Macworld back issues from April 2009:
Netbook or bust: want Apple to make a cheap notebook? Get used to disappointment.(Editorial)
Apr 01, 2009; ... The computer industry is abuzz with "netbooks," those tiny, dirt-cheap laptops made by companies such as Asus and MSI. And, as you might expect, everyone's wondering why Apple doesn't make one. Apple is coy on the topic. In late January, Apple COO Tim Cook said that the company ...
Memory lane.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2009 ... I couldn't agree more with John Gruber's "3 Things OS X Could Learn from the Classic Mac OS" ("The Mac at 25," January 2009), especially his comment on Window-Shade. I still occasionally use OS 9, and there is a certain visceral pleasure in reaching into the screen and collapsing a window ...
Poor reception.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Of all my laptops, the ones from Apple have the worst wireless reception ("Beyond AirPort," January 2009). I'm using the latest generation of both the MacBook and MacBook Pro, and my older Dell laptops have much ...
Defending the puck.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Most people were never taught how to use the USB hockey-puck mouse properly ("6 Worst Apple Products of All Time," January 2009). If you place the palm of the hand directly over the mouse and use the fleshy part of the middle between the palm and the ...
New MacBook screens.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2009 ... I was poised to buy my first MacBook with the new aluminum unibody, Multi-Touch trackpad, and LED backlighting ("MacBook Makeover." Reviews, January 2009). But Apple's blinkered marketing of the mandatory glossy screen and omission of FireWire has changed my mind. It's a complete ...
Open Windows.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2009; ... There's a free alternative to Parallels and VMware, called VirtualBox. Now under Sun's wing, it is stable and easy to use. It does lack a few features that the commercial offerings have, but it offers snapshots, as well as mouse and display drivers for Windows ...
Half an Apple.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Maybe Apple should consider selling off the computer portion of its business to a company dedicated to making computer software better and more ...
Loud and clear.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2009; ... One-eared Mac and Apple diehards like me, who need a cell phone that works with a hearing aid's analog, electromagnetic tele-coil pickup, can forget about the iPhone--at least until it gets some serious reengineering. It does ...
Overheard on the forums.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2009 ... I've never once thought, "I wish this laptop was thinner." Smaller and lighter--now there's something most laptop users can appreciate. nom macworld.com/4342 I think during the next quarter, ...
Correction.(Correction notice)
Apr 01, 2009 ... In "The 24th Annual Editors' Choice Awards" (February 2009), we called Hulu's 480p video resolution "high ...
Reader poll.(Survey)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... <Pre> Without Apple, should there be a Macworld Expo next year? No 13% Yes 87% ...
MIA: push notification: is it dead and buried, or waiting in the wings?(iPHONE)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Apple is no stranger to a missed deadline or two, nor is the company averse to pushing back a product's launch a few weeks or months when it needs more time. But a less common occurrence is the product that disappears entirely into the black hole of 1 Infinite Loop. That's ...
An iPhone without a data plan?(iPHONE)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Recently, Sanford Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi opined on how Apple could increase its smart-phone market share--by selling an iPhone without a data plan. Sacconaghi proposed two ideas: an iPhone nano that plays music and videos but can't access the Net or run iPhone applications, and ...
Amazon Game Download service shuts out Mac users.(GAMES)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Amazon.com has quietly launched its new Game Downloads Web site (macworld .com/4403), where users can purchase and download more than 600 casual video games priced at $10 or less. For the moment, though, Mac users are excluded from the fun. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The ...
Flash on iPhone is a 'hard technical challenge'.(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... After cut-and-paste, perhaps no feature missing from the iPhone ranks higher on the collective wish list than support for Adobe's Flash. The iPhone's Mobile Safari browser may give you the "real Web," but it doesn't let you view the many, many Flash-based Web sites on the Internet. ...
Apple is among the most popular brands.(BUSINESS)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... We know that Apple and its products are front and center in many people's minds these days, but how do Apple's products compare with other brands? A company named Vitrue set out to gauge the impact of certain brands in the realm of social networking--that is, how much they've permeated ...
Coolpix P90.(HARDWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Coolpix P90, from Nikon (www.nikonusa.com): 12.1-megapixel camera features ...
