Davao Mac User has moved again

On July 21, I moved my blog to a new server.

So www.davaomacuser.com no longer points to davaomacuser.wordpress.com.

I've already got a few new posts over there so please, come over to www.davaomacuser.com.

I hope you'll join me there. Thanks!

I'm moving

When the new year started (officially, my new year started Monday, January 26) I decided to give blogging another whirl. One of the reasons why I stopped blogging in the first place was I felt I didn't have enough original content for the two blogs that I was maintaining, Brain On Ink and Davao Mac User.

I vowed to try much harder to come up with original posts rather than just echoing news stories from the webosphere. I also decided that maintaining two blogs is way too easy. If I couldn't maintain two blogs, then maybe adding two more will prod me to do better.

Prod me with a cattle prod, that is. ZAP!

Anyhoo, I'm not sure if I have any readers out there but if there are any, I wish to sincerely thank you for taking the time to drop by and read my posts.

My renewed energy and vigor to blog also made me decide to move to a new playground. I will now use Wordpress as my blogging platform.

So, starting February 1st davaomacuser.blogspot.com will no longer be updated. Instead, davaomacuser.wordpress.com will be the new home of the Davao Mac User blog. I want to try something new and at the same time, Wordpress has a native app for the iPod touch; Blogger doesn't.

I do hope you'll join me there.

Ciao!

MacTracker helps identify your Mac

Christopher Breen of Macworld magazine got a Mac 911 question from a reader who wanted to know what is the maximum amount of RAM his MacBook can hold.

"It depends on which MacBook you have," Breen replies, and recommends a free utility called MacTracker. He then briefly outlines who to use MacTracker to check for the maximum amount of RAM a given Mac can hold.

Aside from the above tip, MacTracker also lets you check your Macs general info, specs, and history. The catalogue is not restricted to just Macs; it also lets you check other Apple devices like iPods, iPhones, Apple TV, displays, etc...

MacTracker is one nifty app and a very good reference utility for those interested in knowing most, if not all, of the products that Apple has made.

Again, MacTracker is free and the author, Ian Page, is asking for donations to support future development.

[source: Macworld]

Apple's iLife '09 Hardware Up-to-Date Program

The iLife '09 Hardware Up-to-Date Program lets you upgrade to iLife '09 for only $9.95 if you have purchased a qualifying computer on or after January 6, 2009, that does not include iLife ’09."

Program ends on March 28, 2009.

More at Apple's iLife '09 Hardware Up-to-Date Program site.

[Source: TUAW]

13-inch White MacBook updated; better processor and graphics chip

Last week, Apple quietly updated their most affordable MacBook, the 13-inch white polycarbonate MacBook. It now sports the same processor and graphics chip with that of the $1,299 (Php71,990.00 at the Philippine Apple Online Store) 13-inch aluminium unibody MacBook. The white MacBook also had a RAM upgrade; default is now 2GB from what used to be 1GB.

The $999 (Php55,990.00) white MacBook is an excellent option for those who are looking to save $300.

Though the white MacBook now has the same 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo and NVIDIA GeFroce 9400M chips with that of the unibody MacBook, it doesn't mean the latter is not worth considering.

MacWorld's Peter Cohen in his article cites the differences between the white and aluminium MacBooks:

The more expensive aluminum-clad MacBook features faster memory—1,066MHz DDR3 SDRAM, compared to 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM. It also has a hard disk drive that’s one-third larger than the drive on the $999 model—160GB, versus 120GB. You also have the option of getting a Solid State Disk (SSD) drive on the aluminum MacBook, something you can’t buy for the $999 model. And that Mini DisplayPort interface is compatible with Apple’s new 24-inch LED Cinema Display, which won’t work with the white MacBook.

But the white MacBook does have its advantages:

...especially for Mac users who have already made an investment in some camcorders and external storage devices: It’s the only MacBook in Apple’s lineup that still has a FireWire port. The white MacBook features a FireWire 400 connector, making it compatible with myriad standard-definition camcorders, hard drives and other devices that have shipped since the late 1990s. The white MacBook also features a mini-DVI jack, meaning that connecting it to a DVI or VGA-equipped display is markedly less expensive than having to buy the Mini DisplayPort adapter required for the aluminum MacBook. Apple sells the mini-DVI adapters for $19 each, while its Mini DisplayPort equivalents are priced at $29.

