[2/28] Hands-On Review--Tom Bihn eM² Mac mini Bag: Apple's new Mac mini (see our review) is so small that it is easily portable, even as a desktop computer. Mac mini owners are likely to carry their mini between home and work, over to friends' houses, to clients' places of work and on trips, whether for business or pleasure. Hey, it's only 6.5"x 6.5"x 2" and weighs less than 3 pounds. All it needs is a case and there is one! Tom Bihn's eM² is designed specifically for the Mac mini.

Do you want your Mac mini to be protected from scrapes, scratches, dings, drops and the weather while transporting it around? We certainly do. Tom Bihn designed the eM² expressly to take care of those issues. The eM² is only 7.5"x 7.5"x 2.75" and weighes just 6.7 ounces so it does not add significant bulk to the tiny Mac mini computer but does add the protection of a .25" thick layer of padding.

The eM² features a splash-resistant zipper and simple webbing handles for easy carrying. There are rings on the top to snap on a shoulder strap if one wishes and Tom Bihn also makes excellent shoulder straps ranging in price from $10-25. One side of the eM² has a stretch mesh pocket that will accommodate the power supply for the Mac mini, a cable or two, or a couple of jewel cases. It fits into just about any daypack, briefcase or messenger bag you may have.

The eM² has a tough, finely-woven 500 denier Geosung Musora® exterior with .25" (6mm) closed cell foam padding to minimize any shock to the Mac mini from a hit or fall. The special "splash-proof" zipper is a #8 YKK Uretek. It's made in Port Angeles, Washington.

Our eM² is black with a dark gray (steel) interior but they come in three other colors: deep blue, crimson and steel. It is very well made. The materials are first class and the stitching is outstanding as we have come to appreciate in all Tom Bihn bags. Our Mac mini fits snuggly inside the eM² so it won't wiggle around. The foam padding is not overly pliant, so it's effective, and it encases the Mac mini on all 6 sides. The Mac mini's small white power brick and electrical cord fit into the expandable side pocket with a little room left for a few more smaller things. We especially like the moisture resistant zipper and think one should be included on all computer bags and backpacks.

Tom Bihn's eM² is an excellent Mac mini case available now for just $40 plus shipping. We highly recommend it for those who plan to transport their Mac mini. [Bill Fox]

[2/28] Jef Raskin, Apple's Macintosh Initiator, Passed Away at the age of 61 according to this AP article. Raskin, often called the "Father of the Macintosh," died from pancreatic cancer at his home on Saturday. He began his career at Apple Computer in 1978 as employee number 31 with the responsibility for creating Apple's manuals. He was the original leader of the Macintosh project which stemmed from his ideas in 1979 but left Apple over differences with Apple-founder Steve Jobs before it was completed. Curiously, Steve Jobs survived a bout with a form of pancreatic cancer after surgery last summer. [Dana Baggett]

[2/28] Mozilla Adds Mac Programmer Josh Aas for Better Mac OS X Support: Macalester College student and Camino developer Josh Aas has been employed by the Mozilla Foundation in an effort to improve the Foundation's Max OS X offerings. Starting right away on a part-time basis, Aas will complete of his Computer Science and English Literature degree at Minnesota's Macalester College this year. Then he will become a full-time employee of Mozilla Foundation according to MozillaZine.

Mr. Aas had this to say about his new opportunity on his blog:

Mozilla Foundation is making more of a commitment to Mac OS X, so hopefully there will be some really good things happening on the platform in the near future.

[Dana Baggett]

[2/28] More Mozilla Products Due Out Soon--Schedule: Mozilla released Firefox 1.0.1 and Mozilla 1.8 beta 1 last week. The coming products and their rough schedule according to MozillaZine are:

• Thunderbird 1.0.1--Standalone email client, middle of this week
• Mozilla 1.7.6--sometime this week.
• Mozilla 1.8 beta 2--three weeks.
• Firefox 1.1 Developer Preview--Based on Mozilla 1.8, about three weeks.
• Firefox 1.1 and Thunderbird 1.1--later this year.

[Dana Baggett]

[2/28] New GarageBand 2.0 E-Books--Take Control of Making Music with GarageBand and Take Control of Recording Music with GarageBand: Updated for the improvements in GarageBand 2.0, Take Control of Making Music with GarageBand and Take Control of Recording Music with GarageBand by Jeff Tolbert are the first to hit the streets because they are ebooks from TidBITs Electronic Publishing. For only $10 each or $17 for both, new and experienced GarageBand users can learn how to make songs using GarageBand's built-in loops and how to get the most out of their recording gear, running a recording session, and applying effects like a pro. Both ebooks offer linked-in audio clips and sample songs that demonstrate the techniques discussed. [Bill Fox]

[2/26] Apple Revised the offerings from Four Hot Deals Retailers:

At the Apple Store for Education, students can now use their student discounts to get a brand new iPod or iPod mini.

MacMall has fantastic prices on essential Mac products, including Epson's PictureMate 4"x6" Photo Printer, Princeton 17" LCD1700 LCD Flat Panel Display, Canon PowerShot AS10 Digital Camera, Lexar Media Jumpdrive 1GB USB 2.0 Portable Flash Drive, Planar 19" LCD Flat Panel Display with $100 mail-in rebate, Princeton 19" LCD Flat Panel Display with Built-in Speakers and $100 mail-in rebate, and much more.

ClubMac has great deals on essential Mac products, including Aspyr Media The Sims Party Pack, Epson PictureMate 4"x6" Photo Printer, Dr. Bott NaviPro EX Wireless Remote Control for iPod and iPod Photo, Prosoft Drive Genius, LaCie 80GB SilverScreen, Altec Lansing inMotion Portable Batter Operated Audio System for iPod, Fiberline 7-in-1 USB Card Reader with $10 mail-in rebate, and much more.

Publishing Perfection has great deals on a variety of design and print products for your Mac, including Discreet Combustion 3, AutoFX Digital Delight Bundle, Adobe Creative Suite Premium, Alptek HyperPen 1200U, Alien Skin Eye Candy 5: Textures, Microtek ScanMaker i700, Epson PictureMate 4"x6" Photo Printer, Human Software MagicFrames 2, and much more.

