LAUG 2.0 News

One of the latest gee whiz inventions in the past few years are the flurry of USB to IDE/SATA adapters. While technicians like me find them indispensable, other “mere mortals” can find some real handy uses for these gems. Storage leader Newertech has constructed one of the best USB bridges out there: the Newertech Universal Drive Adapter. While Newertech’s name is familiar to Mac enthusiasts and historians (including going bankrupt and leaving some rather upset customers), it’s only connection with that past company is the name and hopefully tradition of quality. So far the newer Newertech is carrying the torch well. Newertech and Otherworld Computing are sister companies, so OWC is the main place to buy the “new” newertech stuff.
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In the Matrix, the character Neo represented a slick confidence that somehow made him master of everything in the quasi-reality construct the movie series is named after. Of course, it’s also named after the substance the case is made of: neoprene. Yes, I’m obsessed with keeping my Macbook is tip top shape. It’s the first new laptop I’ve ever bought. I’ve tried hard shells and fabric sleeves. Each have their advantages. Hard shells work well to protect the computer, but aren’t always that pretty. They also can get scratched up over time. Mine after about 9 months began to look like one of those Nanos everyone sued Apple about. I then used a fabric sleeve. I liked them, and I continue use them on occasion. The problem with a fabric sleeve is you forget to put them back in. The NeoCase, just like the character, seems to be the missing element that combines them both. The fashion sense and durability of a fabric sleeve, combined with the protection of hard shell. It is the one that will bring balance to the force. Oops, wrong movie!
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Those who aren’t afraid to part with some hard-earned cash to purchase an iPod, usually aren’t afraid to hand over a little more on accessories of one kind or another. Everywhere you look, you’ll see a vast selection of add-ons for your favorite music player—cases, speakers, headphones, docks, chargers, etc. Probably the most popular of all accessories is the case. It’s your chance to individualize your iPod to fit your personality—whether you go for one made of leather, plastic, metal, silicone, or even those molded from old LP’s—there’s something for everyone! (more…)

So you didn’t get an iPhone? Sorry. Maybe it was the cost. Maybe it was your cell phone contract. Maybe it’s AT&T’s coverage where you live. Or maybe you just don’t like buying a 1.0 version of anything. For me, it’s all the above.

However, with all those smug people walking around with their $600 Newton 3.0’s you can one-up them. What you have right now can be better than an iPhone. Yes I said it–you’re better than they are. At least my therapist is telling me to deal with my jealously by saying this.
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MacBackup is one of the backup programs sold at most Apple stores in spite of the fact it competes with Apple’s own Backup software. Even though Retrospect was the industry leader, it’s showing it’s age since it was bought by EMC and never made the transition to the Intel Platform. Ironically, though, neither did MacBackup. It still runs in Rosetta, which concerns me regarding its long term viability on the Mac platform. A backup is only as good as your ability to restore it. If you can’t read your backups, then they are no good. That happened to me with my old FastBack backups!
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Marware’s Protection Pack Plus really fills the bill. Like Microsoft Office, the pack has three useful and unique products in the box. First is the cloth sleeve that protects and helps clean the outside of your Macbook. This should not be a primary form of protection like the typical padded notebook sleeves. It is designed only to protect the cosmetics of the computer. That’s fine with me because it easily coordinates with almost any other protection strategy. Oddly and not surprising, the more I used it, the cleaner the exterior of my Macbook got. When I’d pull it out, it would gently polish the exterior of my Macbook. Also, don’t forget Macs are about style. I did feel like some kind of celebrity pulling out my Macbook from it’s secondary protective sleeve, as if it were the Hope Diamond or the prized knife of a Food Network star (I have one of those knives, but that’s a whole other story).
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I’ll admit it, I’m a dock addict. I put everything in my dock I could ever use. If I had a purse, I’d do great on Let’s Make a Deal (if you don’t know the reference, then you’ve always grown up with Macs–lucky you) However, now that everything is in my dock, I can’t find anything on it! Arrgh.

Overflow was in the bottom of my stack of things to review from Macworld, which only proves why I’m an ideal candidate for it. (more…)

iPod Fully Loaded by Andy Ihnatko

While I’m sure Andy has an iPhone, this excellent book was written when the iPhone was only an apple in Steve’s eye, Andy does a great job of helping the average user tweak some extra features from their iPod. Those suffering from iPhone envy will find some solace in Andy’s tips. This book is best for techheads who want to impress their friends, families and associates with all the incredibly cool things they can do with their iPod. iPods have evolved into mini PDAs that can do practically anything (it’s the inputing that’s the challenge!) (more…)

A podcast from the June meeting of the Lawrence Apple Users Group. This month’s topic included a presentation on Home Automation on your Mac by Bruce Sergeant.

The meeting opened up with introductions, recent Apple news followed by a discussion of Home Automation on the Mac.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://www.laugks.org/news/.

 

 Enhanced Podcast [96:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (98)

FLVR:

Sometimes a product comes along that is so simple and so straightforward that there is very little to say about it. What do you say about a screwdriver–it drives screws and does it well. No FAQ needed! FLVR does one thing and one thing only: saving videos from web sites that normally prevent you from doing so, such as Myspace and Youtube. However it does this one thing better than anyone else currently out there. (more…)