MacWorld0403March2004

MIrTRACArT Frrigr * y \/ ead) . ba [= ji | vorid www.macworl Id.com | March 2004 The Mac Product Experts rh ts ‘V £ %#iPOD MINI *iLIFE ’04 = AGB of Music ina Truly Major Updates to iDVD, - 28 mm iN 1 Tiny, Very Shiny Player iPhoto, and iMovie ss) Revolutionary Application The Best of the Best from =| Makes Beautiful Music Macworld Expo San Francisco %*% GARAGEBAND *TOP PRODUCTS [| RECORD ANYTHING 10 YOUR MAG, p. 72 TM 462004 Apple Computer Inc. llrightsreserved. “Actual SRP.©2004 Miramax Film Corp. Allrights reserved. More nfo: -800-MY- x a We COLD MOUNTAIN from prime-time networks RT Extreme for real-time nel audio mixing and Cold Mountain In Theaters Now. im Hl Hs te COLD MOUNTAIN full scalability from DV to. SD, HD and film—Final Cut Pro 4 now offers unmatched capabilities. And with four complimentary applications included- Soundtrack for music, LiveType for animated @ titling, Cinema Tools” for film and Compressor for encoding -it still offers unmatched value at $999: “I was concerned that serving ads on my site might mean losing traffic to competitors. And | didn’t think the ad revenue would amount to much.” ‘Vik Kachoria, Founder and President, RealAdventures.com Talk about control: Google AdSense™ lets you block up to 200 competitive URLs. What's more, AdSense enables you to serve ads that are relevant to the content on your site. How's that for a useful service to your visitors? The more relevant the ads are to the content on your site, the more likely it is that visitors will click on them — generating additional income for you in the process. And it takes very little effort to get started serving ads. AdSense combines Google search technology with Google’s 150,000-strong base of advertisers. And since Google does all the work of signing up advertisers and placing the ads, you can focus on building a great site that pays its way. Learn about the AdSense advantages at www.google.com/getadsense le 500 March 2004 acwor NION From the Editor's Desk JASON SNELL Not just anyone can play a guitar, but everybody can create music— www.macworld.com OP| 7 thanks to GarageBand. | 14. Feedback 30 Readers respond. | | MAC BEAT “30 18 News from Macworld Expo, Macs on the set of the sitcom Scrubs, a profile | _ of DigitalFilm Tree, and an interview with Mac icon creator Susan Kare, | 32 | | 35 | 35 | 36 37 _ | 38 39 | | 39 | 39 | | 39 | | 40 The Virtual CD | Subscribers now have free access | 43 to the contents of the CD-ROM that | appears in newsstand copies | of Macworld. (Broadband Internet recommended.) To view the contents of the CD, go to: http://cd.macworld.com/ = th : | oouia 2004/03/673023hV, 49 Belanger; digital retouching by Famsworth Design 4 MACWORLD. March 2004 REVIEWS. 26 " #8 Portable systems. $89H 12-inch iBook G4/800MHz $6HS 14-inch iBook G4/933MHz 88H Apple Wireless Keyboard $688 Apple Wireless Mouse $$! Belkin Bluetooth Wireless Optical Mouse $988 Kensington Wireless Optical Desktop $$$ Logitech Cordless MX Duo $88 Macally rfkey $$53 Macally rimouse $888 Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Video-capture devices $698) AAI $886 Avid Mojo Video-editing program SHEN Avid Xpress Pro Asset manager Spreadsheet application titi Mariner Cale 5.2 Word processor $$) Mariner Write 3.5 3-D software $688 Carrara Studio 3 OCR software t ‘eadiris Pro 9 Project-management software $8! Studiometry 1.1 CAD software §G8HS VectorWorks 10.5 Label printer $69% Dymo LabelWriter 330 Turbo Surveillance software $$ HomeGuardian 2 Wireless CardBus card BHF Sonnet Aria extreme Wireless CardBus Card Keyboard virtual instruments $866 B4 $86 Lounge Lizard EP-2 The Game Room PETER COHEN Curry the gods’ favor in Age of Mythology, tor- ment the living in Ghost Master, gamble with Mac Gems DAN FRAKES Check out this month's collection of small wonders. www.macworld.com COVER STORY a SECRETS Center of Attention ! HANDS ON Apple made a splash at January's Macworld Expo. The company unveiled Ahead of the Curve the iPod mini, announced the iLife ‘04 suite, and showed off a new BEN WILLMORE application, We take a first look at the tiny iPods; examine iMovie 4, iPhoto Learn to use Adobe Photoshop's Curves command 4, and iDVD 4; and delve into Apple's new GarageBand app. to alter and enhance photos. FEATY RE 70 WORKING MAC Word Productivity Office 2004: First Look GAVID:BLATHIER RELECLUNSRORD, CHILE MICHAELS ANDAs UN Suet Harness regular expressions to supercharge your You won't be able to buy the new Microsoft Office suite for months, but efficiency in Microsoft Word. we can take you on a tour of it now. From a suitewide project organizer to a talking version of Word, we've got the inside scoop. V2 DIGITAL HUB Record Streaming Audio JIM HEID Record any sound that your Mac can play and save it to your hard drive. CREATE Creative Suite Layers SANDEE COHEN Create layered PDF files in Adobe Illustrator CS and InDesign CS. MOBILE MAC Hop on a Hotspot FRITH GOWAN Keep connected when you're on the move, with our guide to wireless access points. 78 GEEK FACTOR Develop Safari's Power o DORI SMITH Install bookmarklets in Safari to validate Web sites, check the URL of a linked image, and control the way Safari handles windows. 66 HANDS ON 52 COVER STORY 80 —_-HELP DESK Mac OS X Hints ROB GRIFFITHS Improve your DVD Player experience, work with Activity Monitor, and master the new Open and Save dialog boxes. 82 Mac 911 CHRISTOPHER BREEN Teach Panther to create a bootable disc, install missing language resources, replace Copy Agent, and force-quit games. BACK PAGE 116 Hot Stuff Check out our editors’ favorite developments of the month. @ (#) ®) @) wanw.macworld.com March 2004 MACWORLD. 5 ae Suitcase X1 | wwwextensis.com/x1 Extensis. (© 2003 Extensis, Inc, a Celartem Company. All rights reserved. Choose 68 at wivw.macworld.com/getinfo FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK BY JASON SNELL Musically Inclined MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MUSIC IS, LIKE MOST PEOPLE’S, somewhat complicated. I vigorously resisted years of piano lessons and became an adult with only rudimentary piano skills and the ability to read sheet music, As for my abortive yearlong attempt to learn the trumpet back in the sixth grade, let's just say that it’s the low point of my academic record. But none of these hardships stopped me from becoming a voracious consumer of popular music. I think a lot of us ended up this way—not really able to express ourselves musically, but sampling and consum- ing as much music as possible. With the iPod and the iTunes Music Store, Apple satisfied our immense appetites for music. I will never willingly give up my iPod, iTunes, or my Slim Devices SIiMP3, because they have allowed me to enjoy more and more-varied music than I could have imagined as a cranky 13-year-old kid listening to the radio while waiting for a piano lesson to begin. But serving consumers of music was the easy part. ‘The real trick is to create a product that turns many of those consumers into creators—to do for music what iMovie and iDVD did for video. I didn’t believe it could be done until a couple of months ago, when I began using Sounder December 2003), 2 $199 Apple program th included with Final Cut Pro 4. Soundtrack is a serious tool for creating Ity-free sounder: for your video projects, yes—but it’s also an amazing audio toy. I spent many hours mixing different drum, guitar, and keyboard loops, and created melodies s chy that they stuck in my head long after I’d shut off my M Even though I wasn't playing a note, I was express myself through music, It was 4 With Apple’ release of iLife 04, which includes the groundbreaking GarageBand program, Apple is bring- ing that revelation to the masses (see our cover story about iLife and the new iPod mini, page ure, a lot of what’ ed with GarageBand will be ugly, dis- sonant, or amateurish. But you could the same thing about iMovie and iDVD. With GarageBand, Apple has reduced the size of the harrier that prevents people from expressing themselves musically. Garage- Band won't make anyone into a guitar virtuoso over- night, but it might help a person with brilliant songwriting talent communicate that talent, even though he or she never learned to play an instrument. And kids who are learning an instrument just got a complete backup band for $49, which should reduce the crushing boredom of practice a little bit. \wwwmacworld,.com New and Notable Every January, the Macworld Expo trade show in San Francisco brings a flood of interesting new products, large and small. (For the show's highlights, see our Mac Beat coverage [page 18] and Hot Stuff [page 116}.) This year-was no different, but Apple did come in for more criticism than it has in recent years, and most of that disapproval had to do with the prices the company is charging for its products. Ican understand the frustration of people who must now pay $49 to upgrade iPhoto and iMovie. But I don’t blame Apple for charging for the upgrade—develop- ing that software isn’t cheap. It’s appropriate that own- ers of new Macs will get iLife '04 for free, though I’d hoped that Apple would give a price break to .Mac cus- tomers, Panther purchasers, or both, Still, I'd argue that each of the components available only through iLife ’04—iMovie 4, iDVD 4, iPhoto 4, and Garage- Band—is probably worth $49. Together, they’re a steal. ‘The other debated Apple pricing decision involved the iPod mini. I was disappointed in the iPod mini’s price, mostly because Id like to see Apple create a really low-cost iPod. But I suspect that its $249 price tag won't be around for long—it just makes sense for Apple to cut the price after it produces more of them. Price aside, the iPod mini is remarkably cool, with a scroll-wheel interface that beats the original iPod’s and a shockingly sm Apple will sell a bunch of the new iPods: id once the price comes down, it will sell even more. I ABOUT THIS MACWORL of our staff all the while. Testing GarageBand was one of the more entertaining things we've done at our office lately. To get under the new application's haod, Senior Associate Editor Jonathan Seff brought in his trusty Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster and composed several brief tunes—serenading the rest {'m interested in knowing what you think of Apple's moves, Are they music to your ears, or do they have you singing the blues? if you can tear yourself away from GarageBand's 1,000 loops, write me at jason_snell@macworld.com, or visit our online forums at wwww.macworld.com. March 2004 MACWORLD. 