D2 Blu-ray professional BD-R, BD-RE drive.(HARDWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... d2 Blu-ray Professional BD-R, BD-RE Drive, from LaCie (www.lacie.com): ...
iCon 431.(HARDWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... iCon 431, from nova media (www.novamedia.de): 3G USB modem is ...
Lumix TS1.(HARDWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Lumix TS1, from Panasonic (www.panasonic.com): 12.1-megapixel camera is ...
Pixma MX860.(HARDWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Pixma MX860, from Canon (www.usa.canon.com): All-in-one printer features ...
Xacti VPC-FHi.(HARDWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Xacti VPC-FHi, from Sanyo (www.us.sanyo.com): AVCHD ...
Captain FTP 6.(SOFTWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Captain FTP 6, from Xnet Communications (www.captainftp.com): Updated ...
Cubase 5.(SOFTWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Cubase 5, from Steinberg (www.steinberg.net): New version of digital audio workstation features an ...
Fontcase.(SOFTWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Fontcase, from Bohemian Coding (www.bohemiancoding.com): Font-management ...
Mellel 2.6.(SOFTWARE)(RedleX)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Mellel 2.6, from RedleX (www.mellel.com): Updated word processor adds Quick Look support for ...
Snapplr.(SOFTWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Snapplr, from Briksoftware (www.briksoftware.com): Screenshot utility ...
SugarSync 1.5.(SOFTWARE)
Apr 01, 2009 ... SugarSync 1.5, from Sharpcast (www.sugarsync.com): Updated online file syncing, data ...
Elton John iPods benefit charity.(iPod + iTunes News)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Here are the eight words I'm sure you've been dying to read: Swarovski crystal-encrusted Elton John-signed iPod nanos. If you're worried that your iPod is falling short in the bling department, maybe you should consider a trade-up that not only benefits you, but helps others as well. ...
Settlement reached over scratched 1GiPod nanos.(iPod + iTunes News)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... In 2005, Apple introduced the iPod nano. Unfortunately, some unlucky consumers who jumped headfirst into the pool of first-generation Apple products found themselves the owners of iPod nanos that were rather easy--OK, let's say very easy--to scratch and otherwise damage. Turns out that ...
Record labels still wary of Apple's wrath.(iPod + iTunes News)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... The head-butting between Steve Jobs and the recording industry seemed to be over when Apple announced that the record labels would finally give up digital rights management, while Apple would allow them the flexible pricing they so desired. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] But ...
Google adds over-the-air calendar, contact sync for iPhone.(iPHONE)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Syncing your contacts and calendars to the iPhone--and, more important, keeping them in sync--is easy enough if you're using MobileMe or you have a Microsoft Exchange account, both of which keep your contacts and calendars up-to-date through the magic of wireless syncing. Meanwhile, iPhone ...
What's behind the Mac Box Set?(SOFTWARE)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... In January, Apple announced the Mac Box Set, a $169 bundle comprising OSX 10.5 (Leopard), iLife '09, and iWork '09 for $169. That's roughly a 40 percent discount over buying the three individually. (Apple also offers a $229 Family Pack, good for five Macs.) [ILLUSTRATION ...
Making a 'MatteBook' Pro.(LAPTOPS)
Apr 01, 2009; ... My feelings on glossy displays are clear--I despise them. So I sent a MacBook Pro to TechRestore to spruce it ...
Google earth dives beneath the waves, soars into space.(SOFTWARE)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Google Earth lets you explore the blue planet from your desktop through maps, satellite imagery, and more. And now you can peer under the whitecaps to explore the ocean floor, and travel to Mars as well. The beta of Google Earth 5 (earth.google.com), the latest version of the company's ...
The increasingly untethered workforce.(Tech Trends)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... A growing portion of North American companies are going wireless, according to a new Gartner study. It finds that the number of workers equipped exclusively with ...
Internet Scrabble Club.(Hot Stuff)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... As a Scrabble fan, I've tried online versions of the classic game, including the official Scrabble app on Facebook. The best version I've found is the Internet Scrabble Club. Download the Java app, log in to the ISC server, and you can find a game almost anytime, featuring players of all ...