The March Business Day workshop topic is "Discover DayLite and Manage It All."

DayLite is a management tool from Marketcircle Inc. for managing customer relationships, sales opportunities, and company projects. The workshop demonstrates how to get started with this contact database and sales management solution.

The March on-demand demonstrations are:

• StickyBrain, the Universal Note Manager
  
• Business Cards Made Easy: SOHO Business Cards
  
• Next-Generation Label and Envelope Printing: SOHO Labels & Envelopes
  

Workshop times and locations vary. Check with the Apple Store near you. Business Day was formerly called Pro Day. [Bill Fox]

[2/25] Aspyr Game Report--DOOM 3 is Getting Close to FC Status: In its latest game report, Aspyr relates that development of the Mac version of DOOM 3 is progressing well. Here is the status of games currently under development at Aspyr:

At Final Candidate

• Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour
  
• True Crime: Streets of L.A.
  

In Beta

• DOOM 3
  

In Alpha

• The Sims 2
  

At First Playable

• Star Wars Battlefront
  

In Early Development

• Stubbs the Zombie
  
• Delta Force - Black Hawk Down: Team Sabre(TM)
  
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005
  

The first five games may be pre-ordered from Aspyr.

[2/25] Firefox 1.0.1 is Available for the Mac with Security Fixes--Brief Hands-On Report: Firefox 1.0.1 is available for download from this Mozilla Foundation FTP web page. According to Mozilla's Release Notes, the 1.0.1 version provides:

Improved stability

International Domain Names are now displayed as punycode. To show International Domain Names in Unicode, set the "network.IDN_show_punycode" preference to false.

Several security fixes.

According to eWeek, the new version

...provide[s] a temporary fix for the IDN (International Domain Name) bug that was first flagged earlier this month.

The upgrade also includes patches for two serious flaws that could allow malicious attackers to spoof the source displayed in the "Download Dialog" box or to spoof the content of Web sites.

We downloaded and installed Firefox 1.0.1 because it is our main backup web browser. It worked just fine for us during last evening. We had to re-apply the speed mods:

1. Type "about:config" in the URL field and hit the return key.

2. Change "network.http.pipelining" to TRUE by double-clicking the line.

3. Change network.http.proxy. pipelining to TRUE by double-clicking the line.

4. Change network.http.pipelining.maxrequests from 4 to 30 after double-clicking the line.

5. Control-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0".

After adding the mods, Firefox worked like a champ. [Dana Baggett & Bill Fox]

[2/25] FireWire Alternatives for New Apple iPod minis and photos: As everyone probably knows by now, Apple dropped FireWire cables from being included wth the new iPods. Mac users without USB 2.0 ports on their Macs, and that's a lot of Mac users, will have to shell out at least $19 for a special FireWire cable to load music on the new iPods and to charge them--Apple's new iPod specs do not include the more common USB 1.1 ports. This is quite controversial because not only has Apple partially eschewed it own technology, FireWire, but it has made iPods more expensive for many Mac users than PC users.

What are some of the alternatives for music loading plus charging?

1. Griffin Technologies announced an $17.95 FireWire 400Dock cable, $1.05 less than Apple's. It will be available in late March.

2. If you already have a regular FireWire cable, there's SendStation's $18.95 PocketDock (FireWire) and it is available at any Apple Store. There you can also get a cool short and thin Apple FireWire cable for $14 or better yet, a Keyspan ZIP-LINQ retractable FireWire cable for $15.95.

3. If you have a Power Mac with a vacant PCI slot, there are USB 2.0 PCI cards like this IOGear model for $17.95 from OWC which will take the USB 2.0 cable that comes with the new iPods.

None of the solutions are significantly different from buying Apple's $19 cable. However, we would recommend getting the PocketDock (FireWire) and the nifty ZIP-LINQ retractable FireWire cable, especially if one is a road warrior. [Bill Fox]

[2/24] Brief Hands-On Report--Apple iPod Software Update 2005-02-22: Late yesterday after the release of the new iPod mini and photo lineups, Apple released an updater for the software in the original, Gen 2 and Gen 3 iPods, the iPod mini and the iPod shuffle. The update does not apply to Gen 4 (click wheel) iPods.

According to the Read Me file, iPod software update 2005-02-22 delivers the following software:

iPod shuffle software 1.1 (for iPod shuffle)

• Support for iPod shuffle Battery Pack
  
• Increased software stability
  

iPod mini software 1.3 (for iPod mini)

• Support for second-generation iPod mini
  
• Support for charging and syncing over USB with Mac OS X v10.2.8 or 10.3.4 or later
  

iPod software 2.3 (for 3rd Generation iPod with dock connector)

• Shuffle Songs selection in Main Menu
  
• Music menu item in Main Menu
  
• Support for iTunes 4.7 and later
  

iPod software 1.5 (for Touch Wheel and Scroll Wheel iPod)

• Shuffle Songs selection in Main Menu
  
• Music menu item in Main Menu
  
• Support for iTunes 4.7 and later
  

iPod software update 2005-02-22 contains the same software versions as iPod software update 2005-01-11 for all other iPod models.

We downloaded and installed the update on our original 5GB iPod, iPod mini I, and 512MB iPod shuffle. No problems were encountered with updating any of the iPods. Of all the updates we can confirm that v1.5 added "music" to the main menu and "Shuffle songs" to the main menu and Settings menu of our original iPod and that it now shuffles songs randomly.

[2/24] Apple Revised the Offerings from Four Hot Deals Retailers:

J&R has great prices on top quality Mac products, including UbiSoft's Myst IV: Revelation/Myst III: Exile DVD Bundle, Aspyr Media Sim City 4: Rush Hour, Belkin iPod Battery Backup Pack, Brother MFC-5840CN Color Flatbed Multi-Function Center, Canon GL-2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder, DLO Transpod All-in-One Car Solution with FM Transmitter, and much more.