If you are planning to get a Mac portable, the white MacBook is worthy of consideration. With the money you can save by foregoing the unibody MacBook, you can buy an external drive or buy a 2.5-inch drive to make up for the 40GB difference. The other differences, the faster memory, SSD, and MiniDisplayPort, are in my opinion, of lesser importance. The new graphics chip, as shown in previous benchmarks, will perhaps be more than up to the task when it comes to photo editing and some movie making using the new iMovie '09.

The updated $999 MacBook is a worthy buy.

[Source: Macworld]

Pirated Photoshop CS4 for the Mac also has trojan

About four days ago, I posted a story about pirated copies of Apple's newly released iWork '09 were found to contain a trojan.

Intego, makers of Mac security software, reported that the trojan it calls "OSX.Trojan.iServices.A" were packaged into pirated copies of iWork '09. What the trojan does once installed into a Mac is to allow somebody else to gain access into the system to possibly download more components into the infected Mac.

Another trojan, a variant of the one found in illegal copies of iWork '09, has been found to be infecting pirated copies of Adobe Photoshop CS4. The trojan called "OSX.Trojan.iServices.B" also allows a malicious user to gain access to an infected Mac to perform various actions or downloads remotely.

How do you protect yourself against these trojans or malwares?

Simple.

Do not download and install software or applications from untrusted sources, especially from torrent sites or peer-to-peer networks. It doesn't pay to pirate.

[Source: AppleInsider]

iPhone Software update version 2.2.1

It has been a busy week for updates from Apple.

Aside from the iDVD update today, Apple also released iPhone Software update 2.2.1.

The 246MB iPhone Software update improves stability of Safari and fixes an issue wherein images saved from mail do not display correctly in the Camera Roll.

An iPod touch update includes the fixes to Safari and Camera Roll as well as a fix to an issue that causes some Apple Lossless (ALAC) to skip during playback.

Version 2.2.1 for the iPhone and iPod touch can be downloaded via iTunes.

[Source: AppleInsider]

iDVD updated to 7.0.3

Version 7.0.3 "improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues".

Update through Software Update or by downloading direct from Apple.

[Source: Macworld]

Pirated iWork '09 contains trojan; fix released

Soon after Apple released iWork '09 during Macworld San Francisco 09, copies of the updated office suite for the Mac started appearing in torrent and warez sites.

Now comes the bad news and not-so-good news.

Bad news: these copies of iWork '09 come with a trojan as reported by a security firm.

Not-so-good news: another security firm has released a free fix for the trojan.

Why did I say that the release of the removal tool is not-so-good news? That's because this provides a solution for people who opted to steal rather than buy the software.

I've pirated software in the past. I still do but not as much as before. I made a firm decision when I switched to the Mac that I was going to lessen my pirating ways, and hopefully, real soon, stop it altogether. I have my reasons which I will talk about soon.

In the meantime, please do not pirate. Almost every commercial application out there has an alternative that is free. May not be as snazzy as the paid app is but it does the job.

If you don't know where to get these free software, you can always ask other users.

MWSF 09: iWork '09

Last January 6, 2009, Apple held its Macworld San Francisco keynote with Phil Schiller, Apple's senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, taking the stage.

During Apple's final Macworld keynote, the company introduced new versions of their multimedia suite, iLife, and office suite, iWork. Apple also released the new 17-inch MacBook Pro, which completes the lineup of Apple's portable into the unibody design. Last but not the least, Apple announced DRM-free songs at the iTunes store.

This post will discuss new features in iWork '09.

Apple released their office suite for the Mac on 2005 with Keynote version 2 and the first release of Pages. In 2007, Apple announced the release of iWork '08 updating both Keynote and Pages as well as adding in the spreadsheet application, Numbers. This year, iWork '09 brings more improvements to the office suite as well as introduction of a new service, iWork.com.

Keynote
Keynote was first released on 2003, competing against Microsoft's own presentation software, Powerpoint. Version 2 of the software was sold together with Pages in iWork '05 office suite.

Keynote '09 shows these new features and improvements:

Magic Move lets you move an image from one part of a slide to another part of the next slide using a quick, easy to use process. The change in location, scale, rotation, and opacity are done automatically.

Enchanced theme chooser lets you view the included fonts, colors, and textures more clearly. Eight new themes have also been added

Text- and object-based transition morphs text from one slide to the next slide

New 3D charts and chart animations

Keynote Remote lets iPhone or iPod touch users control their presentation using Wi-Fi. The Keynote Remote app is a $0.99 download from the App Store

Pages
The first version of Pages was bundled together with Keynote version 2 on January 11, 2005 in what was known as iWork '05, Apple's own office suite for Mac OS X. Version 1 was more of a page layout application but later versions saw the word processing aspect of the software improved upon.