7 8 NOVEMBER 7-14, 2004 MacMania HI " AP oS To learn more see us online at www.geekcruises.com/home/mm3_home.html FT, LAUDERDALE Cabin rates, per person: Standard Inside: $799 Better Inside: $849 Standard Outside: $949 Half Moon Cay Better Outside: $999 Outside w/Balcony: $1099 Taxes are $176 per person Tortola / _St Maarten CO-PRODUCED BY: Macworld THE MAC PRODUCT EXPERTS The conference fee is $795 MACWORLD. March 2004 588/com| EDUCATION THAT TAKES YOU PLACES President. Rick LePage Editor in Chief Jason Snell Executive Editor Jennifer Werner Managing Editor Charles Purdy Senior How-to Editor Tert Stone Senior News Editor Philip Michaels Senior Reviews Editor Jennifer Ber Senior Editor Scholle Sawyer McFarland Test Manager, Macworld Lab James Galbraith Senior Associate Editors Kelly Lunsford, Jonathan Seff Associate Editor Jackie Dove Copy Editor Sue Voetkel Contributing Editors David Blatnes, Henry Bortman, Christopher Breen, ‘Adam C. Engst, Dan Frakes, Bruce Fraser, Rob Griffiths, Jim Heid, ‘Andy thnatko, Ted Landau, Deke McClelland, Tom Negtno, David Pogue, Stephan Somogyi, Franklin N,Tesler At Director Jennifer Steele Senior Designer Amy Helin Contributing Designer John Farnsworth Cover Consultant. Susan Scandrett Editor, Online Jim Dalrymple Senior Editor, Macworld.com David Leishman Senior Editor, MacCentral.com Peter Cohen International Editors. Matthew JC, Powell, Australia; Benard Le Du, France; Sebastian Hirsch, Germany; Enrico Lott italy; Yoshio Moriya, Japan; Krzysztof Pietrasi, Poland; Daniel de Blas, Spain; Nils Holm, Sweden; Engin Gedik, Turkey; Simon Jar, United Kingdom VPIChiet Operating Officer Stephen Daniels Director of Finance os de Feminis ‘Accounting Coordinator Ronda Bittner VP of Human Resources Kate Coldwell Senior Human Resources Representative Julie McKie Human Resources Coordinator Jenny Steele IT Director Sean Greathouse Publisher Cynthia Ramsey (973/228-3074) National Accounts Manager Paul Bonartigo (508/533-4020) Western Advertising Director Sara Culley (831/438-8408) ‘Account Executive Franck Zamora (415/243-3628) (415/243-3664) Showcase Account Manager Carol Johnstone (415/243-3691) Online Sales Manager Doug Detlefsen (415/243-3598) Online Account Executive Rachel Desjardins (415/267-4562) Marketing Manager Kasey MacMullen (415/243-3642) AdministrativeMarketing Asst. Amanda Cartier (415/978-3380) Showcase Account Manager Nik Stanz Production Director. Steve Spingola Prepress Manager Mark Fischman Booking and Billing Manager Ricardo Sandoval ‘Assistant Production Manager Megan Matteoni Online Production Manager Ron Neal VP, Consumer Marketing Shawne Burke Pecar ‘Associate Circulation Director David Cobb Director, Retention Marketing Lisa Radler Senior Subscription Marketing Manager Linda Trinh Subscription Marketing Manager Simon Thaler Assistant Manager, Retention Marketing Christine Chapman Newsstand Consultant George Clark March 2008, Volume 21, issue 3 Iacword is 8 publication of Mac Publishing, LLC, and Internationa fated wth Apple Compute, Ine san independent journal 2004, Mac Publishing, LLC registered waders of iteration ude eens by Mac Publishing, LL. Apple, the regjsteredvademars of Apple Computer Inc Pnted in the United St SIG wawwmacworld.com The most evolved computers now have multi-functions and printers to match... 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From our full ine of high-quality printers (including the HL-5070N, the first printer to support Rendezvous"), to versatile all-in-one multi-function units which print, copy, scan, and more, you'll ind our products are every bit as evolved as our customers, A VARIETY OF MODELS AVAILABLE AT: MacWarehouse, MacMall, MacConnection, MacZone, Microcenter, CDW, Office Depot, Staples, OfficeMax, Fry's, J&R Computer World, and Apple Stores (or www.store.apple.com), At your sidé. © 2002-2003 Bro:her international Corporation, Bridgewater, WJ. * Brother Industres Ltd., Nagoya, Japan For more information please vist our Web site at wnabrothercam * All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners Choose 119 at wwwwemacworld.comigetinfo Announcing... The Kr MacGentral Weekly A FREE e-Newsletter Subscribe and enter to win an iPod a month! All the Mac news you need and more: © Aconcise summary of the most important news © Expert analysis of big industry trends © Hot product announcements © Links to key Mac stories on the Web But wait, there’s more! Every month, one lucky MacCentral newsletter subscriber will be randomly selected to WIN a 10 GB iPod! Get connected. Stay informed. Enhance the way you work and play. Subscribe today! www.macworld.com/newsletter For contest rules, see http://www.macworld.com/info/newsletterpromorules/ 10 MACWORLD March 2004 Macworld | HOWTO CONTACT MACWORLD Subscription information and Services Phone 800/288-6848 fom the United States and Canada 515/243-3273 fom all ather locations U.S. Mail Macworld Subscriptions Department 0. Box 37781, Boone, 14 50037-0781 (include a mating label with correspondence.) 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To share tps and clscuss Mac problems with other Mac users, visit the Macwold.com forums. MACWORLD CONFERENCE & EXPO | she flagship sponsor of Macworld Conference & Expo, Macvord | encourages al subscribers to attend this exciting biannual industy event, For information, please vist wiramacworidexpacom. | ‘Vee www. macworld.com THANK YOU FOR NAMING US NUMBER ONE. End users have spoken. And industry analysts agree. Nearly every independent industry organization awards Konica Minolta products with their highest ratings. In-depth user surveys honor Konica Minolta products for their reliability, quality and value. The toughest testers in the industry pick our products as among the best. Experience Konica Minolta’s award-winning line of high-end document production systems, color imaging systems and multifunctional document systems. And the industry-leading support and service behind the products. 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XEROX’ ‘Adobe PostScript 3 is either a registered trademark or trademark ment Company Phaser There’ 3 new and PhaserMatch” are trademarks of XEFOX CORPORATION. ‘Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United: you color so vivid, you’re naturally drawn to it. 1eart flutter. There’s a new way to look at it. roofing, What's more, PhaserMatch” 3.0 color man- + gt of Xerox color and our full line of printers, contact geme! SI he colors you want are the us today. The new Xerox Phaser 7750 laser printer. olors you get. To experience the astounding richness Zp, It'll lure you in with its truly stunning detail. Adobe PostScript’ ‘THE DOCUMENT COMPANY XEROX. Choose 101 at www.macworld.comigetinfo YOUR ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO PANTHER Macworid Thanks, Cubed FRANK DOBBELAERE J As a Cube owner, I was pleasantly sur- prised to find a Cube article among all the buzz about G5s and other new hardware (“Building the Perfect Cube,” Mac Beat, December 2003). But not mentioning the world’s best Cube information source, CubeOwner.com, seems odd to me, Even if the writer didn’t get any inspiration and information from the site, it should have been included. CubeOwner.com is home to an excellent Cube FAQ and a thriving support forum, CubeOwnercom is a fabulous site; 1 used it extensively while researching my story. Unfor~ tunately, a reference to it was removed during editing (due to space constraints). You can find more information about it in this issue’s Geek Factor, page 78.—David Sawyer McFarland STEVE LUXENBERG. ei Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve been bugged, annoyed, and frustrated that T couldn’t burn CDs and DVDs on my G4 Cube, T’'ve called Apple and just about everyone else complaining that someone should make a SuperDrive-like drive that’s compatible with G4 Cubes. As soon as I read your article, I logged ‘on to www.macsales.com and ordered the Mercury Ti-SuperDrive. I love my Cube, and as tempting as it was for me to go out and buy a new iBook, Tjust couldn't justify spending that kind of money for something that I wanted but didn't need. You've come to my rescue. A million thank-yous to you. JOHN WEIS {es} T appreciated your article on upgrading the G4 Cube, which included the replacement 44 MACWORLD March 2008 FEEDBACK | Rooting for the Underdog Our December 2003 cover story focused on one of the hottest debates in com- puter history: Macs versus PCs. We expected to receive many angry letters about our testing—instead, we received a flood of appreciation for our Mac Beat item on upgrading the G4 Cube. Mac users are, it seems, predisposed to love quirky outsiders and misunderstood misfits. Macworld, too, embraces its outside-the-norm readers—we were delighted by the positive response to our Geek Factor article about X11. The Mac may be small on market share, but it’s big in our hearts. of the CD drive with the Multi Drive, from MCE Technologies. But thanks to the usual lack of communication between Apple and third-party suppliers, that burner doesn't work with OS X 10.3. And P've found that my external CD recorder, a QPS 8x4x32 CD-RW drive, which worked great with OS X 10.2, is dead in Panther. This is the last time I will buy a new software or hard- ware release from Apple. Let someone else work out the bugs first. MCE offers a driver that adds Panther compatibility to its Cube DVD Multi Drive. Contact support@meetech.com to request the driver. The driver is also included with cur- rently shipping di Ed, Problems with Panther TODD JOHNSON js] Overall, I enjoyed your story about Pan- ther (“Panther by the Numbers,” Decem- ber 2003). But the “Network in the Finder” item has some major bugs. You say in your article to “just choose Network from the Go menu to see a list of servers in the familiar Finder inter- face.” But I’ve found several bugs while using Panther in a day-to-day work envi- ronment at multiple office locations on multiple test machines. For example, you must enter your pass- word, even if you've stored it in the Key- chain, and there is no Options button to allow you to store the password or to allow you to choose whether you have a secure ora standard connection to the server, as there was in Jaguar's Network Browser. If you leave a Finder window displaying the network open, let your Mac go to sleep, and then wake it up, expect the Finder to freeze at least half the time. This necessitates a hard reboot; force- quitting the Finder won't work. Browsing the available servers is pain- fully slow—much slower than in Jaguar's Network Browser—and file listings in the remote folders take longer to come up. Plus, servers mounted this way do not show up on the desktop. These are just a few of the problems. In some ways, the Finder has matured greatly since the initial release of OS but as far as browsing network services goes, Panther is less mature than version 10.0, I wouldn't deploy Panther in a stable network environment until Apple fixed it. asn't ready until version 10.2.3. 