Sweetwater has fantastic deals on a wide range of audio products for your Mac, including Tascam VL-S21 Bi-Amplified Monitor System with two Flat Panel Speakers and Subwoofer, Bias SoundSoap, Audio Technica ATH-M2X Audiophile Headphones, MOTU Digital Performer 4.5, IK Multimedia Amplitude LIve, M-Audio AudioPhile USB Audio and MIDI Interface, and and much more.

AudioMIDI has fantastic deals on a wide range of audio products for your Mac, including IK Multimedia Sonik Capsule with two FREE Bonus Collections, Presonus Firebox Portable FireWire Interface, Korg Kontrol 49, Frontier Design Group Transport, and much more.

O'Reilly has exclusively Hot Deals discounts for many of it's most popular Mac titles, including Office 2004 for Mac: The Missing Manual, AppleScript: The Missing Manual, All About Your iPod Photo, Revolution in the Valley, and much more.

[2/24] Apple Pro Tip of the Week--Printing from the Desktop (Without a Desktop Printer Icon): To do so, mostly just control-click the file to be printed and under "Open with" select the Printer Setup Utility and the file will print. There is a variation for some versions of Mac OS X so check the details on this Apple web page. [Dana Baggett]

[2/24] Tonight on The Mac Night Owl LIVE Internet Radio Show: Co-hosts Gene and Grayson Steinberg talk about digital cameras with Laurence Chen, author of "Take Control of Buying a Digital Camera." They’ll also talk with Scott Gulbransen from Intuit and Steve Cotter from Altec Lansing. Listen in at 6-8pm PT (9-11pm ET). [Bill Fox]

[2/24] Play Movies on an iPod with the Nyko MoviePlayer: Nyko Technologies is reportedly making a movie player out of an iPod. The iPod slips into the Nyko MoviePlayer and shows video clips stored in it on a 3.5" backlit screen according to this Yahoo News article with photo. [Dana Baggett]

[2/23] Apple Introduces New iPod Minis and iPod Photo--More Affordable and Longer Battery Life: Today Apple released a revision to its iPod mini music player into two models, a 4GB model and a 6GB model. The 4GB model now retails for $199 and the 6GB model sells for $249. Both models get a substantially upgraded battery that Apple claims will last up to 18 hours. Apple dropped the gold color from the iPod mini lineup so now they are available in just four colors: silver, pink, blue and green. The pink, blue and green colors are deeper than the previous ones. The iPod minis now come with a USB 2.0 cable and the FireWire cable is a $19 accessory. In addition, there are two new Apple-made iPod mini accessories, a lanyard for $19 and a USB 2.0 AC adapter for $29.

Aside from the price drop on the 4GB model, the best news is the 18-hour battery. Our original iPod mini gets just 7.5 hours, barely enough for a trans-continental flight with waiting time but not enough for a day trip by car, train or bus or a trans-Pacific flight.

The new iPod photo released today by Apple is a slimmer 30 GB model that sells for a nice $349. The 60GB model dropped significantly in price to $449. The iPod photos now come with a USB 2.0 cable and the FireWire cable is a $19 accessory like the new minis but the AC adapter is included with the photos. There is also a new accessory for the iPod photo, a $29 iPod Camera Connector that allows a direct hookup to a digital camera rather than a computer to exchange photos. The iPod Camera Connector is expected to be available in late March.

The original iPod now comes in only a 20GB model for $299 and the Special Edition U2 20GB model for $349. They both still come with FireWire and USB 2.0 cables and an AC adapter.

The cost-saving switch from FireWire to just USB 2.0 in the iPod minis and photos will be a bit problematic for owners of older Macs with only USB 1.1 ports. While USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1, the latter is much slower. A faster FireWire cable will now cost them an additional $19.

With this release, Apple's iPods are now generally more affordable. The extra battery time in the iPod minis is certainly welcome. [Bill Fox]

[2/23] Brief Hands-On Report--Apple Mac OS X Security Update 2005-002 for Mac OS X 10.3.4 and Later: It is available for download via the System Preferences Software Update preference pane or as a standalone updater from this Apple web page. According to the Read Me file:

Security Update 2005-002 delivers a number of security enhancements and is recommended for all Macintosh users. This update includes the following components:

Java Web Start
JavaPluginCocoa.bundle
JavaScriptCore
Core Java classes

The details on this security update are:

Security Update 2005-002

Available for: Java 1.4.2
CVE-ID: CAN-2004-1029
Impact: Updates Java to address an issue where an untrusted applet could gain elevated privileges and potentially execute arbitrary code.

Description: A vulnerability in the Java Plug-in may allow an untrusted applet to escalate privileges, through JavaScript calling into Java code, including reading and writing files with the privileges of the user running the applet. Releases prior to Java 1.4.2 on Mac OS X are not affected by this vulnerability. Further information is available in Document ID 57591 from Sun.

We downloaded and installed the February security update on a variety of Macs, including an iBook G3, Mac mini, PowerBook G4, G4 Cube, iMac G5 and Power Mac G5. No problems were encountered during installation or after. [Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]

[2/23] Apple's Developer Connection Published Providing Application Access to SQL Data in Apple Remote Desktop 2: The PostgreSQL database in Apple Remote Desktop 2 contains a lot of useful information on the Macintoshes on your network, but that information is locked unless you know the key. This new Apple ADC article covers how to access the information stored in the PostgreSQL database, for use in creating custom applications that can display or manipulate this data for your enterprise, school system or help desk system. [Bill Fox]

[2/23] Free Envision Web Show of the Week--U.S. Presidents: This week's free Envision Web show is a montage of presidential portraits from American Presidents: Life Portraits. The montage display feature is new to Envision 1.1. The Envision Web Show of the Week can be downloaded from the Show of the Week web site. Previous Shows of the Week are available in the Show of the Week archive. [Bill Fox]

[2/23] QuickerTek Announced New Aluminum Handles for All PowerBooks: Want a safe way to carry around your PowerBook when it is not in a case? QuickerTek's aluminum handles may be what you need. Now they fit every recent PowerBook, all of the aluminum modes and the Titanium. The $50 handles weight 9oz and are designed to be user installable according to QuickerTek. [Bill Fox]

[2/23] Build a Replica Apple I Computer: Syngress Publishing, Inc., announced the publication of Apple I Replica Creation: Back to the Garage by Tom Owad (ISBN: 1-931836-40-X, $39.95, 368p) featuring a foreword by Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple Computer. Learn how to build, program and run one. [Bill Fox]

[2/22] Hands-On Review--Apple's New $499 Mac mini After A Month of Use: Exactly one month ago, January 22, the Mac mini was released (image courtesy of Apple Computer). That morning we stood in line at the Fashion Valley Apple Store in San Diego before it opened to get one of these phenomenal tiny computers. It is fortunate that we did because they have been in very short supply ever since.