Pages '09 lays down the following:

Full-screen view lets the user to see the document full screen allowing the user to focus on what he's working on and hide the distractions from the desktop or from the rest of the opened applications

New Outline mode

Mail merge with Numbers or with Address Book

Enhanced Template Chooser lets previewing and choosing templates easier and more convenient

Ability to insert complex equations into documents via a third-party software, MathType

Numbers
Numbers came late into the game. It became part of iWork three years after the release of the office suite. Numbers is a spreadsheet application that's easy to use and breaks away from the conventional look and feel of other spreadsheet programs.

Numbers '09 new additions are:

Over 250 functions and new 2D chart options added

Formula List view lets you see every calculation in your spreadsheet at one time

With large sets of data, rows can now be grouped according to any data in a column

Linked Charts lets charts created in Numbers and then copied to either Pages or Keynote to stay linked to the original data. Any changes made to the data in Numbers, updating Pages or Keynote requires just one click.

Enhanced Template Chooser lets previewing and choosing templates easier and more convenient

iWork.com
iWork.com was launched as a free beta during Macworld San Franciso '09. It brings iWork documents to the web and allowing for multiple collaborators. The service can be accessed using any web browser running under Mac OS X or Windows. Collaborators can only add notes or comments, not directly edit the document. Apple will eventually shift to a fee-based model once iWork.com is out of beta.

Pricing and availability
iWork '09 is selling for $79 at the US Apple Online Store and Php4,590.00 at the Philippine Apple Online Store. iWork '09 is also available for only $49 with every purchase of a Mac from the Apple Store or from Authorized Apple Resellers.

If you want to save some money, you can get the combo pack of iWork '09, iLife '09, and Mac OS 10.5 Leopard for only $169. Called the Mac Box Set, it bundles all these three together and a very good option for those who haven't upgraded to the Leopard operating system yet. The Mac Box Set is available at the Philippine Apple Online Store for Php9880.

Product pages:

Keynote

Pages

Numbers

iWork.com

Mac Box Set

Quicktime 7.6 update

Apple has released Quicktime 7.6 with video, audio, compatibility and security improvements.

From Apple's support page, the updates include:

Video:

Improves single-pass H.264 encoding quality

Increases the playback reliability of Motion JPEG media

Audio:

Improves AAC encoding fidelity

Audio tracks from MPEG video files now export consistently

Application Support:

Improves compatibility with iChat and Photo Booth

Security:

Addresses security issues from maliciously crafted media files

This update benefits both Mac OS X and Windows users.

Get the 7.6 update through Apple Software Update or get it from Apple's download section.

Apple updates white polycarbonate 13-inch MacBook

Without fanfare, Apple upgraded its most affordable Mac portable this week.

The $999 white MacBook has been given a processor and graphics chip upgrade which is now similar to its aluminium unibody sibling.

The entry-level MacBook is now equipped with 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo processor and the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared memory, just like the 13-inch unibody MacBook.

Another improvement comes as doubling of the RAM to 2 GBs as default. Bluetooth has also been upgraded to 2.1 from 2.0. The rest of the specifications remains the same.

[source: AppleInsider]

MWSF 09: iTunes Store songs sans DRM

Last January 6, 2009, Apple held its Macworld San Francisco keynote with Phil Schiller, Apple's senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, taking the stage.

During Apple's last Macworld keynote, the company introduced new versions of their multimedia suite, iLife, and office suite, iWork. Apple also released the new 17-inch MacBook Pro, which completes the lineup of Apple's portable into the unibody design. Last but not the least, Apple announced DRM-free songs at the iTunes store.

This post will discuss Apple's shedding of DRM from songs sold in the iTunes Store, as well as variable pricing and over-the-air downloads.

when the iTunes Music Store launched on April 28, 2003, it had 200,000 songs in its selection and all of the songs were wrapped in digital rights management or DRM. This prevented the songs downloaded from the iTunes Music Store to be played in no other digital music player except the iPod and just on authorized personal computers.

Almost 6 years later, the iTunes Music Store has sold 6 billion songs and has more than 10,000,000 songs. It also dropped 'music' from its name to become the iTunes Store, as it expanded its slections to TV shows, movies, music videos and iPod and iPhone apps.

Yet another milestone was set last January 6, 2009 as Apple announced that their songs will be sold DRM-free. This means that any song downloaded from the iTunes Store can now be played without restrictions on any number of digital media players that can play the AAC format as well as on any number of PCs.