1 same from Panther. CHARLES FREAN. I'm enjoying several of Panther’s new fea- tures and interface improvements, but 1 have two main complaints about the OS. The first is that Column view is (still) restricted to alphabetical order. I much prefer to display certain folders in reverse chronological order, as is possible in List view, but I like the flexibility of Column view for general navigation. I organize my work in different folders. Reverse chrono- logical order lets me quickly see which files I've been working on recently. It's time-consuming to haye to switch to List view and back. The second complaint is that when I copy files, I cannot choose an Overwrite Only If Changed option, because Panther doesn’t offer one. I frequently want to copy a folder from drive A to drive B, where the folder already exists on drive B and I’m trying only to update the folder to include new files and newer versions of existing files. The Finder detects only existing file names; it can't tell whether an existing file has the same name but an earlier modification date. What I want to do is overwrite files with the same name only if they have an earlier modification wnwymacworld.com date. If the Finder's copy operation had this, capability, I could back up a large folder much faster because I wouldn't have to overwrite identical files, only those that have changed. CHRIS WATSON jes After receiving the December issue of Macworld, I was eager to try out the new Panther tips. I tried one of Ted Landau’s suggestions: I used Panther’s Font Book to disable some duplicate fonts. Unfortu- nately, once I did so, Apple apps such as Mail, Address Book, Safari, and Disk Util- ity all failed to launch (though non-Apple apps continued to work, adding to the confusion). After much gnashing of teeth and running a variety of utilities, I realized that the changes in Font Book might be an issue. I went back into Font Book and manually reactivated all the duplicate fonts. Apple’s apps were immediately restored to full functionality. ’m not sure whether this is a serious bug—Apple’s programs may just be very sensitive New Age apps. But this was an unpleasant (and inconvenient) surprise after following Macworld’s usually spot-on advice. graphire. THE RIGHT TOOL FOR ANY TASK Starting at $99, the Graphire pen tablet gives you the control you need to quickly and easily edit your digital photos, draw, paint, and annotate documents. Get the control of Graphire and join more than 2,000,000 satisfied Wacom” tablet users, (aw Photo Fun FREE TUTORIAL CD! Visit our website today for your free copy of the new tutorial CD featuring digital imaging pros Scott Kelby and Dave Cross. Draw & Paint Annotate visit call www.tabletphotolun.com | 800-922-2589 fa wwwimacworld.com T have seen a few similar reports. The problem isn’t with Font Book or with the advice per se. It has to do with the duplicate you choose to deactivate. If you deactivate a duplicate font that’s in the System: Library folder, you may experience the sorts of problems described here. The solution is to choose the other font. Often people just let Font Book decide which font to deactivate, and the program sometimes makes the wrong choice—Ted Landau Stand by Your Mac ELLE FAGAN [Es Thanks so much for your article on Power Mac G5s versus PCs (“The Race Is On,” December 2003). I liked and agreed with your approach: comparing apples and oranges. I love technology and did my own site design and HTML. I’m not a digital expert, but I was able to learn to use the Mac, and sticking up for it has been easy, since its technology has saved me from problems with viruses, crashes, and a list of other stressful incidents. So even my old trusty G3 is “fastest” because of its compatibility with my needs. HAVE FUN WITH YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOS| wy tc oe ead ete sa yo tg eet esd piper Wace tence sd ty en echo, (ton Haan ede Coprin com Ca, ate a ater! cm Cogan Us A ps aed sata pope be pec oes Ce ak we pee met an who mae Aes aS Cone ee MARCH 2004 FEEDBACK When a person talks about “fastest” in terms of computers, their general features as they apply to the individual user’s needs are what's important. Ifa computer handles well a function I use daily, and T achieve my computer-related goals in record time, then whatever computer and software organiza- tion and tasking methods I’ve used create the reality of “fastest” for me. Love my G3 Mac, but I’m shopping for a G4 because the G3 can’t run the new software I need. In terms of time saved for my arts business and its needs, online and off, the Mae wins with me. RYAN WYLER Ex} Nice article on the G5s versus PCs. I'ma recent switcher. Since I’ve switched, I’ve purchased three Macs and convinced about five friends to buy Macs, too. Your article does a good job of explain- ing that even though there are a few desk- tops in the world that are currently faster than the dual-processor G5, at least Macs are back in the running. I was a little disappointed with just one of the tests: MP3 encoding. Musicmatch continues. PATENTED PEN Pressure-sensitive for control, with a built-in eraser for easy fixes. There'smo cordtotangle,no | batteries to buy—ever. And it works with any software a mouse will CORDLESS MOUSE No ball to clean, no cord | to tangle, no batteries to buy—ever. VALUABLE SOFTWARE Adobe® Photoshop” Elements 1.0, Painter” Classic by Corel*, and penPalette™ LE by nik multimedia®, Cintiq? from "tb99 WACOM ————| March 2004 MACWORLD 15 Jukebox doesn’t encode MP3s at any- where near the same quality as Quick- Time does, because it encodes much faster. It would be nice to see a follow-up with the MP3 test using iTunes, or even a program such as Lame, (www.mp3-tech org/encoders.html) on each system. I bet it’s hard to keep everyone happy with articles like the ones you publish, but you've done a great job. MARK COMER is So the PC has a little edge, and four our of six tests proved it. What I really notice is that the PCs you used in the tests were not the little $499 Dells you see in com- mercials, By the time you equip a PC to do what a Mac does, you spend compa- rable amounts of cash. I also feel that the extra speed of the PC is offset by the clumsy operating system, I’m spoiled by my Mac! If I want something done, I get it done on my Mac, When I plug something in, it plays (I don’t have to identify hardware, load drivers, restart, start again, reload drivers, and then find out that things that used to work last week now do not), The PC speed advan- tage just takes you from crash to crash at lightning speed, and the operating system is as elegant as dancing with cinder blocks strapped to your shoes. T don't care that my Mac is a bit slower. It works as near to flawlessly as anything I could imagine. My work gets done, the f wonderful quality (the case s tightly), it’s dependable, and it's a visual treat, There’s still one thing that I don’t understand, though; why is ir thar my 300MHz Yosemite G3 boots up and is ready to go faster than my 1.2GHz home-built Athlon? PowerBooks Hinge on Design RICHARD BRUCE cs) I was dismayed to hear about the exe sive hardware flaws of the new 15- PowerBook G4s (Reviews, December 2003), but ['m not surprised. A 12-inch iBook I bought had to be replaced twice at the time of purchase, and then it had a faulty keyboard. Later I bought a 14-inch iBook, and the display had large dark areas from being pressed by something in the frame. The replacement had the same problem, though not as bad, and 16 MACWORLD March 2008 the plastic frame around the display stuck out around the microphone on both , the latch didn’t work, and there was a brown thing embedded in the plas- tic, which somebody at manufacturing thought they could scratch out. This, in addition to things such as uneven seams and CD doors hanging down, prompts me to give a message to Jonathan Ive, Apple’s vice president of industrial design: No one will mind if you take a hint from Big Blue’s portable hard- ware, and here's a clue—micrometer, Think Different, Dang It ANTHONY W, MAGEE {es} I've been reading your publication for four years now and have heard some of the worst criticism about Apple come from its longtime users. I just want to say some- thing a smart man named Sam Walton said a while back: “Don’t get so stuck in your ways that you can’t change.” Way to go, Apple, for making your users think about what they're doing, for expanding their minds. And T love OS X 10.3, even though I don’t yet own a Mac that can handle it. Exposé caught my eye immediately and stands out as an exercise of thought. X11 Lessons AMITAI SCHLAIR es In December 2003's Geek Factor (“X11 Marks the Spot”), Jim Akin recommends the FinkCommander GUI for OS X users looking to dabble with OS X appli- cations. Those who seek or cultivate a more profound appreciation for OS X's BSD heritage may find it more ful- filling to install Unix software in a Ter- minal window. Many of the standard Unix utilities found in OS X originated in NetBSD, a free version of Unix with a long history of excellent security and code quality, Net- BSD also has a framework, called pkgsre, to help compile additional programs from source code—and it works on several operating systems, including OS X. To learn more, visit www.pkgsrc.org. MARC K. MYERS. S After reading the article about X11, was eager to give it a try. | used the link provided in the article and found that Apple is not offering X11 for any version friendly as Apple X11, but it launches fi ___MARCH 2004 FEEDBACK of the OS prior to 10.3. ['m planning on waiting until 10.3.2 to obtain Panther because I'd rather let the people on the bleeding edge deal with all of a new OS's inevitable problems. That leaves me wondering where I can get a copy of Apple’s X11 package that will ran in OS X 10.2.8, Unfortunately, Apple pulled the Jaguar- compatible X11 beta from its Web site when it released Panther. Version 1,0 of X11 is Panther-only and included on Panther installation discs, If you would like to run NIL on Jaguar, you can install a non-Apple variant of X11 called XFree86 via Pink- Commander, or download it directly from www.XDarwin.org. It isn’t quite as user m OS X°s Applications folder and runs loads of” great, free X11 software. Additional infor mation is available at bttp://fink.sourceforge enet/doc/e11/—Jim Akin © Post comments on our forums (www -macworld.com); send them by mail to (=) Letters, Macworld, 501 Second Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94107; or send them by e-mail to letters@macworld.com. Include a return address and daytime phone number. Due to the high volume of mail we receive, we can't respond personally to each letter. We reserve the right to edit all letters and posts, All published letters and forum comments become the property of Macworld. -AODEr sIC CORRECTIONS In "The Two-Mac E-mail Shuffle” (Mobile Mac, February 2004), we said that copying the con tents of OS X's Address Book to a secondary ‘Mac required copying the file Users/username/ Library/Preferences/com.apple.AddressBook -plist. In fact, the file to copy is Users/username/. Library/Application Support/AddressBook! AddressBook.data, In "Shop Smart” (January 2004), we men- tioned Michael Thole’s Searchling 1.1, which is no longer available. Also, we gave an incorrect URL for Thomas Reed's Coffee Break Pro X. The correct URL is wwww.bitjuggler.com. In the text of February 2002's Mac OS X Hints “Unix Tip of the Month,” we printed the * (apos- trophe) character where we should have printed the” (grave accent) character in two commands. The article’s screenshot shows the proper syntax. ‘wwwmacworld.com ra seethelightography The soft sunlight, the soulful color, the sudden epipha So does ything inside the Nikon D100° Digital SLR Camera. Take this shot captured on the outs! 5 of Oaxaca, Mexico. Total Image Quality is the driving force behind the D100 and its 6.1 effective megapixels. As your eye for great pictures ae grows, the D100 SLR System expands with you. And at a price of under $1700, you've entered (or simply moved s, an n that includes over 60 compatible AF Nikkor® lens tal Imaging System. It’s the up to) the unparalleled world of Nikon's ware. See the r. See the potential. See the story. Go behind the expansive Speedlight System and the choice of Nikon Capture ng the light matters shot and learn more at nikonsir.com. Because s If the picture matters the Choose 59 at www.macworld.comigetinfo Mac peal WHAT'S NEW WHAT'S IN THE PIPELINE WHAT'S HOT APPLE WASN’T THE ONLY COMPANY THAT MADE NEWS AT MACWORLD EXPO Beyond the Digital Hub Apple usually dominates the product news at Macworld Expo, and this January's San Francisco conference was no excep- tion (see "Center of Attention,” page 52, for more on Apple’s new products). But there was more to this year’s Expo than smaller iPods and the updated iLife suite. Around 250 exhibitors were at the show, displaying the latest in Mac hardware and software. Here are some of the product highlights from January's Macworld Expo. Director’s New Take Director didn’t make the final cut of programs that shipped as part of Mac- romedia’s Studio MX 2004 (www macromedia tor MX 2004 shipping by the | time you read this, the app o isnow ready for its close-up. MX * Qerecror And designers 18 MACWORLD who've wanted increased el ciency and flexi- should