In our initial Mac mini note, we mentioned that the people around us in line who were also getting a Mac mini (all of them the $599 model) were PC users, i.e. switchers or semi-switchers. All of us were drawn to buy the tiny computer because of its style, power and, of course, price. We have now used it extensively so it's time for our hands-on review.

Warning! This review is primarily for those in Apple's target market, i.e. entry level and price conscious users, including PC switchers. But we have included a little something for everyone.

The Models

The Mac mini comes in two basic standard models, one with a G4 CPU running at 1.25GHz and a 40GB hard drive for $499 and the other with a G4 CPU running 13.6 per cent faster at 1.42GHz and an 80GB hard drive for $599. We think the 1.25GHz model is the best buy. Both come with 256MB of PC 2700 RAM (actually, ours came with faster PC3200 RAM), the same ATI Radeon 9200 graphics chip and the same combo optical drive that will read CDs and DVDs and burn CDs. Also included is a small white power brick and a VGA to DVI video adapter. The coffee mug (image below) is for size comparison only and not included.

Weighing less than three pounds, the Mac mini is 6.5" by 6.5" and 2" high with rounded corners. The top is white polycarbonate plastic with a light gray Apple logo. The sides are brushed aluminum and the bottom has a non-skid pad. The ports, located in the rear side, are: power, 10/100 ethernet, v.92 modem, 2 USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and an audio out "headphones jack". Also in back are the power button, fan exhaust grille and a Kensington lock slot. The front has a CD slot and a blue LED. A small but audible speaker is inside.

The Mac mini comes with an outstanding software package: Mac OS X, iLife '05, the rest of the "iApps" (iCal, iSync, iChat AV), AppleWorks, Quicken 2005, Nanosaur 2 and Marble Blast Gold. Plus it has a 180+ page manual that covers the basic use of a Mac for novices, a Mac OS X Install DVD with Apple Hardware Test, a Mac OS 9 Install DVD and the iLife '05 DVD.

The Official Options

AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth are available as CTO options from the online Apple Store for $79 alone or $99 together, a good buy if one wants to wirelessly network the computer. The combo optical drive can be swapped for a SuperDrive to be able to burn DVDs for $100, a good buy if one wants to burn DVDs. The online Apple Store will also swap the standard 256MB RAM chip for 512MB ($75) or 1GB ($325). The 512MB is a good buy if one really wants more RAM but the 1GB module is definitely not a good buy. One can also get AppleCare extended from 1 to 3 years for $149 but we would put that in the class of "definitely not a good buy" along with the 1 GB RAM module unless one is also buying an Apple Cinema Display at the same time.

The 256MB RAM Issue

We have analyzed (here and here) whether or not someone who is buying a base computer for normal use really needs more than 256MB of RAM. The answer is clearly no, i.e. 256MB is adequate. We know of no other tests that refute our studies. However, the facts don't seem to matter to most people writing about the Mac mini. One of the first things they write is some absurdly-hyped criticism of Apple for supplying a base computer with "only" 256MB of RAM.

We have now used our 1.25GHz Mac mini extensively for "base" functions for a month, alternately with 256MB and 512MB of RAM. The base functions are web surfing with Safari, doing email with Mail, writing notes with TextEdit and AppleWorks, keeping our finances with Quicken, ripping CDs with iTunes and burning audio and data CDs. And, just like our more objective speed tests, we can not subjectively tell any difference in performance. One will, however, read subjective claims to the contrary.

We are not hard over on the RAM issue. Obviously, if one will ever want to do "advanced" work with large image files or large audio files or large digital video clips or very large text files with embedded graphics with iMovie, iDVD or GarageBand, etc., getting more RAM is probably a good idea. Anyway, it's only $75 for a 512MB module installed by Apple with absolutely no hassle. We just don't think prospective buyers should be misled or Apple slammed by the Mac pundits or advanced Mac users with no facts.

The Small/Slow Hard Drive Issue

A 40GB hard drive isn't bad for an entry level computer. To put things into perspective, after 20+ years of using Macs we finally and fairly recently exceeded 40GB of files on our main PowerBook's hard drive. That includes all of our apps (both frequently used and dormant), all of our digital photos, all of our digital music, seven years of business and personal email, seven years of analized server log files and gillions of accumulated but unused demos and neat-o Mac utilities. Of course, if one is a professional or avid amature photographer, a camcorder fiend or a music lover with hundreds of CDs, then 40GB could be too small. If one fits into one of these drive-gobbling categories, then Apple's $50 80GB option is a bargain. After that is filled up, one can always get a huge external FireWire or USB 2.0 drive for the Mac mini. Or better yet, jump right to the external drive.

We also analyzed the speed of the Mac mini's hard drive. It's not really that much of a slouch. Until the latest release of Apple's professional PowerBook line, they all used 2.5" 4200RPM drives just like the one in the Mac mini. Moving up to 5400RPM and 7200RPM increases performance significantly for some operations but at a significant cost plus heat and some noise. The largest of the fastest 2.5" 7200RPM drives on the market is a 60GB Hitachi drive. It goes for around $175 plus a significant chunk for installation.

Our advice to those in the Mac mini's target market, entry level and price conscious consumers, is to get the Mac mini with the stock 40GB drive. If one has $50 burning a hole in one's pocket, then set it aside for a possible future large external FireWire or USB 2.0 hard drive that you may never need.