Berkeley Lamp II.(Hot Stuff)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... If you spend your days at a desk, good lighting can make a huge difference. Full Spectrum Solutions' $289 Berkeley Lamp II is the first lamp I've tried that bathes my desk and office in bright, pleasant light without creating any eyestrain or glare. The Lamp II provides two independent, ...
Back-In-Time.(Hot Stuff)(Tri-Edre)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Leopard's Time Machine is great for creating backups, but its interface is limiting. Tri-Edre's $29 Back-In-Time offers a more flexible way to access those backups, even on multiple Time Machine disks. It allows you to see how many different ...
Tune Blocker.(Hot Stuff)(Matias)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Technology, at its best, saves us from doing stupid things. If you've ever connected your iPod or iPhone to someone else's Mac to charge it and accidentally told the device to sync with that person's library, you know where I'm coming from. Enter Matias's Tune Blocker, which offers a way ...
Ocean Way Drums.(Hot Stuff)(Ocean Way Studios)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Imagine having two great audio engineers sitting next to you when you load up your virtual drum kit. That's exactly what you've got if you use Ocean Way Drums, a new music tool from Grammy-winning producer Allen Sides and Grammy-nominated producer Steven Miller. Miller and Sides ...
Pages '09: Apple's word processing package is almost perfect.(Reviews)(Product/service evaluation)
Apr 01, 2009; ... The introduction of Pages '09 marks the fourth release of iWork's handy word processing and page-layout application. Each new release of the program has featured major improvements to Pages' word processing tools, capable page-layout features, and beautifully designed interface ....
Numbers'09: number-crunching advances boost Apple's spreadsheet program.(Product/service evaluation)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Numbers '09, the spreadsheet component of Apple's iWork '09 application suite, is the second major release of Numbers since its debut in iWork '08. While the initial version of Numbers worked well for small projects and included some beautiful templates, it was lacking in a few areas ....
Keynote '09: Apple's presentation app improves but still lacks key features.(iWork'09)(Product/service evaluation)
Apr 01, 2009; ... After six years and thousands of slides, I can't imagine getting along without Keynote. Its rival, Microsoft PowerPoint, has made progress on many fronts but still doesn't equal Keynote in elegance or ease of use. Despite some disappointing oversights, Keynote '09 is an evolutionary ...
Dictate 1.2.1.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $199 COMPANY: MacSpeech URL: www.macspeech.com This is the first speech-recognition program for the Mac that offers recognition as good as that of similar Windows software, such as Nuance's Dragon Naturally-Speaking. While Dictate is remarkably accurate ...
FileMaker Pro 10.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 price: $299 COMPANY: FileMaker URL:www.filemaker.com There's something for everyone in version 10 of the Mac's most popular database-management program. The most obvious and significant change is the new contemporary-looking customizable status toolbar, ...
FusionFall.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $6 per month COMPANY: Cartoon Network URL: www.fusionfall.com FusionFall is an attempt by the Cartoon Network to create a family-friendly massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that parents will be comfortable with and kids will find fun ....
Mathematica 7.0.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: SUPERIOR PRICE: $2,495 COMPANY: Wolfram Research URL: www.wolfram.com For more than 20 years, Mathematica has been a powerhouse in the technical-computing market. The two most significant upgrades to version 7.0 are built-in image-processing and parallel-computing ...
Peak Pro 6.0.4.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $599 COMPANY: BIAS URL: www.bias-inc.com Musicians, podcasters, sound designers, and other audio producers rely on Peak Pro, a longtime standby for audio production. The program is used for editing stereo audio and fine-tuning individual audio assets, ...
C544dn.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $499 COMPANY: Lexmark URL: www.lexmark.com In order to replace the toner in this color laser printer, you open up a side panel, and the four separate cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) easily pop in and out; in this respect, they operate ...
ESP 9 all-in-one.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: GOOD PRICE: $300 COMPANY: Kodak URL: printers.kodak.com Kodak's ESP 9 is a multifunction ink-jet device that prints, copies, faxes, and scans. The printer does well with Kodak paper, producing sharper and more vibrant prints than when printing ...