welcome this version of the app, widely used for creating pro- fessional-level multimedia content for CDs, DVDs, kiosks, and the Web. ‘March 2004 One important addition to Direc- tor is support for embedding, con- trolling, and playing back DVD video within Director projects. This capability opens the possibilities of triggering events during playback, adding custom inter ind provid- ing Web-synchronized viewing of additional content. In addition to allowing such DVD integration, Director MX 2004's DVD features mean that DVD creators can now easily add materials that work on any platform—Mac or Windows. Director has long relied on a pro- prietary scripting language, known as Lingo, for creating interactivity. The MX 2004 update adds support for JavaScript—a boon for programmers and Web developers who don’t want to learn another scripting language. You can also use both languages within a single proj Director MX 2004 is compatible with the latest version of Flash, so you can import Flash MX 2004 files into Director. This allows for rapid deployment of existing Flash content across multiple fixed-media types, the use of additional media types (Qui Time, RealMedia, BMP, and GIF, for example) in projects, and interactive real-time 3-D. Other time-saving enhancements in Director MX 2004 include new Publish Settings preferences, such as the option to save a project’ projector settings and the option to create Director applications for Mac and for Windows in one step. You can now assign custom names to sprites— graphic elements that can perform defined actions based on user input— and move sprites and channels with- out modifying code. Finally, Director includes prebuilt components such as calendar and interface elements, to cut development time. Sometimes, getting a product right is more important than getting it out quickly. With any luck, we'll find that the improvements in the $1,199 Director MX 2004 ($399 for upgraders) were worth the wait. JONATHAN SI wwwmacworld.com MARCH 2004 MAC BEAT HARDWARE BEAT Coolscan V ED, Super Coolscan 5000 ED, and Super Coolscan 9000 ED, from Nikon (www .nikonusa.com): High-speed desk- top film scanners feature 4,000-dpi resolution (V ED, $600; 5000 ED, $1,100; 9000 ED, $2,000), i- Harman Kardon Soundsticks 1, from Harman Multimedia (www harman-multimedia.com): Speak- ers come outtitted with computer- PageMaker Makes Way for InDesign one place. To make InD can even use PageMaker For the last few years, Adobe (www.adobe .com) has kept PageMaker, its venerable pa layout application, in the game for OS 9 users ‘The bundle includes sev while devoting most of its development atten- ously available only in PageM tion to the OS X-only InDesign. But Adobe _gram’s page-imposition abilitie believes that InDesign is its ble through the InBooklet Special E and the company has tion plug-in. You can finally sent Pa also automatically style Maker to the s text with bullets and ign more familiar, you yboard shortcuts. features previ- ker. That pro- now howers. optimized audio technology and To quell the qualms numbered lists, a pop- analog connectivity ($200). of PageMaker-loyal ular feature among HIL-2700CN, from Brother (www Mac users, Adobe has unveiled a PageMaker- friendly version of InDesign—InDesign PageM ors, Data Merge is a more recent -brother.com): Small-business printer with built-in 10/100BaseT Ethernet print server prints 31 black-and-white and eight color pages per minute ($899), HL-5100 series, from Brother (www.brother.com): Four printers feature print speeds as fast as 21 pages per minute (HL-5140, $229; HL-5150D, $299; HL- 5150DLT, $349; HL-5170DN, $449), JBL Creature Il, from Harman Multimedia (www.harman-multi media.com): Glowing speakers incorporate the latest Odyssey transducer technology ($100). addition to Page- Maker, but it’ also part of the bundle (see “Data Driven”), The bundle’: new Position tool acts like Page- Maker 7's Crop tool. Adobe rounds out the bundle with more than 80 professionally designed templates, as as training videos mally sells for $699.) xisting InDesign CS Data Driven The new Data Merge palette helps you merge text and images from separate files into templates for projects such as catalogs, business cards, and form letters. This is a preview of a layout with merged data. users can buy a $49 PageMaker Plug-in Pack that includes the templates and training material for people who prefer PageMaker’s content and commands. The InDesign CS and PageMaker Plug-in bundle lets you convert documents and tem- plates created in PageMaker 6.0 or later. The bundle also includes the PageMaker toolbar, which places common commands such as New Document, Open Document, Save, and Print in and online help that answers questions for people migrating from PageMake Adobe will continue its PageMaker technical support and customer service for people who don’t want to switch from PageMaker. But the company’s message is clear; from this point forward, InDesign is the layout star on Adobe's team.—TERRI STONE Perfection 4870 Photo and Perfection 4870 Pro, from Epson (www.epson.com): Film scanners offer 4,800-by-9,600- dpi resolution (4870 Photo, $449; 4870 Pro, $599)—compieo By PHILIP MICHAELS Panther Gets Some Backup Updated operating systems need updated software. And some of those updates are trickier than others, as Dantz Development (www.dantz.com) learned when it came time to add Panther compatibility to its Retrospect backup software. OS X 10.3 intro- duced a number of new features—specifically FileVault encryp- tion and Fast User Switching—that Dantz needed to support. Panther-compatible Retrospect 6.0 tackles those challenges. The newly updated Retrospect can back up the user folders of FileVault users only when they're logged in. Version 6.0 is also savvy enough to refuse to launch when it's already open in another active user account. Most importantly, Retrospect now provides OS X 10.3 users—and those about to upgrade to the new OS—a way to back up and restore files. Other additions to Retrospect 6.0 include support for Fibre Channel tape libraries and the ability to identify tape bar codes. Those capabili- ties are of particular interest to organizations in need of serious, large- scale backups, as is another new Retrospect feature—the ability to back up from and write to data sets larger than one 1TB. Smaller-scale users will appreciate several additions to Retrospect's file selectors. There's www.macworld.com now a selector that specifically backs up only your user folder and gen- eral preferences instead of your entire drive, reducing the size of your backup. Other new selectors include ones that weed out large movie and audio files, as well as a wide range of Web-browser cache files. Ret- rospect can also now save a backup set on multiple external hard drives, rather than being limited to a single drive. If you've still got some OS 9 machines on your network, Retrospect 6 has you covered. The product ships with a copy of Retrospect 5.1 for OS 9; version 5.1 works with the same license codes that activate copies of Retrospect 6.—MAcWoRLD STAFF PRICING OPTIONS As with past releases, Retrospect 6.0 comes in three different versions. > The Desktop version ($129; upgrade, $60) can back up the computer it's on and two other computers on a local subnet. > The Workgroup edition ($499; upgrade, $199) backs up 20 computers and adds tape-drive support and the ability to run on Mac OS X Server. > The Server edition ($799; upgrade, $349) runs on and backs up OS X servers and as many as 100 clients March 2004 MACWORLD 19 MARCH 2004 MAC BEAT = PRODUCTIVITY . Dave 5.0, from Thursby Software (www:thursby.com): Networking software adds support for Win- XSERVE GETS FASTER CHIP; XSERVE RAID BOOSTS CAPACITY dows Server 2003's enhanced ‘The PowerPC 970 processor added to Apple's dual-2GHz server; all models should be available in default network security ($119; Power Mac desktops last year amid much fan- February (see "Apple's Server Side" for more infor- upgrade, $70), fare has made its way into another mation about them). DeltaGraph 5.5, from Red Rock piece of Apple hardware. The Xserve, ———— Apple also updated its other server Software (www.redrocksw.com); Apple's server product line, now runs eB hardware, the Xserve RAID. The 3U rack Saaraie a ee lis on either one or two 2GHz G5 chips. fm | storage system can now store 3.5TB, an ity, POF import id Sure an In addition to the 64-bit processor, Ese — fm) increase of nearly 30 percent over its old the ability to drag and drop the Xserve G5 features a new system = capacity, The latest version of the Xserve charts and objects to other appli- controller with as much as 8GB of rT] ll RAID supports Small Form-Factor Plug- cations ($299; upgrade, free), PC3200 error-correcting code memory; Emm fl gable connections, for greater deploy- MYOB AccountEdge 2004 Net- up to 750GB of storage; and two PCI-X f= —_ ment flexibility. The Xserve RAID is also work Edition, from MYOB slots that support 133MHz PCI-X cards AAT certified on Windows 2003 Server, Win- (www.moyb.com/us): Small-busi- with more than 1 GBps of throughput. dows XP Professional, and multiple ver- _-—_‘"W¢58 accounting and manage- ment software has been opti- Apple is also offering a cluster-optimized sions of Linux.—pHiLip MICHAELS mized for multiple users working simultaneously over a Mac net- work ($599; upgrade, $249), APPLE'S SERVER SIDE apple reconfigured its Xserve and Xserve RAID lineups. PDFpen, from SmileOnMyMac Xserve RAID Configurations (wwww.smileonmymac.com); POF 7 ] Ni ree BLE | | utility allows you to split, com- | 3 | |_DRIVE MODULES E bine, reorder, and augment PDFs Ul ($30).—compeo ay par micnaers edition Dual-2GH: O-client edition PowerPC G5 MULTIMEDIA Dual-2GHz Unlimited-client Fourteen 25068 $10,999 PowerPC G5 edition Drives BEAT AlchemyTV DVR, from Miglia Technology (www.miglia.com): PCI card that lets users watch and record TV shows on their Macs is now G5-compatible ($159). Combustion 3, from Discreet (wwwwdiscreet.com): Visual-effects and 3-D-compositing software adds JavaScript-based Expressions for complex animations, and Edit- ing Operator for simple editing (8995; upgrade, $199). Indie HD Toolkit, from Heuris (wwwheuris.com): Suite for mov- ing video shot with the JVC J¥- HD10U HOV camera into Final Cut Pro includes import and player util- ities and MPEG-2 encoding soft- ware ($499), Studio Artist 3.0, from Synthetik Software (www.synthetik.com): Graphic synthesizer for re-render- ing source images or video as a painted image adds Vectorizer raster, Modular Synthesized ; 5 Graphics plug-in architecture, and www.|InsideMacRadio.com Toprol legs processiig ($379; upgrade, $179).