External Options

We have already covered hard drives. In addition, one can also get external USB Wi-Fi (wireless network) modules if one does not initially get AirPort Extreme with the Mac mini. Unfortunately, they seem to be limited to the slower (but fast enough) and cheaper 802.11b protocol. For example, this D-Link USB module (DWL-122) has Mac OS X drivers. One can also get an inexpensive external USB Bluetooth module (D-Link DBT-120) from many retailers including a retail Apple Store. So neither wireless technology opportunity is completely lost if one doesn't buy them originally with the Mac mini. One may need an externally powered USB hub, however, since the Mac mini has only 2 USB 2.0 ports.

Advanced Uses

Many people who buy a Mac mini will not be in Apple's target market, like us for example. Other than to serve as a unit for our review, our Mac mini has extended one of our G4 Cube's work. One Cube currently serves as our Global Headquarters' quiet and totally reliable network server. We are currently using our Mac mini headless (i.e. w/o a monitor) via Apple Remote Desktop as a RADIUS server to secure our wireless network using Elektron. It is also streaming digital music to our home theater system via an audio cable and playing digital movies from rented DVDs and, when we find a good Mac-compatible service, from files legally downloaded off the internet via Apple's S-video adapter and S-video cable. Surfing the internet on our large screen TV with the Mac mini is possible but redundant to the PowerBook that we use to control it. Finally, we plan to use our Mac mini as the nerve center for controlling things like lights, air handling and some security operations. It will quietly look great doing doing all of the above.

In Summary

The Mac mini is a terrific computer for $499 (or more, for that matter). It will do everything that entry level or price conscious users do with a computer right out of the box, assuming they already have a keyboard, mouse and monitor. It's small, light, quiet and stylish. Another strength is its included, secure and easy-to-use sofware.

We have used the Mac mini for a month for everyday type of work. In our opinion, it is every bit as good a Mac as any other we have owned and better looking than most of them. Subjectively, it's performance in everyday use is on par with a PowerBook or a recent iMac G4 or the top end of a recent single processor Power Mac G4. We encountered no problems of any kind so we can recommend the Mac mini without reservation.

Are there any cons? Well, we can think of only one but, in our opinion, it is a glaring omission--none of the included literature, software and hardware (save one) specifically and directly addresses the major share of the Mac mini's target market, price conscious PC switchers. The Mac mini comes with a 180+ page manual but nowhere does it mention how to migrate files from a PC to the Mac mini. It doesn't even mention the software on the market that will easily do this for a PC user--Detto's nifty Move2Mac. It's also missing a simple PS2 to USB adapter to connect older PC keyboards and mice to the Mac mini. Fortunately, it has a VGA to DVI adapter for older monitors. Maybe Apple could put together a simple kit, the iSwitch Kit, to hand out to PC switchers who buy Mac minis? [Bill Fox]

[2/22] Apple Updated the Xserve RAID Admin Tools to v1.3.3 and they are available for download from this Apple web page. From the Read Me file:

This software release improves overall reliability and is recommended for all users. The versions of RAID Admin and Xserve RAID firmware in this release should replace all earlier versions.

Key updates include:

• Incompatibility of LUN Masking to certain host operating systems has been fixed.
  
• INQUIRY page 0x83 response ASCII Identifier string cleaned up and Identifier EUI-64 replaced with NAA-64.
  
• Disk errors properly recorded in the event log and linked to email notification.
  
• Disk and RAID controller caches are now disabled during firmware update process.
  
• Fixed condition where RAID Admin stops polling a system if a bad battery is present.
  
• Controller status LED on Xserve RAID enclosure will now flash during the power shutdown process.
  

[2/22] Beware of the Latest Phishing Scam--Bogus Bank Transfer: Crooks will try anything to separate people from their money and, with a liittle help from Mr. Greed, they occasionally succeed. The latest phishing scam involves an email telling the recipient target that a large sum of funds have been deposited in a bank account in their name. The scam then states that the target can tranfer it to their own account using the enclosed PIN number at a bank web site where the target is asked to enter their own bank information to make the transfer. The bank's site is bogus, of course. The scammer now has the target's banking info and cleans out their account. [Dana Baggett]

[2/21] Red Hat Fedora Core 4 Linux to Run on Apple Mac mini? Yes, according to this CNet article. After concentrating on the enterprise market, Linux maker Red Hat is returning to the bleeding edge space with new versions of Linux from its Fedora Project. First out will be Core 4 which will run on IBM Power processors "..., such as Apple Computer's Mac Mini..." says the CNet article. But the Mac mini uses a G4 PowerPC processor made by Freescale (formerly Motorola). It's Apple's Power Mac G5 and iMac G5, of course, that use a version of IBM's Power processor line. Anyway, it appears that Red Hat's Linux is headed for the Mac, if not the Mac mini. [Dana Baggett]

[2/21] From the Dark Side--Intel Finally Follows Apple into 64-bit Consumer Computing Space after putting down Apple's and AMD's more than year-old moves to 64-bit consumer computing, according to this PC World article. While in late 2004 Intel marketed 64-bit Xeon processors used in servers running Unix, it has long maintained that 64-bit computing is beyond the consumer space for the forseeable future. Apple introduced the 64-bit Power Mac G5 and AMD produced a 64-bit CPU for consumer desktop computers in 2003. Apple's Mac OS X 10.3.x (Panther) is 64-bit compatible. So now Intel claims to have produced a 64-bit Pentium 4 to run a 64-bit version of Windows still under development--it's at Release Candidate 2. Even so, there need to be applications that take advantage of 64 bits and they are scarce on any consumer platform at present. [Dana Baggett]

[2/19] Class Action Lawsuit Against Apple Derailed: The Court of Appeals dismissed the law firm who brought a class action lawsuit against Apple because one of the firm's lawyers was also the representative of the class that the firm was suing Apple on behalf, setting up an obvious conflict of interest according to this Law.com article. The law firm of Westrup Klick & Associates was suing Apple for allegedly collecting excess sales tax from consumers under a rebate program. If successful, the members of the class would have received up to $8 but the law firm potentially would have raked in $ millions in attorneys fees. [Dana Baggett]

[2/19] Apple Revised the Offerings from One Hot Deals Retailer:

MacConnection has fantastic prices on essential Mac products, including a FREE Hewlett Packard Deskjet 3650 Color Inkjet Printer with the purchase of any Apple CPU, Corel Painter IX, Microsoft Office 2004 Standard Upgrade Version, Griffin Technology iTrip FM Transmitter for U2 Special Edition iPod, Marware iPod mini Safari Case, Kensington Optical Mouse and SlimType Multimedia Keyboard, and much more.