Songs will also be at a higher bit rate: higher-quality 256 kbps instead of 128 kbps as when the iTunes Store first started out.

Also new is the loss of the fixed $0.99 pricing scheme. The new pricing scheme is $0.69 for back catalog tracks, $0.99 for standard songs, and $1.29 for new or popular releases.

Last but not the least, iPhone owners can now download songs over-the-air using 3G. Before it was restricted to downloading from a Wi-Fi network.

This news is not that relevant to most here in the Philippines. As of moment, the iTunes Store only sells apps for the iPhone and iPods through the apps store. We cannot yet purchase songs, music videos, TV shows or movies.

[source: AppleInsider]

MWSF 09: the new 17-inch unibody MacBook Pro

Last January 6, 2009, Apple held its Macworld San Francisco keynote with Phil Schiller, Apple's senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, taking the stage.

During Apple's last Macworld keynote, the company introduced new versions of their multimedia suite, iLife, and office suite, iWork. Apple also released the new 17-inch MacBook Pro, which completes the lineup of Apple's portable into the unibody design. Last but not the least, Apple announced DRM-free songs at the iTunes store.

This post will give a rundown on what's new with the 17-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple unveiled the new aluminium unibody design last October, giving the 13-inch MacBook and the 15-inch MacBook Pro a more durable enclosure. The unibody design not only made the portables sturdier but also made it more lighter, thinner and more resistant to flexing.

On January 6, 2009, Apple introduced the unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro, thus completing the transition of the entire MacBook family to the new design.

Apple also revealed that the 17-inch MacBook Pro has a built-in battery which last longer and has more charging cycles compared to conventional notebook batteries.

Through advanced chemistry, intelligent monitoring of the system and battery, and what Apple calls Adaptive Charging technology, the new MacBook Pro has up to 8 hours of battery life and 1,000 charging cycles, lasting three times longer than the conventional. All this without adding to the thickness, weight or the cost of portable.

Apple's most powerful notebook has a thickness of 0.98 inches and weighs in at 6.6 pounds. Base unit costs $2,799 with options to upgrade to a faster processor, a bigger hard drive or to a solid state drive, more RAM, and an anti-glare screen ($50).

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro will be available at the end of January.

[source: AppleInsider]

VisualHub is back. Sort of.

For those who are not familiar with VisualHub, it was a commercial Mac application that let you convert videos for the iPod, iPhone and Apple TV.

I said 'was'. That's because the developer, Techspansion, closed up shop last October and discontinued all of its products, including VisualHub.

When news of the the demise of VisualHub broke, some individuals were speculating that the media conversion software will be made open source.

Today, speculation has ended as it has been reported VisualHub will be resurrected as FilmRedux.

The initiative to bring back VisualHub, or something akin to VisualHub, is being lead by three individuals.

FilmRedux is still not yet ready for prime time though. Using the application at this point in time requires installing a bunch of other files or software.

Still, the three developers should be lauded for devoting their time and skills to bringing back one of the Macs community's favorite app.

[source: Macworld]

Apps Store: 500,000,000 served

On Friday, Apple advertised that iPhone and iPod touch users have downloaded a total of 500 million apps.



The half a billion mark comes 42 days after Apple announced its 300 millionth download on December 5.

That means users have been downloading apps at an average rate of around 4.7 million per day.

Apple also announced that there are now 15,000 applications available for download at the Apps Store.

[source: AppleInsider]

Apple Keynote MacWorld San Francisco 2009

2009 will be the day MacWorld San Francisco attendees and for Apple fans in general will always remember: this is the last year that Apple will have it's keynote address, as well as its last year of attending MacWorld.

On top of that, Apple's top honcho, Señor Steve Jobs, will not be the one to do the keynote. Instead, Paul Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, will be the one to take the stage.

This of course prompted speculations about Steve Jobs' health.

Jobs released an open letter to tell everyone that he's fine and his weight loss was due to 'hormone imbalance'.

As usual, weeks before the Apple's last year at MacWorld speculations ran wild as to what Apple will pull out of their hat: new Mac mini, iPhone nano, new 17" MacBook Pro, iLife 09, Mac tablet, Mac netbook, and of course, the Beatles on iTunes.

Some were spot on. Some were dead wrong. Though I suspect those who got it right were just shooting fish in the barrel.

I am still watching Phil Schiller's Macworld San Francisco 200 Keynote Address which I downloaded from iTunes but I will blog about what Apple had in store for Apple fans for the start of 2009.