—cowe.eo BY PHILIP MICHAELS 20 MACWORLD. March 2008 wow.macworld.com The latest Mac bells, and the latest Mac whistles Apple® PowerMac® GS > 1.6GHz PowerPC” GS processor > Memory: 256MB RAM > 80GB serial ATA hard drive > DVD-R/CD-RW Superdrive Authorized — $4795.00 Reseller ‘COW So82it Macromedia Studio MX 2004 > Includes the newest versions of industry-leading, standards-based tools, providing professional features for every aspect of web development > Integration across the Studio MX 2004 applications enables more efficient development of rich web sites and applications > Reduces design and development complexity > Consistent user interface elements help you work more efficiently when using multiple Studio MX applications Apple® 20" Cinema Display > Liquid crystal display provides unparalleled image quality and richly saturated color > 1680-by-1050-pixel resolution for display of application palettes > Widescreen format for simultaneous display of two full pages of text and graphics, or full-screen DVD and QuickTime movies > Designed to work with the PowerMac® G4 or PowerMac” G5 digital graphics interface for distortion-free images > Wide (170°) horizontal and vertical viewing angle for maximum visibility and color performance Authorized $1294.95 Reseller ‘cow 460830 cow) mac<Swarehouse macwarehouse.com « 800.ALL.MACS Choose 2 at wwwmacworid.com/getinfo MARCH 2004 MAC BEAT DIGITALFILM TREE PUTS EDITING APP TO WORK Final Cut’s Pros Hollywood is just beginning to offer Final Cut Pro, and other Apple hardware and software products, a leading role in postproduction work on projects lar Bur DigitalFilm ¢, a postproduction and services firm based in West Hollywood, California, has given Final Cut Pro top billing for “One of our original goals was to use consumer technology for professional use,” says CEO Ramy Katrib (pictured left), who founded DigitalFilm Tree in 1998. “Back then, Final Cut Pro was not used for films or TV. So for us, it started as making discover- ies—figuring out how to edit 35mm feature films with a 450MHz [Power Mac] G3, using Final Cut Pro and FilmLogiec.” In its early days, the company provided its offline and online editing services to small independent films and student projects. But as major filmmakers began using Final Cut Pro (and Digital- Film Tree) in higher-profile productions—most notably Soderbergh, with Full Frontal, and Roge of Attraction—DigitalFilm ‘Tree’s belief that F inal Cut Pro w: capable of handling professional work began to spread. ‘Two years ago, DigitalFilm Tree was hired to conform the broad- cast video masters—the last editing stage, which yields a master ape—of the NBC comedy series Scrubs. It helped Scrubs move to an all-Final Cut Pro workflow in 2003 (see “Choice Edits”). DigitalFilm Tree capped off last year with work on Cold Mountain, a contender in the upcoming Academy Awards. “No project in his- tory that shot a million feet of film was ever cut on Final Cut Pro,” “Plus [the film’s editors] wanted four systems running simultaneously.” ‘The folks at DigitalFilm Tree will be holding their breath come Oscar night. It may prove their point—that Final Cut Pro is a worthy industry player-—ADELIA CELLINI ON SITCOM SET, MACS RUN THE SHOW Choice Edits For the first two seasons of the TV series Scrubs, the show's editors used Mac hardware but turned to Avid for editing soft- ware. Before the start of the third season last fall, the editors decided to give Apple's Final Cut Pro a try. "We became beta testers for Apple to see if [the 9%) program] was cap- » able of doing what we needed it to do,” says Tim Serda, assistant editor for Scrubs, “It worked for us, and we felt comfortable making the switch for this season.” For Serda, the biggest test after the Final Cut Pro switch came when the executive producer worked with the editor to lock an episode—the 22 MACWORLD. March 2004 process of finalizing which shots wind up in the final show. "The editor gets into a mode of clicking and editing quickly, and the application can't crash or slow down on us," Serda says. “Final Cut Pro passed the test—from that point ‘on, we were locked into using Final Cut Pro.” Besides Final Cut Pro 4 on Power Mac G4s, the editing team uses three Xserve RAIDs, an 802.11b wireless network, and 17-inch Power- Books for each editor. While Serda thinks that Apple is on the right track with its latest releases, he says the com- pany could add at least one feature to gain a stronger hold on Hollywood—support for multi- camera viewing. Unlike Scrubs, which is shot with a single camera, many programs use mul- tiple cameras, " [Final Cut Pro] is getting there,” says Serda. "If the multicamera feature comes in, Final Cut Pro will be seriously considered by all of the networks.” —uim DatayweLe STORAGE BEAT ComboDock, from WiebeTech (wiwwu.wiebetech,com): Dack- ing device, featuring dual daisy- chainable FireWire 800 ports and a USB 2,0 port, lets users dock IDE drives to a FireWire 800-USB 2,0 bridge ($150; with AC adapter and FireWire cable, $170). Data Backup 2.0, from Prosoft Engineering (www.prosofteng .com): Updated backup utility features new interface and streamlined functionality ($49; upgrade, free), QuickStream DV, from MCE Technologies (wwwumcetech .com): Hard-disk-based digital- video-capture device mounts on a DV camera and lets users record DV directly to disk ($599 to $999, depending on capacity). Vanguard Ultra Elite Fibre System, from FirewireDirect -com (wwwifirewiredirect.com): Enterprise-level 2GB Fibre Channel RAID product supports hard drives with capacities as high as 250G8 and can provide ‘as much as 3TB of storage ($5,695 to $9,695, depending on configuration) —coméo BY PHILP MICHAELS GAME BEAT ‘Aki Mahjong Solitaire, from Ambrosia Software (www.ambro siasw.com): Puzzle program runs ‘on OS X 10.1 and later ($20). Eylau and Friedland, from By Design (wwvzmacwargames .com): Two Napoleonic-era war games add OS X compatibility (625 each), Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3; Raven Shield, from Aspyr Media (wwwaspyr.com): Tactical action and strategy game features 15 new single-player missions and six dedicated multiplayer maps ($50). Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, from Aspyr Media (wwwvaspyt.com): Latest Lara Croft adventure requires OS X 10.2.6 or later and 256MB of RAM ($40) —couen ay PHP nicHaets www.macworld.com THE POWER IS NOW YOURS! INTRODUCING... TECHTOOL PRO VERSION 4 TechTool Pro includes S.M.A.R.T. testing, hardware tests, scheduling and alerts, performance tools, and more... even scavenges for files when all else fails! TechTool Pro 4 9 & Pe oon [votes fries} NEW FEATURE! eDrive | ») Hardware Pressing the Run button == selections by using the Har The new eDrive feature allows you ¥ Hide Hardware Tests to add a bootable emergency @ Cache volume to an existing volume. This S new eDrive volume is created = WITHOUT the need to initialize ae cieck the current volume, keeping all » data intact on the current volume. @ FireWire The eDrive is then available if .) something should go wrong with = your normal startup volume. vein Memory > Buy Now! @ Mathematics www.micromat.com » The Power to Recover, Repair, and Optimize - Made Easy! iti Micromat Inc. 800-829-6227 707-566-3831 info@micromat.com www.micromat.com ©2003 Micromat, Inc. All rights reserved. TechTool is a registered trademark of Micromat, Inc. Choose 37 at wwrwmacworld.comigetinfo MARCH 2004 MAC BEAT i CATCHING UP WITH MAC ICON CREATOR SUSAN KARE Behind the Smile Maybe it’s not that surprising that the Mac has spent the past 20 years developing a passionate following even among people without much interest in computers. After all, the icons and fonts that first attracted many of these technophobes to the Mac were designed by a person who also wasn’t particularly interested in computers. In 1983, Susan Kare had both an _ objects and commands in the OS. M.A. and a Ph.D. in fine arts Kare began by working on graph from New York University. Out paper, using one square to represent of the blue, she got a call from one pixel. Soon, Hertzfeld devel- oped an icon editor that ran on an early version of the Mac, allowing Kare to toggle pixels on and off and view icons at actual size. For Kare, the most challenging part was to create compelling meta- phors for abstract concepts such as commands. Take the Copy com- mand, which she tried to represent with an image of a cat gazing at its own reflection—a “copycat.” “Visual puns don’t work at all,” Kare says, “because users shouldn't Andy Hertzfeld—a high-school have to solve puzzles. Icons should friend who had become a program- _ function more like road signs than mer at Apple Computer. He asked illustrations.” whether she would be interested in ‘Twenty years later, we're still sur- designing interface elements fora rounded by many of Kare’ original new computer. Intrigued, Kare Mac icons, such as the Lasso and the soon found herself at Apple, work- Grabber. One of Kare’s other cre- ing on the original Macintosh. ations has made a recent come- stocreate visual back—Chicago, the system font she icons representing File, Delete, designed for the first Mac, now Copy, and the handful of other graces Apple’s iPod.—DAvID WEISS SUSAN KARE’S GREATEST HITS Happy Mac: The smiling Mac appeared at startup to let users know everything was A-Ol “This was one of my favorites, because it summarized the problem | had to solve: making a friendlier computer” : The timepiece popped up whenever a command took time to carry out. "1 was happy to make a watch, because Macs were more ‘modern.’ Not like the Lisa, or Xerox computers, which used an hourglass.” The Command Symbol: The key bearing this image modifies the keyboard by adding more functions. “We [used] the cloverleaf image based on a symbol for ‘interesting feature’ in Swedish campground signa‘ Bomb: When this icon appeared on screen, Mac users knew there was a problem. “Apple told me to come up with whatever | wanted to for this image, and that probably no one would ever see it" 24 MACWORLD March 2004 PROFILE Q&AV I Q&A with Craig Barnes Natural Selection You Software founder Craig Barnes is following the same approach he took at Now Software and Extensis: offer a mix of homegrown products and software from independent developers. Barnes recently spoke with Macworld about how giving small developers a big stage benefits Mac users.—aNDREW SHALAT AT A GLANCE CRAIG BARNES founder and CEO, You Software MAC: 1GHz PowerBook G4 with SuperDrive SOFTWARE: Apple Mail, Apple iPhoto Q: Is the Mac market today different from how it was when you founded Now Software and Extensis? A: Similar to the System 6-to-System 7 transition, we've cleared the decks and started over. A lot of junk has been purged, and renewed energy is everywhere. Sure, we had a downtum, but the optimism is unlike anything | have seen in a long time. Q: You Software includes products originally developed by lone program- mers. It's obvious how a one-person operation benefits from your distribu- tion and marketing savvy, but what's the advantage for Mac users? A: The main way it benefits the end user, frankly, is the ability for them to find out about the product in the first place. Hard- core techno types may dig for interesting or useful new products and technologies, but most people let the hard-core early innovators guide them. More important than marketing sawy or distribution is that experienced, dedicated commercial soft- ware organizations have the discipline, dedi- cation, and wherewithal to deliver predict- ably high-quality products at reasonable prices—and will be there in the long run. There are many wonderful small software businesses out there, and many seem to plod along just fine. Our mission at You Software is to augment our own develop- ment efforts by leveraging and scaling the work of these types of businesses and getting broad productivity solutions to millions of users. wwnw.macworld.com Industrial streng th protection for industrial strength Mac users sumone niin 3 ‘Apple Xserve RAID Robust applications demand robust power protection... 