[Bill Fox]

[2/19] O'Reilly Released Office 2004 For Macintosh: The Missing Manual: Microsoft Office 2004 is four popular programs for Mac OS X in one cohesive suite: Word for words, Excel for numbers, PowerPoint for presentations, and Entourage for email and personal information management. And Office 2004 for Mac: The Missing Manual (Walker and Tessler, O'Reilly, US $29.95) is four books in one.

According to O'Reilly, Walker and Tessler deliver on their promise to use "very little jargon or nerd terminology" in this funny and friendly reference. They clearly and systematically guide both beginners and veterans through all four Office 2004 programs. The authors include all the advice and practical information users need to take command of the basics and make the most of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Entourage. [Bill Fox]

[2/17] Firefox 1.0 Reaches 25,000,000 Downloads Already: According to this Mozilla Foundation press release, in 99 days over 25M copies of Firefox had been downloaded. Firefox is the standalone web browser from the Mozilla Project, once part of Netscape/AOL. The Mac version is our backup web browser. [Dana Baggett]

[2/17] Review--TaxCut vs TurboTax, Web-Based or CD-Based? One can do one's federal taxes online for free using software from either HR Block or Intuit if one starts from a link on the IRS web site as we previously noted. But how do the web-based versions compare with the boxed CD-based versions? This AP article compared them. The conlusion is that if one has a relatively simple tax return, then the online tax sofware does the job well--go for it, it's free. But if one has a relatively complex taxe situation, the CD-based versions are worth the extra cost. The reviewer, Heidi Vogt, sides with neither TaxCut nor TurboTax in pointing out that they both have relative pros and cons. We are equally divided between those using TaxCut and TurboTax at Macs Only! [Dana Baggett]

[2/17] KeyStrokes 3.5 for Mac OS X Boosts Word Prediction: AssistiveWare today announced the release of version 3.5 of KeyStrokes, its award-winning on-screen keyboard with advanced PolyPredix multilingual word prediction for Mac OS X. KeyStrokes 3.5 offers many unique, time and effort saving features allowing significantly easier and faster typing. The new version provides word prediction for the hardware keyboard, it's on-screen keyboard and for soon to be released SwitchXS 1.7. It can be used with a keyboard, mouse, trackball, head pointer, touch screen, or other mouse emulator to type into just about any Mac OS X or Classic application. [Bill Fox]

[2/17] Tonight on The Mac Night Owl LIVE, Van Buskirk and Pegoraro: Co-hosts Gene and Grayson Steinberg will talk about digital music and the future of the iPod with MP3.com's Eliot Van Buskirk. You'll also hear from Rob Pegoraro, Personal Technology Editor for The Washington Post. Tune in to the internet radio show at 6-8pm PST (9-11am EST). [Bill Fox]

[2/17] Apple Revised the Offerings from Four Hot Deals Retailers:

Apple's new Clearance Section of Hot Deals, dedicated entirely to end-of-life and clearance Mac and Mac OS X products from all of your favorite retailers, boasts some newly added offers, including Ramjet 128MB SDRAM DIMM for Power Mac G3 Blue & White, Strider TypeStyler 3, Ramjet 512MB SO-DIMM for PowerBook G3 FireWire, Nikon D-100 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera with $200 mail-in rebate, IK Multimedia Sonik Capsule Studio Drums, Brother MFC-8840DN Multifunction Printer, and much more.

CDW|MacWarehouse has great deals on cool Mac products, including Sony's DRX-710UL-T DVD±RW Drive, Canon PowerShot A510 Digital Camera, Hewlett Packard PhotoSmart 8450, Adobe Photoshop Elements, SanDisk 512MB Ultra II Flash Memory, Epson Powerlite S1 + Projector, Microsoft Office 2004 Standard Edition Upgrade Version, Lexar 1GB USB Jumpdrive Pro, and much more.

Ramjet has super low prices on RAM upgrades for your Mac, including 2GB DDR Kit for Power Mac G5, 512MB DDR DIMM for Power Mac G4, 512MB PC-2700 for Aluminum PowerBook G4, 1GB Module for Aluminum PowerBook G4, 1GB DDR DIMM for Mac mini, 512MB DIMM for iMac DV, 1GB DDR Kit for iMac G4, and much more.

CompUSA has money saving deals on a bevy of Mac products, including Hewlett Packard LaserJet 1320 Monochrome Laser Printer with $100 mail-in rebate, Epson Stylus Photo RX500 Color All-in-One Printer with $50 mail-in rebate, Intuit TurboTax Deluxe for 2004 with $10 mail-in rebate, Viewsonic VX910 19" LCD Display with $50 mail-in rebate, Epson Perfection 4870 Color Flatbed Scanner with $50 mail-in rebate, and much more.

[Bill Fox]

[2/16] Mac OS X 10.3.8 Update--How Fast Is It? (Final) Last Wednesday, Apple released Mac OS X 10.3.8, perhaps the last update to Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) before releasing Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) sometime in the first half of this year. Last Thursday, we posted an initial speed test of Mac OS X 10.3.8, along with our announcement and description of it. We have benchmarked virtually every release of Mac OS X from the original 10.0 release through 10.3.7 to keep track of the improvements in its speed, the most frequent initial complaint about Max OS X. Apple has made great strides in speeding up Mac OS X and that, along with Apple's continuous hardware improvements, have mostly eliminated any real speed concerns.

So how fast is it? To determine this we ran our usual suite of speed tests on our test-bed Macs. The speed tests are comprised of a series of "canned" benchmark applications and several so-called "real world" tests that anyone can repeat on their own Mac for comparison.

