you receive more for less. Our Elite 21 Series laser printers are setting new standards in price/performance for workgroup printers. These printers come installed with a state-of-the-art PrintFast™ accelerator chip for super-fast printing of image-rich documents, not to mention double-sided printing and singularly dexterous paper-handling capabilities. The Elite 21 Series was designed to satisfy the most demanding business requirements! For large-format printing, camera-ready output or high quality printing that fits any office budget, check out our other printer families. Purchasing direct from GCC provides you with the most affordable prices and unmatched product reliability and service. Every printer purchased direct is backed by our exclusive Platinum Exchange™ Program, a service designed to provide on-going GCC customer support to keep you continually up and running. Maximize the power of your printer dollar. Buy direct from GCC. * 20 pages per minute * 600 x 600 dpi resolution * Maximum Print Area 12.6" x 35.1" * Letter/A4, tabloid/A3, legal, envelope, poster * 500-sheet Universal Tray © PostScript Level 2 & PCL 5 compatible © 35 PostScript fonts, 15 PCL fonts * 250 downloadable fonts * 16 MB RAM expandable to 64 MB © Ist year Platinum Exchange © EtherTalk, LocalTalk®, TCP/IP * Ethernet (10Base-T, AAUI), Bi-directional Parallel Options: 2nd or 3rd Paper Feeder Add $329 (includes 500-sheet Universal Tray) Additional 8 MB Memory Add $ 49 75-sheet Envelope Tray Add $149 $1599 Elite XL 20/1200 * 20 pages per minute * 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution * Maximum Print Area 12.6" x 35.1" * Letter/A4, tabloid/A3, legal, envelope, poster * 500-sheet Universal Tray © PostScript Level 2 & PCL.5 compatible © 35 PostScript fonts, 15 PCL fonts * 250 downloadable fonts * 64 MB RAM * Ist year Platinum Exchange * EtherTalk, LocalTalk, TCP/IP * Ethernet (10Base-T, AAU), Bi-directional Parallel Options: 2nd or 3rd Paper Feeder Add $329 {includes 500-sheet Universal Tray) 75-sheet Envelope Tray Add $149 $1999 » Platinum Exchange Every GCC printer purchased direct is backed by our exclusive Platinum Exchange Warranty Program. If at anytime during the warranty period a printer problem cannot be resolved through GCC Technical Support, we'll send you a replacement printer by the next business day. No downtime while waiting for repairs. 30-day Money-back Guarantee Every printer and toner cartridge is fully backed by our unconditional, no-questions- asked, 30-day money-back guarantee. There is absolutely no risk to you or your business. Round-the-clock Technical Support GCC's technical support line is on call for you = 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! For your convenience, you'll have the comfort of unlimited, expert assistance throughout the life of your printer, For information or to place an order printers” <=> GCC Printrs, Elite ond Platinum Exchange are trademarks of GCC Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are trademarks of their respective companies. Pricing valid in the U.S. (1 10V printers) and subject lo change without notice. For international orders, please contoct local distributors,©2001 GCC Technologies, Inc. Keycode 202MW u SMdIAD QuicKeys X 1.0 Handy Mac OS X Macro Utility Is Less Capable Than Classic Version BY FRANKLIN N. TESSLER or more than 12 years, savvy Mac users have used QuicKeys to automate repetitious tasks—if you used your Mac to do some- thing, you could usually do it faster with a QuicKeys shortcut. Thanks to QuicKeys X, from CE Software, macro fans who have made the switch to OS X won't have to abandon their favorite util- ity. However, QuicKeys X’s limited fea- ture set may leave them wanting more. Unlike QuicKeys 5, which was a control panel, QuicKeys X is an appli- cation—to install it, you simply copy it to your hard drive. Shortcuts only work when the application is running, so most users will want to visit OS X’s Login Preferences panel and set QuicKeys to launch automatically at start-up. (CE Software recommends QuicKeys 5 for classic applications, although many QuicKeys X shortcuts also work in the classic Mac OS.) Getting Around Ir’s easy to add, delete, and modify shortcuts using QuicKeys X’s spiffy new editor. To define a shortcut, you select an operation from the Create menu or drag an icon from QuicKeys’ customizable tool bar, which you can populate with your favorite QuicKeys functions. You also have to define at least one “trigger,” which tells Quic- QUICKEYS X 1.0 Rating: $$$ 2 Pros: Less expensive than its predeces- sor; easy to learn, Cons: Limited functionality due to structure of Mac OS X. Company's estimated price: $60 OS compatibility: Mac OS X Company: CE Software, 800/523-7638, www.cesoft.com 34 February 2002 www.macworld.com Keys when to run the shortcut. For example, you can direct QuicKeys to go to a particular Web site 60 sec- onds after you launch your browser. To avoid inadvertently activating a shortcut inside the wrong applica- tion—with potentially disastrous results—you can constrain shortcuts to run only when you're using a speci- fied program. You can also create application-specific tool bars that let you activate shortcuts with one click. The simplest QuicKeys shortcuts consist of one operation. Multistep shortcuts, which replace QuicKeys 5’s sequences, let you automate more- complicated tasks. At the bottom of the Editor window is a pop-down drawer that lists the steps you've defined for the current shortcut (see “Quick Steps”). QuicKeys X doesn’t support the extensive set of sequence- programming tools that QuicKeys 5 did, but you can tell QuicKeys X to continue, skip the next step, or halt the shortcut depending on whether a given step fails or succeeds. A Simpler Approach One oft repeated criticism of Quic- Keys 5 was that it was relatively diffi- cult to master. In part, QuicKeys 5’s strenuous learning curve was due to the gamut of user actions it could per- form, ranging from retrieving pass- words to attaching files to e-mail messages. QuicKeys X’s repertoire is considerably narrower, so it’s easier to learn—anybody familiar with OS X should be able to get up-to-speed (You can’t import your Quic- ys 5 shortcuts into QuicKeys X.) Unfortunately, QuicKeys X is also less capable than its predecessor. Although QuicKeys X’s ability to record and play back y mouse action offers a partial workaround, it’s not a substitute for the extensive sales eet 4 _ “ [ - eS. 3 4 | 3 : P| i s | — Quick Steps This multistep shortcut retrieves e-mail, pauses, and then puts the Mac to sleep. control over menus and other inter- face elements version 5 provided. You can also extend QuicKeys X’s func- tionality with AppleScript, but that’s a solution most users probably won't take advantage of. Macworld's Buying Advice To a large extent, QuicKeys X’s prob- lems stem from a lack of appropriate tools in OS X. With some help from Apple, CE Software hopes to enhance QuicKeys X’s feature set. Even with its current limitations, though, most OS X users will be able to find plenty of jobs for QuicKeys X. To see for yourself, download the free trial ver- sion from CE Software's Web site. m Roy Fox, Founder, Fox Clocks) Hollis»Maine — One of 400,000 MYOB software users MYOB & Small Business. t Smart Solutions.“ u SMdIAd Epson Stylus C80 Excellent Bundle of Features in a Low-Priced Ink-Jet Printer BY RICK LEPAGE lenty of good ink-jet printers are available, but if you want to get one for less than $200, you often have to sacrifice print- ing speed, ink capacity, or even print quality. But Epson is shaking things up with its Stylus C80; this new ink-jet printer’s impressive list of features and its outstanding performance and print quality make it an unbelievable buy at $179 (or $149, with a mail-in rebate good until March 31, 2002). Total Makeover The Stylus C80 is markedly different from any other consumer printer Epson has produced. Under the hood is a new, faster print engine that the company claims is capable of printing as many as 20 black-and-white pages per minute and 10 color pages per minute. Unlike most other Epson Sty- lus printers, which use one tricolor (cyan, magenta, and yellow) cartridge and one black-ink cartridge, the C80 has a separate high-capacity cartridge for each of the four inks. As is the case with most Epson printers, the C80’s print quality is top-notch, With a maximum resolu- tion of 2,880 by 720 dpi, it can print very sharp and brilliantly colored photographs on Epson’s glossy and semigloss papers. A dedicated, six- EPSON STYLUS C80 Rating: $699 1/2 Pros: Great speed and excellent print quality, even on plain paper; economical; individual ink cartridges. | Cons: Occasional problems using OS x driver software, Company's estimated price: $179 Company: Epson, 800/873-7766, www.epson.com 36 February 2002 www.maeworld.com color photo printer will give you bet- ter detail and a wider tonal range, but it can’t match the all-around quality the C80 can give you. This is partly due to the C80’s excellent per- formance on plain paper. In the past, Hewlett-Packard’s ink-jet printers have generally done a much better job of printing text on plain paper than any of Epson’s ink-jets. The C80 is the first Epson printer we've seen that prints crisp, clear text on plain paper—even on inexpensive, 20- pound copier paper—at the printer’s lowest resolution (360 dpi). And although we can’t confirm Epson’s claims of 70-year print longevity, we can attest to the waterproof nature of the C80 inks. Command Performance Few printers can hit their rated print speeds when performing real-world tasks, and the C80 is no exception. But anyone who's struggled with the slower print speeds of other low-cost ink-jets will appreciate the quick throughput of the C80, which is sig- nificantly faster than comparably priced ink-jet printers we've tested (see “Macworld’s Ultimate Buyer’s Guide: Printers,” August 2001). The C80’s ink cartridge proved to have a long life too. We printed more than 700 pages of assorted text and graphics documents before we ran out of black ink, and the cyan, magenta, and yellow ink cartridges were still more than 10 percent full. Because everyone has different printing needs, your ink mileage will vary, but no matter what you print, you will find the C80’s individual ink tanks to be a vast improvement over low-capacity tricolor cartridges. (The cyan, magenta, and yellow cartridges are reasonably priced at $12 each, while the higher-capacity black car- tridge costs $33.) A Mac OS X driver is available— for OS X 10.1 and later—as a down- load from Epson's Web site. The only problem we had was an occasional printing glitch in OS X, where a docu- ment would not print on the first try because of an error. (Epson is working on the issue.) Macworld's Buying Advice The Stylus C80 is the most exciting printer we've seen in a long time: it’s an excellent general-purpose ink-jet that’s equally suited to printing spread- sheets, long documents, newsletters, and photographs. What makes the Stylus C80 so notable, however, is that Epson has wrapped great performance, print quality, and print longevity in such a low-priced package. m MITSUBISHI = EE ae Introducing SpectraView™, the fast, easy-to-use color calibration system that keeps your colors uniformly real. Inconsistent colors are a thing of the past, thanks to SpectraView, the new color calibration system on the Mitsubishi DiamondPro® 2060U monitor. It’s accurate and easy-to-use, making it a snap to keep color consistent for your total color environment. It provides highly precise color measurements and enhanced control by communicating directly with the monitor's internal controls rather than through the video card. So you'll get precise adjustments and the maximum dynamic color range, with a level of accuracy typically available only with much pricier systems. And all in record time. If you never thought this kind of control was possible, think again. Now you can quickly calibrate SpectraView System DP2060U displays and generate accurate ICC profiles. It’s precise, consistent color, built for speed. —_ For further information and full specs, visit http://pro.necmitsubishi.com. —~ I camer << % subishi.com Kit includes 22" (20" viewable) Diamondtron™ NF CRT ) : 0 monitor, patented tri-stimulus color calibrator, | x software, high-performance video cable, and flexible | —_ fitted monitor hood. It’s everything you need for fast, | SEE moRE” \ accurate, reliable color calibration. i SpectraView and Diamondtron are trademarks; iamondro trademark of NEC-Mitsubishi Electronics Display of America, 2001 NEC-Mitsubishi Electronics Dispay of Americ, Inc. Al rights reserved. Simulated images in monitors. Actual interface design may var. NEC/MITSUBISHI Select. Drag and Drop. Empty Trash. OmniView™ SOHO KVM. You create. We make room. The new OmniView SOHO Series KVM Switch lets you add a second CPU without adding another keyboard, monitor, and mouse. It lets you eliminate those space hogs as well as your extra set of speakers. The OmniView SOHO Series supports 2048x1536@85Hz video on Macintosh® computers and USB interfaces. It connects one speaker and mic for all, and its enclosure design flows cables out of your way. So, welcome to your desktop. Think of belkincootn j it as a blank canvas. YOU COULD WIN! Register today for a chance to win one of six OmniView SOHO Series KVM Switches. Go to http://web.belkin.com/youcouldwin for official rules and other details. All entries must be received by March 31, 2002 (12:00 p.m. EST). © 2002 Belkin Components. All rights reserved. All trade names are registered trademarks of respective manufacturers listed. Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Belkin Components * 310.898.1100 © Fax: 310.898.1111 * Compton, CA ® United Kingdom © Holland © Australia 21AD089 Choose 64 at www.macworld.com/getinfo PETER BELANGER Graphics Tablets Updated Versions Offer Better Ergonomics and Precision BY JEFF PITTELKAU wo of Wacom’s recently shipped graphics tablets, the Graphire2 and Intuos2, are similar in appearance and function, and both perform very well. However, there are some marked differences between them that may influence your purchase; the Graphire2, though less expensive, doesn’t have as many features as the Intuos2. Affordable versus Professional The $100 Graphire2 is available in only one size—with an active work area of 4 by 5 inches—and is about as precise as the Intuos2. The consid- erably more expensive Intuos2 comes in five different sizes, which range in price from $200, for a 4-by-5-inch tablet, to $750, for a 12-by-18-inch one. We tested the 6-by-8-inch tablet. Although the Intuos2 is more expensive, it has many advantages over the Graphire2, starting with the acces- sories that come with it. The Intuos2 includes a superior pen with a com- fortable rubber grip and a solid mouse, and it supports a variety of add-on pointing devices. The Graphire2 works only with the flimsier pen and cheap- feeling mouse that come with it. Wacom has increased the Intuos2’s sampling frequency to give it greater accuracy, but that improvement means it won't work with pens and mice The Wacom Graphire2 (left) and Intuos2 designed for older Intuos tablets; you'll have to buy new accessories. How They Work To help beginners get started, the Intuos2 and Graphire2 both include Corel’s Painter Classic. In addition, the Graphire2 comes with Adobe’s Photoshop LE, while the Intuos2 4-by-5-inch and 6-by-8-inch tablets come with Photoshop Elements, a version tailored specifically to photo editing. For beginners who don’t own these programs, these are terrific bundles, especially considering the low price of the tablets. (The larger Intuos2 tablets don't include a version of Photoshop, as graphics pros likely own it already.) Wacom’s software offers myriad choices for customizing pen and mouse behavior. It also lets you customize multiple tablets on the same Mac. The Intuos2’s 2D mouse feels more substantial than the Graphire2’s mouse, and it includes three programmable buttons and a scroll wheel. If you invoke Extensions Manager at start-up in Mac OS 9 while you're using your Mac’s mouse, neither tablet will work. Another nice touch included only on the Intuos2 is a row of cus- GRAPHIRE2 Rating: $98 Pros: Inexpensive, Cons: Small work area makes mouse of limited use; tablet won't work with other | pens and mice, Company's estimated price: $100 OS compatibility: Mac OS 9, Mac OS X Company: Wacom, 800/922-9348, www.wacom.com INTUOS2 Rating: $66. Pros: Accepts a wide variety of mice ‘and pens; tablet detects pen angle; improved accuracy. Cons: Incompatible with mice and pens for older Intuos tablets. Company's estimated price: From $200, for a 4-by-5-inch tablet, to $750, for a 12-by-18-inch tablet. OS compatibility: Mac OS 9, Mac OS X Company: Wacom, 800/922-9348, www.wacom.com tomizable buttons in the tablet’s work area. And the Intuos2 can detect the pen’s angle and create correspondingly fine or broad strokes. Although this feature is not supported by most graphics applications, the full version of Painter (version 6 and later) has adopted it. Macworld's Buying Advice The Graphire2 is great for home users and aspiring artists alike. Because of the tablet’s small work area, however, you'll probably find little value in its included mouse. The larger Intuos2 models are in another