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SU2AGEF-US + PowerFax: (800) 347-FAXX « E-mail: apanfom@apec.com * 132 Fargrounds Road, West Kingston, Rl 02692 USA Choose 73 at www.macworld, comigetinfo PHOTOS BY PETER BELANGER | OUTSTANDING: | VERY GOOD: $008 anne GOOD: Udi FLAWED: UNACCEPTABLE: Reviews you can trust: Macworld rates only final shipping products, not prototypes: What we review is what you can actually buy. iBook G4s Familiar Design, Updated Technology BY HENRY NORR Ava glance, the new iBook G4 notebooks look almost identical to their predecessors, but beneath their unchanged ice-white cov- ers, they've undergone a major upgrade. If you're in the market for a mobile Mac at a bargain price, you no longer have to settle for last year’s stan- dards. In terms of core processing and connectivity technologies, this overhaul brings the low- end laptops in line with the rest of the Mac family. Specifically, the new iBooks move up not only from the G3 processor to the G4, but also to a next-generation memory system. On the wireless front, they are the first iBooks to support AirPort Extreme (802.1 1g) net- working (a $99 option), as well as Bluetooth connections to compatible phones, wireless keyboards and mice, and other devices. (Plan ahead if you want Bluetooth: it’s available only in built-to-order configurations, for $50.) While the single FireWire port is still the old FireWire 400 flavor (1394a), the two USB ports now support version 2.0 of that standard, enabling much faster data exchange with USB 2.0 external drives, cameras, card readers, and scanners. And the built-in opti- cal drives are now slot loading; the easily damaged trays of previous iBooks are gone. And of course, the new models come with Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther). 12-inch iBook G4/800MHz Speedmark 3.3 OVERALL SCORE Cinema 4D XL 8.5 RENDER Same Look, Same Weight ‘The last major makeover of the iBook line, back in May 2001, included a dramatic redesign: the flamboyant colors and bulky curves of the original clamshell iBook gave way to cool white and rectangular lines— the same styling later adopted for the iPod. This time, Apple's industrial designers opted to stick with that distinctive look. The new models feature the same compact design, sturdy feel, and white polycarbonate plastic case as their predecessors. Aside from the new optical-media slot, the only noticeable change is that the keys are no longer translucent (see “New Look”). The 2001 overhaul also resulted in iBooks that were almost two pounds lighter than the clamshell models. Unfortunately, that’s iMovie 3.0.3 RENDER iTunes 4.2 __MP3 ENCODE another dimension that has scarcely changed: the entry-level version, with a 12-inch display, still weighs 4.9 pounds, while the two models with 14-inch screens weigh 5.9 pounds. And the new iBooks continue to deliver excellent battery life. We couldn’t match Apple’s promise of as much as six hours per charge, but in moderate use, we got more than four and a half hours with the default Energy Saver settings. Good, Better, Best? Apple is offering three iBook G4 models in retail outlets and as standard configura tions at the online Apple Store. In the past, the company generally offered two models with a 12.1-inch screen and only one with a 14.1-inch display. This time it has reversed that ratio: only the entry-level, $1,099 model, with an 800GHz G4 and a 30GB hard drive, has a 12.1-inch screen. The other two versions, a $1,299 model with a 933MHz processor and a 40GB drive, and a $1,499 version with a 1GHz G4 and a 60GB drive, have the larger screen—and the extra space and weight it requires. Before you choose, remember that the larger-screen models don't actually display any more data than their smaller-screen siblings: all three models are limited to a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels. The dif- ference is in the size of the pixels. squeeze that many into a 12.1 they have to be pretty small, and as ar some people—especially those with vi problems—may find small type and other fine details hard to decipher. If you're in that category, the 14.1-inch models may well be worth the extra cost and Adobe Photoshop CS _Unreal Tournament __ AVERAGE FRAME RATE 14-inch iBook G4/933MHz 14-inch iBook G4/1GHz 12-inch PowerBook/IGHz 12-inch iBook G3/900MHz BEST RESULTS IN BOLD. REFERENCE SYSTEMS N ITAL Speedmak 3.3 scores ar relative to those of a 1GHz eMac (Gt, which is assigned a score of 100. Photeshop, Cinema 4D XL, iMovie, and iTunes scores are in minutes'seconds, Speedmark 3.3 requies at least 512MB of RAM. Because all iBooks ship with 128MB of internal RAM, we tested the iGooks with 640MB of RAM. The PowerBook had 512MB of RAM. ll systems were running Mac OS X 10.3.2. We tested MP3 encoding with an audio-CD track that was 45 minutes long, converting it from the hard drive using iTunes’ Better Quality setting, We used Unreal Tournament’s Antalus Botmatch average frames-per- second score; we tested ata resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels. The Photoshop Suite testis a set of 14 scripted tasks using a SOMB file. Photoshop's memory was set to 75 percent and History was set to Mini- mum, For more information on Speedmark 3.3, visit wwyw.macwortd.com/speedmatk —A1eOWORLD AB TESTING BY KRSTINA OE RAE AUD INES GALBRAITH 26 MACWORLD. March 2004 woww.macworld.com 26 Portable systems 12-inch iBook G4/800MHz, 14-inch iBook G4/933MH2, 14-inch iBook G4/1GHz 28 Wireless keyboards less Optical Desktop ‘Avid Xpress Pro Cordless MX Duo, Macally hey, Macally mouse, Microsoft Wire- 30. Video-editing program 35. Word processor Marines Write 3,5 36 3-D software Catrara Studio 3 37 OCR software 39 Surveillance software HomeGuardian 2 39. CAD software Vector Works 10.5 39 Wireless CardBus card 43 The Game Room ‘Active Lancer, Age of Mythology, Busing Monkey Casino, Ghost ‘Master, Imaginext Battle Castle, Kelly Slater's Pro Surer and mice 30. Video-capture devices Readiris Pro 9 Sonnet Avia extreme Wireless 49. Mac Gems Apple Wireless Keyboard, ‘AIA0, Avid Mojo 38 Project-management CardBus Card imp, Macaroni, MisFox, Nice- Apple Wireless Mouse, 32 Asset manager software 40. Keyboard virtual ast, Peripheral Vision Bluetooth Wireless Optical iView MediaPro 2,0 Studiomety 1.1 instruments Mouse, Kensington Wireless Optical Desktop, Logitech Mariner Calc 5.2 iBook G4s Compared : MOUSE COMPANY PRODUCT RATING Apple 12-inch 1Bc oe Computer Apple 08! ‘Computer Apple ‘V4einch iBook #489 Computer GA/IGH weight. If you can easily read small type— and you don’t mind a slightly slower proces- sor and smaller hard drive—you might want to opt for the 12.1-inch screen. You'll save money and come away with a notebook that’s noticeably easier to haul around. ‘There’s another change in the iBook line: a CD-RW/DVD-ROM (Combo) drive is now standard in all three models, even the lowest-priced configuration, which in the G3 generation came with a CD-ROM drive. (If you order through Apple’s Web store, you can downgrade the 14-inch models to CD- ROM and save $100; this option isn’t cur- rendy available for the 12-inch model.) All three configurations also come with 256MB of memory. In one sense, that’s a welcome, if belated, step forward. Given today’s low RAM prices and the demands of OS X, there was no good excuse for contin- uing to offer just 128MB as standard equip- ment in most configuration: ‘The problem is that the new models have only half their memory soldered to the logic board; the other 128MB come in the form of a DIMM occupying the single RAM- expansion slot. If you want to add memory— as many users surely will—to get the most out of OS X, you have to throw away the 128MB DIMM to make way for a larger one. (If you order from Apple's Web store, you can avoid the issue by upgrading up front to 384MB of total memory, for $50, or 640MB, for $150.) Officially, 640MB is the maximum amount of RAM the new iBooks support, but some sup- pliers are already offering 1GB modules, boosting total memory to 1,152MB. If you buy third-party RAM, make sure it~ wwwumacworld.com 35 Spreadsheet application 39 Label printer Dymo LabelWriter 330 Turbo B4, Lounge Lizard EP-2 CONTACT PROS CONS - 408/996-1010, Low price; compact design and relatively ‘Unimpressive performance; no unoccupied wwwapple.com light weight; excellent battery life; slot- RAM-expansion slot. loading Combo optical drive; up-to-date wireless options; USB 2.0 ports, 408/996-1010, Better performance than 12-inch model; larger, ‘little on the heavy side; no unoccupied RAM wwew.apple.com more readable screen; excellent battery life; expansion slot. slatloading Combo optical drive; up-to-date wireless options; USB 2.0 ports. 408/996-1010, Pretty good performance; larger, more Alittle on the heavy side; no unoccupied RAM- www.apple.com readable screen; excellent battery life; roomy expansion slot; extra performance and hard hhard drive; slot-loading Combo optical drive; drive capacity dont justly the price, up-to-date wireless options; USB 2.0 ports. has been tested and certified for the iBook G4. We discovered that generic RAM, even if it appears to be compatible, can cause a variety of problems. Installing third-party RAM and/or exceeding the stated maximum iBook memory don’t automatically affect your war- ranty, but Apple says that if your computer is damaged by or operates poorly with unsup- ported brands or RAM levels, your warranty will not cover the cost of repairs. Architectural Enhancements. Compared to the G3, the chip that powered all previous iBooks, the G+ processor not only runs at higher clock speeds but also adds AltiVec (also known as Velocity Engine), a special feature that speeds up some routines commonly used by graphics, multimedia, and cryptographic applications. In addition, the iBook G4’ new logic board uses a faster flavor of RAM (266MEIz double data rate synchronous DRAM, also known as DDR266 or PC2100) and connects it to the processor via a faster bus (133MHz, up from 100MHz in the previous iBook generation). The net effect is a welcome performance boost over the old G3 iBooks—even though the version of the G4 chip Apple uses in the new models has only 256KB of on-chip Li 2 cache, half the amount built into the version of the G3 used in the pre- vious iBooks. This speed increase ranges from modest in some operations to dra- matic in others, particu- | larly with software that | takes advantage of Alti- Vec. In our Speedmark \ ra New Look The keyboard is no longer translucent; now it blends in with the iBook's white motif. benchmark tests, the 1GHz iBook G4 outscored the fastest previous iBook, which featured a 900MHz G3, by about 21 percent overall. But if you look at the individual tests that score is based on, the improvement is much more substantial in some cases: ren- dering an iMovie and encoding a song in AAC format are 30 percent to almost 40 per- cent faster on the 1GHz G4. The iBooks are still the slowest Macs on the shelf—even the fastest model lags behind the eMac and the base iMac and PowerBook configurations, although all of those systems also have 1GHz Gas. At least the gap has narrowed, and while the speed of the new models won't knock anyone's socks off, they don’t feel as if they're constantly laboring under OS X's demands, as older and low-end G3 iBooks did, Macworld’s Buying Advice Unless you have problems with its small screen, the standout in the new iBook G4 line is the $1,099 model. By today dards, ita bit of a laggard in performance, butin other respects—price, weight, and fe tures—it’s an impressive value. In fact, aside from the speed penalty and a few features most users will never miss (such as a DVI-our port, an audio line-in jack, and support for extended-desktop mode with external moni- it’s a remarkably close match for the entry-level 12-inch PowerBook, which costs almost halfagain as much at $1,599. Between the two 14-inch iBooks, our choice is the $1,299 model with a 933MHz processor. The slightly better performance and larger hard drive (60GB versus 40GB) of its 1GHz sibling hardly justify the $200 price difference—especially because, if you have your iBook built to order, you can upgrade the 933MHz model’s hard drive to 60GB for just $50 more. March 2004 MACWORLD. 