Our long-term test Mac has been a stock 2000-vintage 450 MHz Power Mac G4 Cube with 704MB RAM. With Mac OS X 10.3 Apple began including improvements that are aimed mainly at the G5 CPU and graphics cards so we began using our dual 2.5GHz Power Mac G5 with 1.5GB RAM and an Nvidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL graphics card in the speed tests as well.

Here are the results for the G4 Cube using Mac OS X 10.3.8 vs 10.3.7, 10.3 and 10.2.8. Other versions can be found in our previous articles:

Apple stated that along with the bug fixes in 10.3.8 there are new ATI and Nvidia graphics drivers. Our stock G4 Cube has the original ATI Rage 128 Pro graphics card with just 16MB of video RAM. There are no apparent speed performance changes for the Cube using 10.3.8.

Here are the results for the Power Mac G5 comparing 10.3.8 with several previous versions of Mac OS X 10.3:

For the latest Power Mac G5, the only performance improvement among the benchmark applications using the Mac OS X 10.3.8 update is in Xbench's OpenGL graphics test. This improvement may be due to updating the Nvidia 6800 graphics driver which caused a performance hit in 10.3.7. Last Thursday we noted that our 1.5GHz 17" PowerBook G4 which uses ATI graphics exhibited a similar speed improvement. On the other hand, the Cinebench 2003 OpenGL hardware lighting test did not show a change in performance. All three OpenGL-based 3D game applications (Quake, Halo and Call of Duty) showed a very small increase in performance, although this could be due to chance since the differences are so small.

Like most previous Panther releases, 10.3.8 provides no obvious across the board speed improvements. Applications using OpenGL may show a small performance improvement.

[2/16] Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2005 Has Something For Everyone: WWDC 2005 offers practical information and guidance designed to meet the needs of the diverse communities that develop and deploy on the Apple platform, like:

• Commercial software and hardware developers
  
• In-house enterprise application developers
  
• Web developers and scripters
  
• IT managers and staff
  
• System administrators
  
• Scientists and researchers
  
• Developers of application plug-ins and extensions
  

Check out the details and register early to save $300.

[2/16] Fast DVD Copy v3.5 is Out and Available for Download: Velan Software announced that Version 3.5 of Fast DVD Copy for Mac OS X is available for download on the company's web site. Fast DVD Copy allows users to back up their DVD and audio CD collections, Playstation 2 games, DVD-ROMs and CD-ROMs.

Among the new features introduced since version 3.0 are:

• Support for dual layer burning
  
• Support for ARccOS protected DVDs
  
• RCE protection handling
  
• A "Movie Only" function to copy DVDs without bonuses or menus
  
• Improved compatibility with DVD players

For complete information on the latest features, visit the Fast DVD Copy web site. Licensed users can update to Fast DVD Copy Version 3.5 for free. [Bill Fox]

[2/16--Revised] Nidec, Maker of iPod Drive Spindle Motor, Sues JVC for Patent Infringement: JVC (Victor Co. of Japan) makes spindle motors for hard drives, like those used in Apple's iPod according to this Reuters article. Nidec, based in Kyoto, Japan, sued JVC in the U.S. for patent infringement on its fluid dynamic bearing technology that Nidec claims is used in the spindle motors made by JVC. The spindle motors used in iPods are made by Nidec. Nidec has 70 per cent of the spindle motor market according to Reuters. [This article was revised to say that Nidec is the maker of spindle motors used in iPods per this Bloomberg.com article, not JVC. We regret the initial error.--ed] [Dana Baggett]

[2/15] Apple Launches Registration for Worldwide Developers Conference 2005: Today Apple launched registration for it's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which will be held at San Francisco's Moscone West Conference Center from June 6-10, 2005. At last year's WWDC, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and attendees received copies of a preview edition. Tiger is expected to be out in the first half of 2005. A major technology in Tiger is Spotlight, Apple's new and incredibly advanced search engine built right into the operating system. To learn more about this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, visit this Apple web page. [Bill Fox]

[2/15] The Apple Developer Connection Publishes Introduction to MPI Distributed Programming on Mac OS X: Today many developers are harnessing the power of multiple computers to solve CPU-intensive problems in scientific research, animation, and rendering. In particular, Apple's Xgrid makes it easier than ever to collect ad hoc resources into a personal supercomputer. Xgrid is especially well suited for "embarrassingly parallel" problems, which run the exact same code many times using different inputs (e.g., different random numbers for a Monte Carlo simulation, or different input files for finite element analysis). But, what if your problem can't easily be split up into numerous independent chunks? What if, in fact, the various processors need to be able to coordinate with each other and exchange data during a calculation? The solution is MPI, the Message Passing Interface, the topic of the latest ADC article, Introduction to MPI Distributed Programming on Mac OS X. [Bill Fox]

[2/15] Apple Revised the Offerings from One Hot Deals Retailers:

[Bill Fox]

[2/15] Giga Designs Ships 1.8GHz G4 Processor Upgrade--Fastest G4 On the Planet: We received a note from Giga Designs, a manufacturer of high performance processor upgrades for Macs, that they are now shipping the fastest (1.8GHz) G4 single CPU upgrade available for AGP equipped G4 Power Macs, including the Power Mac G4 Cube! The new G-celerator AGP 7A series upgrades use the latest G4 (7447A) processors available from Freescale (formerly Motorola). The new 7447A processors feature a 512KB on chip L2 cache running at full processor speed. The CPUs are rated at 1.42GHz but are clocked to run at a guaranteed 1.8GHz. In addition, the CPU upgrade can be run at 1.6GHz to avoid using a low speed fan in the G4 Cube for silent running. Giga Design's announced price is $449.