MacBook Air 1.6GHz.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE:$1,799 COMPANY: Apple URL: www.apple.com The new 1.6GHz MacBook Air is very similar to the first-generation 1.6GHz MacBook Air (GOOD 1/2; macworld.com/3388). The major difference is that the new model has an nVidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics ...
G1.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $400 COMPANY: T-Mobile URL: www.t-mobileg1.com T-Mobile's G1, an Android OS--based mobile phone, has emerged as the Apple iPhone's first serious competitor. Among the features the G1 has that the iPhone doesn't: a physical keyboard, support for running ...
iDive 300.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $300 COMPANY: H20 Audio URL: www.h20audio.com The iDive 300 lets you use your iPhone or iPod underwater to a remarkable depth of 300 feet--handy for professional scuba drives who need to make long decompression stops. You can either clip the ...
Networks Stereo Radio with FM.(HARDWARE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $750 COMPANY: Tivoli Audio URL: www.tivoliaudio.com The distinctive-looking Networks Stereo Radio with FM can stream audio from the Internet or any computer on a local area network, as well as play audio from a USB drive or an analog audio source (but, ...
RemoteTap 2.0.(NETWORKING)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: $7 COMPANY: ReadPixel URL: macworld.com/4332 The remote control app RemoteTap makes you install a pane in your Mac's System Preferences, giving you a ...
USA today 1.0.2.(REFERENCE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... RATING: VERY GOOD PRICE: free COMPANY: USA Today URL: macworld.com/4326 Say what you will about USA Today as a newspaper, but its graphics-heavy, compact approach to ...
Fring 1.0.2.4.(CHAT)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... RATING: GOOD PRICE: free COMPANY: Fringland URL: macworld.com/4328 Fring combines your chat buddy lists and lets you make voice ...
Google Earth.(REFERENCE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... RATING: GOOD RRICE: free COMPANY: Google URL: macworld.com/4330 Like its desktop counterpart, the iPhone version of Google Earth gives you stunning bird's-eye views of the planet, letting you zoom from one city to another. But unlike the ...
Rolando.(GAMES)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... RATING: VERY GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $6 COMPANY: Ngmoco URL: macworld.com/4324 Another alarmingly addictive game from Ngmoco, Rolando makes you responsible for rolling little round Rolandos to safety, avoiding obstacles, pitfalls, and shadowy creatures. You do this ...
More reviews.(briefs)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... <Pre> More Reviews See more iPhone and iPod touch apps we've tested at iPhone Central (macworld.com/4i64). APPLICATION DESCRIPTION PRICERATING FIND CODE * AccuWeather.com 1.02 weather free GOOD 1/2 4334 AccuWeather forecaster ...
Top products.(REVIEWS)(briefs)(Product/service evaluation)(Table)
Apr 01, 2009 ... <Pre> CAMCORDERS High Definition PRODUCT RATING PRICE TYPEFIND CODE Vixia HV30 (pictured) VERY GOOD $554 MiniDV3708 www.canon.com HDR-SR11 Handycam VERY GOOD $735 hard drive, Memory3731 www.sony.com ...
Mac Gems: discover great, low-cost Mac products.(REVIEWS)(briefs)(Product/service evaluation)
Apr 01, 2009; ... UTILITY Baseline 1.4.2 RATING: GOOD 1/2 PRICE: $20 COMPANY: MildMannered Industries URL: www.mildmanneredindustries.com I've often recommended Erwin Bonsma's GrandPerspective (VERY GOOD; macworld.com/4318) and ID-Design's WhatSize (VERY GOOD; ...
Beyond the box: it's got face recognition, improved video tools, and more. But is iLife '09 worth the upgrade.(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009; ... With iLife '09, Mac users get creative opportunities that outshine those in any past version of the suite. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] iPhoto's advances into the realm of face recognition and geotagging not only devetail with popular new camera technologies, but also make ...
iPhoto'09: high-profile upgrade debuts face recognition and geotagging.(Beyond the Box)(Product/service evaluation)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Of the five applications that make up iLife, iPhoto has the broadest appeal. With iPhoto '08 (VERY GOOD; macworld.com/3061), Apple tried to simplify photo management by introducing the concept of events, which let you automatically organize photos based on when they were taken. With iPhoto ...