27 REVIEWS Wireless Input Devices Cord-Free Mice and Keyboards Promise to Set You Free BY MATHEW HONAN Input devices are not glamorous. But few pieces of equipment see more use—or have more potential to affect your computing expe- rience—than the lowly keyboard and mouse. And who says input devices have to be mun- dane? A wireless mouse and keyboard not only provide the basic functionality that allows you to work with your computer, but also make your work much more pleasant. For this review, we surveyed some of the major wireless mice and keyboards on the market: the Apple Wireless Mouse, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Belkin Bluetooth Wireless Optical Mouse, Kensington Wire- less Optical Desktop (includes a mouse and a keyboard), Logitech Cordless MX Duo (includes a mouse and a keyboard), Macally rfkey, Macally rfmouse, and Microsoft Wire- less Optical Desktop (includes a mouse and a keyboard). We tested all products on OS X 10.2 and OS X 10.3 systems. Wireless products fall into two categories: Bluetooth and 27MHz radio frequency (RF). Both have advantages and disadvantages. RF devices are less expensive, more widely avail- able, and far more compatible with older Macs than their Bluetooth counterparts. Wireless Mice and Keyboards Compared MOUSE COMPANY RATING Wireless Mice Apple Wireless Mouse 9868 Computer Belkin + Macally $08) Wireless Keyboards Apple ‘Wireless Keyboard $800 Computer Macally 8 Wireless Keyboard-Mouse Sets Kensington BAA Technology (mouse: #999; keyboard: 89693) Logitech Microsoft fg (mouse: $8993; keyboard: $66) 28 MACWORLD. March 2004 Bluetooth devices have a much longer range, can transmit encrypted signals, and aren't prone to interference from other devices operating on the same frequency. Further- more, RF products rely on wired base stations that plug into your Macs USB port, while Bluetooth products can use either your Mac's built-in Bluetooth receiver or a comparatively small USB adapter that connects directly to the port without any wires. We prefer Blue- tooth technology for wireless input devices. Mice Except for the Apple mouse, all these mice come with multiple buttons and scroll wheels. Many people prefer a one-button mouse, so we didn’t knock Apple for its lone button. In addition, we didn’t evaluate these products on an ergonomic basis, as that’s best done case by case. We also didn’t evaluate each mouse’s comfort level, as hands come in many shapes and sizes. Three of the mice—those from Apple, Microsoft, and Logitech—have an ambidextrous design. The rest are configured for right-handed users. Indeed, lots of mice are curved to fit only right palms. All the mice we tested used wireless tech- nology and were optical. We found that the Logitech mouse did the best tracking job on a variety of surfaces; however, all performed very well. The Apple mouse has a nice on/off switch on the bottom; it slides back and forth to cover the optical sensor when it’s in the off position. Thanks to the switch, this is the only mouse that didn’t zap our pupils when we turned it upside down to change the batteries. Only the Belkin and the Apple mice lack programmable buttons. The rest can be pro- grammed via software. We liked the software that came with the Kensington and Microsoft mice the best, but we gave a slight nod to Ken- sington, Both let you create application-spe- cific settings and offer customization options. ‘The Apple and Belkin mice use Bluetooth; the others rely on RF. All the RF mice had problems with interference when used in a room with other RF mice; that has negative implications for lab settings and some offices. ‘The Macally and Kensington mice were the likeliest to receive and cause interference, while Microsoft's mouse was the least likely to do either. Neither Bluetooth mouse had prob- lems with interference. The Bluetooth products also had the longest range. Both Bluetooth mice worked at distances of more than 30 feet, while the best RF mouse, the Logitech, stopped receiving signals at a distance of just more than 13 feet. The other RF mice all had effective ranges of less than 10 feet. The Macally mouse had the shortest range, about 5 feet, followed closely by the Microsoft mouse, at 6, and the Ken- 0S COM- Ee PATIBIUTY — CONTACT PROS CONS x 800/692-7753, Bluetooth; tension adjustment; Not programmable; no battery recharge. wormapplecom —_onlff switch;long range. ack x 800/223-5546, Bluetooth; price includes Bluetooth Not programmable; no battery recharge; www.belkin.com adapter; long range. no battery indicator; one button best function unable to pa, OX 626/338-8787, Programmable buttons; easy-to-use Prone to interference; requires sepa- wonu.macally.com software; batteries recharge via USB, rate base for keyboard and mouse. X 800/692-7753, Bluetooth; small footprint; on/off Not programmable; no battery : wwewapple.com switch; lang range. recharge. Boe xX 626/338-8787, Programmable buttons; application- _ Prone to interference with mouse; vwewmacally.com specific settings; easy-to-use software; requires Separate base for keyboard Mac layout. ‘and mouse; no battery recharge, 700 Wireless Cordless Optical Mouse i available separately for $70. *The Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse is available separately for S ‘Mouse: highly programmable fea- tures; application-specific settings; batteries recharge via USB. Keyboard: some programmable features; nice ‘media-key setup; batteries recharge via USB; good effective range; Mac layout. Mouse: battery charger in base; not very prone to interference; long range. Keyboard: programmable effective keys; nice media-key setup. ‘Mouse: programmable buttons; appli- ‘cation-specitic sett scroll wheel; least interference. Key- board: programmable buttons; appli ‘Mouse: very prone to interference. Keyboard: no major cons. Mouse: excessive cord clutter Key- board: Windows-oriented, no battery recharge. ‘Mouse: no battery recharge. Keyboard: no battery recharge; Windows layout. woww.macworld.com sington mouse, at 8. All the mice performed well when barrier objects, such as a stack of books, were placed between the mice and their receivers. Battery life is another concern that each mouse addresses differently. Our favorite setups were Kensington’ and Macally’; both mice use a base station to charge a spare set of batteries. Logitech has a similar solution: the base doubles as a docking and charging sta- tion for the mouse. However, while the for- mer two draw power from the USB port, Logitech—which does have a very rapid charge—relies on an additional power cord for its base, Although the cord can be connected and disconnected, this seems like a step most users { TI Keyboards We judged keyboards on transmission abili- ties, layout, and functionality. The only Bluetooth product we tested was the Apple Wireless Keyboard. RF keyboards don’t have the same prob- lems with interference as RF mice do, But we still prefer Bluetooth technology for key- boards. Its encryption abilities prevent other people from capturing keystrokes and, thus, passwords, credit card data, and similar infor- mation. Only the Macally had issues with interference, and that seemed to come only from, oddly enough, the Macally mouse (the Liddy dit bibs board that you configure for the Mac by using the software to switch the position of the alt (option) keys. We highly preferred the setup of the Macally, Apple, and Kensington key- boards, which have the familiar 3 keys on either side of the spacebar. Although the Logitech keyboard also had the 38 keys in a familiar place, we felt that having two alt keys right next to each other (one for Mac users and one for PC users) was confusing. We also liked the Apple keyboard's compact footprint. While the other keyboards extend several inches beyond the keys, the Apple ends almost where the keys stop. This is particu- = larly nice for small workspaces. All the keyboards except the wouldn't want to take every time they need to charge the mouse. Apple had extra media keys along the top that performed functions such as launching iTunes, e-mail 1 Many people use a wireless mouse PETE LLY apps, and Web browsers, We im LEE ETT to reduce cord clutter, and this defeats that purpose. Although LJ in mee really liked these programmable keys; however, only the Microsoft the Apple and Microsoft mice don’t automatically recharge, they do have battery-life indicators, while the Belkin mouse relies on a flashing light in the scroll wheel. Each mouse has unique char- acteristics. Our favorite feature, as well as the most functionally innovative one, is the scroll wheel on the Microsoft mouse, which can scroll both vertically and 4 horizontally. We also particularly (=) = eoee soe Soe 2 eee keyboard and the Macally key- board allowed application-specific programming. The Microsoft keyboard was the most highly cus- tomizable. For example, the same key that launches iBlog while Safari is running can add a Bee field to a new message in Mail. Several keys on the Logitech— such as the ones labeled Messen- ger and Webcam—didn't function at the default setting, but this was liked the Apple mouse’s tension G easily remedied with the accompa- switch, which lets you adjust how Cor LEEEELELEELE EI ane aan tt), Jee), nying software. Some of the key- hard you have to press in order | for the click to register. boards—the Logitech, Macally, | and Kensington—also had handy The only mouse we don't ree- ommend is the Belkin Bluetooth Wireless Optical Mouse. One of its buttons, the one closest to the user's thumb, doesn’t work on Mac systems. Belkin says an upcoming firmware upgrade will rectify this. Although the mouse worked per- fectly well, we were unable to get it to establish a secure connection with the computer (called pairing). And the setup guide on Belkin’s Web site instructs users to ignore a message, from OS X's Blue- tooth setup assistant, saying that the “device does not have necessary services.” (Belkin says its firmware update will remedy this, too.) And the Belkin mouse ships without OS X instructions, though they are on the Web site and will be included in future shipments (according to the company). On a positive note, the Belkin mouse does come with its own USB Bluetooth adapter that supports the full Bluetooth profile set, so it can sup- port devices including phones, other mice, keyboards, or any other Bluetooth devices, not just the Belkin mouse. (Other Bluetooth adapters support only the device with which they ship.) This is a wemendous value, as most USB Bluetooth adapters cost nearly as much as this mouse. www.macworld.com Wireless Wonders We tested the Apple Wireless Keyboard (top), Belkin Blue- tooth Wireless Optical Mouse (center left), Apple Wireless Mouse (center), Macally rfmouse (center right), and the Macally rfkey (bottom), Macally is also the only product we tested that relies on separate base stations for keyboard and mouse). When we used the two together, the mouse sometimes behaved erratically, Wireless keyboards are an obvious choice for giving presentations. So we were inter- ested in seeing what kind of range these key- boards had. The Apple keyboard had the longest maximum effective range, at about 30 feet, although we were able to get signals from as far away as 50 feet. The Microsoft keyboard had the shortest range, at a little under 9 feet, while the Kensington had the longest range of the RF keyboards, at 14 feet, Both the Macally and the Logitech maxed out at around 11 feet. All the key- boards