In early March, Giga Designs plans to ship dual 1.8GHz G4 CPUs for the AGP Power Mac towers and a dual 1.6GHz model for the G4 Cube. The price announced is $699 ($759 for the Cube). The dual CPU upgrade for the G4 Cube also includes an improved VRM (DC/DC power board). [Bill Fox]

[2/15] Lawyers for PowerPage, MacNN and Apple Insider Fire Back to Quash Apple's Subpoenas: Apple has filed subpoenas in a California court to compel Jason O'Grady (PowerPage), Monish Bhatia (MacNN) and Kasper Jade (Apple Insider) to reveal whom supplied them with what Apple claims is inside information protected by a non-disclosure agreement that was subsequently published on PowerPage and Apple Insider according to this CNet article. MacNN provides server hosting services to Apple Insider. Their lawyers replied in court that they are protected under California law from having to name their sources just like reporters who work in print media and wire services. The lawyers asked that the subpoenas be nullified. The information in question involves a so-called breakout box that connects musical instruments to a computer. [Dana Baggett]

[2/14] New Apple 1.67GHz 17" PowerBook G4--How Fast Is It? When Apple announced their new PowerBook lineup nearly two weeks ago we immediately ordered a 17" model even though we already had the latest, a 1.5GHz model that was just under 6 months old. Why? Mainly because it would drive Apple's fantastic 30" Cinema Display that graces our desk and it's backlit keyboard was claimed to be up to 10 times brighter. There are also many other reasons that add up to the latest generation of Apple PowerBooks being better and faster, if not revolutionary, and time is money to many. Our unit arrived last Monday directly from Shanghai and we've used it extensively for a week.

Despite having a dual 2.5Ghz Power Mac G5 and a 30" Cinema Display, we mostly use our PowerBook. We do so largely because we are on the road for at least half the time and keeping our files sync'ed, especially email, is still more than a bit of a PITA. Our Power Mac G5 is used mainly for big image jobs and, of course, 3D gaming, our favorite post freeway drive stress reducer. But since we traded our 23" Cinema Display for the new 30" Cinema we have been unable to use the larger display with our PowerBook. One day syncing email actually will be easy and one day someone will make Mac OS X drivers for external USB PC card adapters for cell network wireless cards. Then, we'll replace our 17" PowerBook with a much easier to tote 12" model and use our Power Mac G5 for more things. But until those days come, Apple's 17" PowerBook will continue to be our main Mac and now it drives our 30" Cinema Display.

Apple's backlit keyboard came out with the original 17" PowerBook G4. It is a great idea, one that we championed as a road warrior for a long time before Apple implemented it. Unfortunately, its implementation is too dim under too many low light conditions that we encounter. It tended to make the keys completely unreadable too often so we mostly had it turned off. The latest rendition in the 1.67GHz model is terrific. The keys are bright and readable under all low light conditions that we have encountered so far.

Another very useful feature of the new PowerBooks is two-finger scrolling trackpads. A hack is available for earlier PowerBooks but Apple's simple implementation works seamlessly and flawlessly in our experience.

There's also Apple's new Sudden Motion Sensor technology. SMS is designed to protect the new PowerBook's hard drive from damage in a fall. We've been lucky in that department for many years and we hope we never have to test the new technology. Still, it's comforting to know that it's there.

On the speed side, the 1.67Ghz G4 CPU is 11% faster and the 100GB 5400RPM hard drive is 29% faster as well as 25% larger. The SuperDrive at 8x is also faster. The new PowerBooks have the faster Bluetooth v2.0 wireless specification even though there are no 2.0 accessories at present. They will come.

So how fast is it? To find out, we ran our standard suite of tests on our current 1.5GHz 17" PowerBook G4 and on our new 1.67GHz model, both running the newly released version of Mac OS X, 10.3.8. Using 10.3.8 makes the comparison fairer since the new 1.67GHz models shipped with a late version of 10.3.7 that appears to have included the new graphics drivers contained in 10.3.8. Our speed tests include several "canned" benchmark applications and several so-called "real world" tests all of which can be easily run on anyone's computer for comparison.

Here are the results:

The new PowerBook's faster G4 CPU and hard drive combine to provide fairly significant speed increases almost across the board. The only surprise to us is the lack of any speed increase in running the 3D game Quake III Arena. As an aside, shutdown takes longer than usual because we have FileVault enabled on our PowerBooks. At shutdown, FileVault checks the encrypted drive image for disk space that can be reclaimed.

In summary, Apple's new 1.67GHz 17" PowerBook G4 delivers a significant increase in speed and features, all for $100 less than its 1.5 GHz predecessor. The new model's faster 8x SuperDrive, a feature not tested, will certainly provide faster DVD burns with the right media than the previous model. With its new features, speed increase and lower price, Apple's newest top-end 17" PowerBook G4 is well worth a trade up for power users. [Bill Fox]

[2/14] Free Envision Web Show of the Week--Happy Valentines Day! This week's timely Envision Web Show of the Week features a number of animated Valentine's Day cards from dgreetings.com. The Envision Web Show of the Week can be downloaded from the Show of the Week web site. Please be sure you are running Envision 1.1. to view this show. Previous Shows of the Week are available in the Show of the Week archive. [Bill Fox]

[2/14] File Your Income Tax Return Free Online: Apparently, if one first goes to the IRS web site and clicks on the File Free Alliance link, then all of the major tax preparation software companies offer web-based tax software and e-filing for free according to this PC World article. By doing so, one avoids the usual $30 TaxCut fee, $20 TurboTax fee and the $8 TaxAct fee. [Dana Baggett]

[2/14] Interesting Spam-Stopping Idea--The Digital Penny Black Stamp: In 1840, the British General Post Office transferred the cost of mail delivery from the recipient to the sender by introducing the pre-paid postage stamp called the Penny Black. We all know that spam (or unsolicited commercial email) exists because it costs virtually nothing to send out billions of spam messages. It costs the recipient a lot as measured by the time having to deal with it and occasionally as money lost because of a lost opportunity or a crossed-up client due to an error made in dealing with all the spam. This New York Times article describes a way of instituting a cost to send email that would only affect very large volumes of email--the cost, rather ironically, is in time to the sender. The Penny Black Project has developed a way to "stamp" email that has gone through a time consuming process, say 10 seconds, before it is sent. The recipient server simply determines if the "stamp" exists and dis