class entirely. With many tablet sizes to choose from, greater precision, and expan- sion possibilities, the Intuos2 is a much better option for artists, archi- tects, and designers. m www.maeworld.com February 2002 39 u SMdIA9 Y SMIIAD LiveStage Professional 3.0 QuickTime-Authoring Program Matures but Remains Difficult to Learn BY JIM HEID uickTime is more than just simple video. Apple’s multimedia architecture can marry many forms of media—video, sound, text, still images, and animations made with Macromedia Flash. QuickTime movies can also contain interactivity, such as clickable buttons that lead to Web pages or even other movies. Totally Hip Software’s LiveStage Professional is the only program that can fully tap all of QuickTime’s inter- active capabilities. And LiveStage Professional 3.01 is an important upgrade that adds support for Flash 4, XML, and QuickTime 5§. But like previous versions, LiveStage Profes- sional 3.01 is often cumbersome and can be difficult to learn. With version 3.01, LiveStage Pro- fessional has gone multiplatform. It’s available for Windows, so you can share project files between operating systems. In addition, the Mac version now runs under both OS 9 and OS X. We tested it under OS X 10.1 with good results, though some of the pro- gram’s icons and interface elements are a bit crude by Aqua standards. Making Movies The LiveStage 3.01 authoring process is similar to that of earlier versions. LIVESTAGE PROFESSIONAL 3.01 Rating: $9 §/2 Pros: Excellent support of QuickTime S features; cross-platform authoring; pow- erful XML capabilities. Cons: Complex interface can be cum- bersome; weak documentation. Company's estimated price: $950 OS compatibility: Mac OS 9, Mac OS X Company: Totally Hip Software, 604/685-6525, www.totallyhip.com You import existing content created in other programs, position it within the Stage window, and create scripts that specify how the content interacts (see log box, and windows quickly litter your screen as you work. LiveStage Professional could use well-designed properties panels like those in Flash 5, LiveStage Professional 3.01’s 558- page manual seems thorough at first, but it’s densely written and leans on examples and tutorials. Fortunately, Totally Hip Software has created some useful online resources—the LiveStage Developer Network (www.totallyhip .convIsdn) and the oddly named Blue- Abuse (www.blueabuse.com), which “On LiveStage”). You can test your projects as you go, using LiveStage’s debugging window to track down scripting errors. When you're finished, you can save a completed project as a QuickTime movie that will play back in any program with QuickTime support. Many of LiveStage 3.01’s eS enhancements take advantage lec of new features in QuickTime 5. For example, because Quick- Time 5 supports Flash 4, Live- Stage 3.01 projects can contain On LiveStage LiveStage Professional is ideal for add- ing enhanced interactivity to QuickTime VR movies. This project displays small, "you are here" indicators as a user navigates a multi-node panorama, AO February 2002 www.macworld.com Flash 4 content. This enables you to create projects incorporating Flash-based dialog boxes and text- entry forms. Another significant new feature is LiveStage 3.01's ability to import and export projects as XML text files. This makes it possible to create dynamic QuickTime movies that display differ- ent content depending on various cri- teria, such as the time of day. Rough Edges Like previous versions, LiveStage Pro- fessional 3.01 buries much of its power in a confusing interface. Changing the properties of media assets may require a journey across multiple tabs of a dia- contains some fine tutorials. Even with these aids, however, LiveStage Profes- sional is more difficult to learn than other multimedia-authoring programs. Macworld’s Buying Advice If you’re a professional QuickTime developer, you need LiveStage Profes- sional 3.01—no other program does as good a job of tapping into Quick- Time's versatility. But if you're a multi- media developer who needs interactive QuickTime only every once in a while, consider contracting with a developer who has already slogged to the summit of Mount LiveStage. 