performed well when barriers were placed between them and their receivers. We didn’t like the layout of the Microsoft keyboard. It’s essentially a Windows key- scroll wheels built in. Power consumption is largely the same for the keyboards as for the mice; the two exceptions were the Logitech and Macally key- boards, which don’t recharge via the base station, as the mice do. ‘The Kensington keyboard is the only product with a base station— the same one the mouse uses— designed to swap batteries. Macworld’s Buying Advice We liked the Microsoft mouse best, thanks to its software, ability to overcome interference, horizontal scrolling, and keyboard integration (applicable for the mouse-keyboard combos that sell together and work with the same base station). The Apple Wireless Mouse, thanks to its Bluetooth functionality, came in a close second and is the best choice for a multiple~ user setting. Individual users should consider the Kensington, which was a solid performer in all categories other than interference, and has excellent programmable software. With no significant drawbacks, the Ken- sington keyboard is the best in this roundup. Apple came in next, due to its sleek design and Bluetooth compatibility, though we wish ithad room for a few programmable keys. 7 March 2004 MACWORLD 29 REVIEWS Avid Xpress Pro Support for 24P Film Projects Improves Solid Editing System BY ANTON LINECKER Perennial rivals Avid Xpress Pro and Final Cut Pro took decidedly different upgrade paths this year. With version 4, Apple reinvented Final Cut Pro as a massive five- program bundle containing extra titling and music-scoring tools. Meanwhile, Avid Xpress Pro's core has become a more refined, more powerful version of the Xpress DV platform. Avid distilled features from its professional products, added hard- ware tion with the optional Mojo unit, and lowered the price. At press time, Xpress Pro worked on Panther only with dual-GS systems; a bug prevented it from working in single- processor Macs. (The company says that the bug will be remedied by the time you read this.) It does work in OS X 10.2, and it will undoubtedly appeal to the Avid faith- ful. To counter Final Cut Pro’s massive upgrade, Xpress Pro now includes a free application bundle, once part of the Avid Xpress DV Power Pack, that includes Boris Graffiti 2, Boris FX 6, and Avid FilmScribe. New to the Avid bundle is a full version of Sorenson Squeeze 3 Compression Suite ($$%3; August 2003). As with Xpress DV, Avid includes both Mac and PC versions of Xpress Pro in the box (but provides only one dongle, which limits the number of users to one ata time). AVID MOJO. Users of Avid Xpress Pro can now add hardware acceleration to the program via the Avid Mojo DNA (Digital Nonlinear Accelerator) unit, which connects via FireWire. The Mojo DNA serves as an analog- and digital-video-capture device and as a hardware accelerator, allow- ing real-time output of effects and mixed-resolution video in Avid Xpress Pro, The unit measures 6.75 inches by 11.25 inches and weighs 1.5 pounds. On its back it has S-Video, video reference (RCA), and composite (RCA) video and analog audio (RCA) connections, Avid Xpress Pro addresses. many of the criticisms directed at Xpress DV 3.5 (#9883; November 2002): it has offline video resolutions, analog-capture hard- ware, and JKL trim support. Xpress Pro also includes many welcome improvements, such as film-project. support, 24-frame video editing, solid color-correction tools, multicamera editing, and extensive real- time effects. These additions make it a far more powerful editing system for a pro user. For editors who require only DV editing, Avid still sells Xpress DV, now priced at $695. The Pro Feeling For editors who work with Avid’s more professional offerings, using Xpress Pro is somewhat like having a security blanket—it’s comforting. The interface and workflow are practically identical all the way through the Avid line of products, apart from Avid DS, the family oddball. For editors accustomed to Final Cut Pro, Avid takes some getting used to, but it quickly grows on you. It’s also quite stable, which often means more to an editor than flashy add-ons. Professional editors who use the Avid Meridian or Adrenaline system will rejoice at Avid Xpress Pro's support for 24P film projects, which lets editors import and edit previously captured 24P video footage and export negative cut lists. The only thing Xpress Pro can’t do is capture 24P footage. Even so, the ability to drop an existing Avid film project onto a FireWire drive and take an Xpress Pro-equipped PowerBook on the road will definitely appeal to many edi- tors, as traditional Avid systems can weigh more than 200 pounds. With Xpress Pro and its film-project support, you can con- ceivably edit a feature film on a 5. PowerBook while sipping a mai beach in Maui. Offline Capabilities Projects created in Xpress Pro are upward compatible, which makes online editing of projects on an Avid Symphony or DS sys- tem quite simple. Xpress Pro now offers a smattering of offline-quality video resolu- tions that, like Final Cut Pro’s Offline RT. and other offline codecs, allow editors to store large amounts of video efficiently. Editors can capture to 15:1 (29.97 fps) and 28:1 (23.98 fps) resolutions, and they can also import projects with media captured on an Avid Meridian or Adrenaline system to 14:1 and resolution ratios. This is a welcome addition, although real-time play- out of these offline video formats to tape requires either the Avid Mojo accelerator, also known as the Avid Mojo DNA (see our review, on this page), or a transcode to DV (available only for the 15:1 format). (Transcoding is the process of converting ‘one video format to another.) With the Mojo, Avid Xpress Pro can capture and edit uncompressed 1:1 video footage. It can also play a timeline with mixed video formats on a timeline, thereby saving considerable rendering time. Italso provides support for 24P formats, reinserting 3:2 on-the-fly so you can view the video on a monitor. ‘The Mojo DNA monopolizes the FireWire bus while it's attached (the AJA 10 has similar requirements). Plugging a FireWire drive into the same bus will cause the Mojo unit to malfunction. This is an impor- tant point, particularly for PowerBook users. If you have a 12-inch 1GHz PowerBook (with the Mojo), you will be able to capture only to your internal drive, which limits the system’s usefulness. The 15~ and 17-inch PowerBooks have PCMCIA-card expansion slots (the FireWire 800 port is on the same bus as FireWire 400, however). along with a six-pin FireWire connector that connects to your com- puter, a four-pin FireWire connector that connects to a DV deck, and a power port. Avid sells an optional component video cable that uses the S-Video and composite video ports as connectors, This is an important add-on if you're using a Beta SP deck, You'll need to buy two component adapter cables, one for inbound video and one for outbound. The lack of audio connections was disappointing. Along with the AJA 10 (see our review, page 31), the Mojo DNA unit is one of the first products capable of sending uncompressed video across FireWire. This feature allows Avid Xpress Pro to capture 1:1 uncompressed video footage. However, uncompressed video is only as good as the inputs, so using the optional component cables is important. These are suitable for Beta SP—quality video. The device doesn’t have any SDI connections, so uncompressed digital video is not an option. ‘The Mojo DNA's key role is as a hardware video accelerator. It takes the burden off the host computer for rendering effects and coping with mixed-resolution 30 MACWORLD. March 2004 So you can buy an extra FireWire card and use FireWire drives with those PowerBook models, Macworld’s Buying Advice The Avid Mojo DNA is a necessary addition to Avid Xpress Pro, especially if you intend to use offline formats, 24P footage, or uncompressed video. RATING: $689 PROS: Real-time video acceleration for Avid Xpress Pro; analog video capture; ‘uncompressed (analog) video suppor. CONS: Has only consumer video and audio inputs; no SDI video inputs or pro audio ports. PRICE: $1,695 0S COMPATIBILITY: Mac 0S x COMPANY: Avid, 800/949-2843, www.avid.com wawmacworld.com (j_Mon 8:56 AN 3 S| ws jy Ee Color Correction Avid Xpress Pro's Color Corrector lets you inspect your video in a three-monitor view, so you can see your corrections against previous and next cuts You also can split each frame to match colors exactly resolutions. you're laying uncompr This is useful, for example, when requires a RAID for playback, and is there- ed titles over DV. _ fore problematic for PowerBook users. (DV titles are notorious for their poor qual-Avid-has improved its already. str ity.) Rendering titles in an uncompressed color-correction tool by adding a on format preserves as much information as pos- AutoCorrect feature. This lets you adjust sible, which is especially desirable when the contrast and color balance in one click. material is intended for DVDs. The one ‘The company claims that Xpress Pro fully drawback of uncompressed video is that it supports the 24P Panasonic DVX100, but the AJA IO The AJA 10 was the first unit to capture and ‘transmit uncompressed video across FireWire, Designed specifically for Final Cut Pro 4, the 10 packs almost every type of video and audio 1/0 imaginable, The 10 is a rack-mountable unit that connects to your Mac via a'six-pin-to-six- pin FireWire connector. On the back of the unit are connectors for SDI, component video, S-Video, composite video, video reference (with loop-through), four-channel AES/EBU audio, eight-channel ADAT audio, two-channel SPDIF optical audio, four- channel analog audio, and even RS-422 machine control. The 10 installation CD includes a set of easy setups for 10-bit uncompressed video, 8-bit uncompressed video, 8-bit to DV50 (down conversion), and 8-bit to DV (down conversion). The 10 manual mentions support for PhotoJPEG, but the CD doesn’t include any easy setups. Full-size PhotoJPEG is available with AJA's Kona SD capture board. It gives great video quality at surprisingly low data rates. With the 1.1 drivers, PhotoJPEG at 720 by 486 is available for capture and editing but requires manual setup. The only drawback to using PhotoJPEG with the 10 is that you're currently limited to watching your video on either an external monitor or your computer monitor. Sending video out to an external monitor sometimes blanks out the picture in Final Cut Pro’s Viewer and Canvas windows altogether, but that’s a minor inconvenience you can easily work around: AJAIO's uncompressed 8-bit and 10-bit capture quality is superb. Using these high data formats requires a SCSI or Fibre Channel RAID (| used Apple's Xserve with no problems). These formats are ideal for online editing and professional video projects. ‘There's a minor problem with the AJA 10 and its down-converted captures (DV, DVSO, and PhotoJPEG). The capture-in points are never frame accurate (they fluctuate Aa nmi RATING: $9993 www.macworld.com truth is a bit more slippery. You can remove the Advanced 3:2 on-the-fly during capture and edit the resulting footage without any problems. But if you buy only the Xpress Pro software, you'll need the Avid Mojo to rein- sert the 3:2 and output 24P video to tape. A possible workaround involves rendering the video with 3:2 insertion through After Effects. This is somewhat disappointing, par- ticularly since Xpress Pro’s rival Final Cut Pro 4 can output 24-fps digital video to tape with 3:2 properly inserted (smooth look- ing)—no additional hardware required. For