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(See APC’s Web site for complete promotion details) er now: Vit http://promo.apc.com Key Code d211y « Call 888-289-APCC x4075 - Fax 401-788-2797 sion, Al jomarks ate the property of their awners, APCIDOEFUSa © PowstFax: (8001247-FAXX » E-nail apcinto@ance.com 132 Falegrounds Ra, West Kingston, Rl 02892 USA. uy SMOIAd. India Titler Pro 1.0 Innovative Program Creates Animated Title Effects BY JIM HEID nd now for something completely different: Prismo Graphic’s India Titler Pro 1.0.6, a video-effects program for creating animated titles, combines a unique user interface with a huge library of canned effects that make it easy to create everything from glittering text to letters that march onto the screen. Although it has a few rough edges, serious video producers should give India Titler Pro a close look. Most video-effects and motion- graphics programs borrow from the Adobe After Effects interface, which allows great precision but can be time-consuming and difficult to learn, India Titler Pro discards the After Effects method in favor of a single Canvas window (see “Inside India”). To design a title, you create tracks, each of which can contain a line of text, an imported graphic, or a background texture. You then animate tracks by assigning to them one or more of the hundreds of effects that accompany India Titler Pro. Finally, you export the finished title as a QuickTime movie. India Titler Pro’s extensive library of effects and fonts sets it apart from other effects packages. India Titler Pro includes 27 CD-ROMs contain- INDIA TITLER PRO 1.0.6 Rating: $$$ V2 Pros: Simple, innovative interface; huge array of effects and animated fonts. Cons: No arrow-key nudging; cannot render in background; USB hardware key for copy protection. Company’s estimated price: $699 OS compatibility: Mac OS 9 Company: Prismo Graphics, 888/453- 5454, www.dvfonts.com 42 February 2002 www.macworld.com ing effects, background textures, and animated fonts, It also provides thumbnail previews of each effect— when you choose one that isn’t installed, the program instructs you to insert the appropriate CD. The program can animate text in every imaginable way— letters can bounce, slide, spray, or wiggle into place, There are also animated textures that make great backgrounds, fades and zooms that you can apply to text or graphics, and numerous glitter effects that wash across text. Some of the effects belong in late-night used-car commercials, but others are downright beauti- ful and wouldn’t be out of place on a network news show. You can customize each effect, and India Titler Pro even has a simple scripting language, called EffectScript, for cre- ating new effects. Users create text in PostScript and TrueType fonts or in India Titler Pro’s unique animated fonts, which are called DVFonts. The program includes 72 DVFonts; the selection ranges from gimmicky to gorgeous. In the Walk font, letters literally stroll into position. In Jitters, they tremble. In Clay, human hands quickly sculpt letters out of clay. And as you can with effects, you can create your own DVFonts, though the process is some- what more complex, Designers on tight budgets can opt for the $349 India Titler, which has only 21 DVFonts and none of the sup- plemental CDs, For copy protection, both versions use a USB hardware key, which can inconvenience users. For all its innovations, India Titler Pro isn’t perfect. You can’t switch out of the program when it’s rendering, for example; nor can you use your key- board’s arrow keys to nudge text, It would be nice to see floating palettes Inside India The word tropical marches into place, while heat appears as an animated flame and an animated texture radiates in the background. for controlling text and effects settings, and snap-to grids for precise align- ment. Prismo Graphics says it plans to add these features in a future Mac OS X-=native version. Macworld's Buying Advice India Titler Pro is a new program, and it leaves room for improvement. But even in its first incarnation, this groundbreaking application makes short work of creating great-looking animated titles. Boris Graffiti pro- vides more-precise controls and 3-D support, but India Titler is far faster and a better choice for folks who need excellent results quickly. m 66... Fora reliable, stable and solid removable media platform and a great price on high-capacity removable media... 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