Speed of Doom 3 on Three Macs (frames/sec)*

	Mac
Settings	2GHz iMac Core Duo	2GHz iMac G5 (Rev.B)	Power Mac G5 Quad
.
MQ	65	38	-
HQ	51	-	53

*Average of three runs following first run. Red is faster.

The iMac Core Duo may be a real screamer when it comes to 3D OpenGL games running natively. It is 71 per cent faster at running Doom 3 than our iMac G5. The iMac Core Duo falls only 2 fps short of the Power Mac G5 Quad's performance. So far, Doom 3 is the only game we've benchmarked that has been upgraded with universal binaries. In addition, the Doom 3 scores are highly dependent on the graphics card installed and the ATI X1600 with 256MB VRAM in the iMac Core Duo is better than the ATI 9600 with 128MB VRAM in the iMac G5. It may be as good as the Nvidia GeForce 6600 with 256MB VRAM in the Quad but we also got 52 fps in a dual 2.5 GHz Power Mac G5 with a better Nvidia GeForce 6800 Ultra with 256MB VRAM.

We'll withhold judgement until we see more results but the future of Mac gaming is looking very speedy! [Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]

[2/27] Hands-On Review--Adobe's New Photoshop Elements 4.0 for the Mac: Adobe announced today the release of Photoshop Elements 4.0 for the Mac, catching up in version number to the Windows edition. If Adobe's web pages have not been updated when you see this review, they will be soon.

We have used Photoshop Elements (PE) to produce images we post on Macs Only! and for re-touching our digital photos since version 1.0 replaced the mostly free Adobe PhotoDeluxe a number of years ago. PE is Adobe's reduced set version of Adobe Photoshop so it is primarily for consumers but also for professionals who work with digital images and do not need the fabulous feature set found in its bigger and more expensive fully professional sibling.

This review is based on a pre-release copy that we have used for several weeks. The only thing missing from the review copy is the new PE 4.0 Help file. PE 4.0 is a Power PC application, not a universal binary, so it will not run natively on MacIntels.

Each version of PE since 1.0 has picked up more of Photoshop's features and has become more Photoshop-like in its use. The shift between versions 2.0 and 3.0 was quite pronounced in our experience. While a load of Photoshop features were added, perhaps to stay ahead of Apple's iPhoto, PE 3.0 also lost some of the ease of use and simplicity of PhotoDeluxe that we enjoyed in prior versions. PE 4.0 also adds some terrific new features but it regains some simplicity of use as well.

Here are the details of the new features:

Magic Selection Brush - Adobe claims the new Magic Selection Brush makes photo correction a snap by taking the pain out of photo selection. So, instead of slow, trial and error outlining and multiple tools, one can just click or brush over the area. The Magic Selection Brush analyzes and selects the rest of the area automatically. There are further options to refine the selection if desired. One just chooses a correction and applies it. Specific parts of a photo can be quickly selected for easy color, lighting, and contrast adjustments.

This is one of the coolest new features. To illustrate it, we used an image of a 2005 Corvette (top). We touched the head and arm of the driver with the magic brush and used the brightness/contrast controls to "remove" him (middle). We also quickly "scribbled" over the Corvette and used the brightness/contrast controls to make the Corvette stand out a little more from the background to make it easier to select. Then, we used the Magic Lasso Tool to select the Corvette with a little fiddling and remove the background (bottom). It took just a few minutes to produce an image that can be pasted and blended into another background.

Skin Tone Adjustment - Adobe claims PE 4.0 makes getting accurate skin tones in a photo fast and easy. There are also advanced controls available for even more precise correction.

This new feature worked particularly well on photos of people that were too green or blue. Those that appeared too red took some fiddling with the tan and blush to get a natural look to our eyes. But in any case, this feature is much easier to use than trying to adjust the hue and saturation to get a good resulting skin tone.

One-click Red Eye Adjustment - In previous versions (and in other applications), one had to click on each eye in a photo that exhibited red eye from a camera flash. In PE 4.0, one simply clicks on the photo anywhere and all of the red eyes are eliminated.

This new feature worked as advertised on our digital photos.

Magic Extractor with Defringe - Adobe states that one can use this tool to easily extract subjects or objects from any photo, with advanced edge defringing, to use them for composites and scrapbooking.

We tested this feature by repeating with the Magic Extractor what we did above with the Corvette using the Magic Lasso Tool. The result was even quicker and easier than using the Magic Lasso Tool. The extracted image is good enough to paste onto a dark background without further work.

Online Printing & Creations - With this feature one can get professional-quality Kodak prints and beautiful hardbound photo books, cards and calendars, delivered directly to one's door. PE 4.0 can also automatically optimize photos for e-mail.

Non-destructive Camera Raw processing with DNG support - PE 4.0 now supports Adobe's Camera Raw plugin so that one can use non-destructive photo processing and fine tune exposure lighting with the raw data from one's digital camera. One can also convert Camera Raw files to the universal Digital Negative (DNG) format for a lifetime of access without worrying about proprietary camera formats. Camera Raw works with over 113 digital cameras.

Adobe Bridge for Elements -- In PE 4.0, Adobe has replaced PE 3.0's file browser with a slimmed-down version of Adobe Bridge that comes with Adobe Creative Suite 2. The "abridged" PE 4.0 Bridge has these features:

• Browse multiple file types -- — Manage, preview, and open JPEGs, Camera Raw, multi-page PDF files and many more in the Adobe Bridge window.
  
• Organize and rename -- Create and rename files and folders individually or in batches.
  
• Full Screen Slide Show -- Quickly review, rate, and label your new digital photos in a full-screen slide show.
  
• Find by Metadata -- Quickly search for all the photos you took with a flash, with a certain shutter speed or f-stop, by the camera make and model, and more. Photoshop Elements 4.0 supports an extensive range of metadata types, including the IPTC set.
  
• Photo captions -- Apply captions to multiple files at the same time.
  
• Keywords -- Easily create and attach keywords for the people, places and events in your life. Then find the photos you want in an instant with a keyword search in Adobe Bridge.
  
• Saved Searches -- Create smart search filters so you can quickly find commonly searched files. Even save your searches as reusable Collections.
  

Unfortunately, we could not try out the PE 4.0 version of Bridge since we have Adobe Creative Suite 2 installed and the full Adobe Bridge application opened instead when we selected "Browse with Bridge" in PE 4.0's File menu. Perhaps this is a bug in our pre-release version, but it's more likely a feature that connects PE 4.0 to Creative Suite 2. We can say that the full version of Bridge is an excellent tool for managing photos and digital images.

In summary, Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 for the Mac is a terrific photo/digital image re-touching application for consumers and professionals alike. Version 4.0 is a significant improvement over version 3.0 and well worth the upgrade price with a long list of new features that work very well. Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 for the Mac can be ordered today for $89 or $69 for an upgrade edition. [Bill Fox]

[2/27] RealPlayer for Mac 10.0 (Build 352) is Out and available for download via MacUpdate.com. According to the Read Me file,

10.0.0.352: Changes since release 10.0.0.331

• Added media type assignment in Preferences (Mac OS X 10.4 and later)
  
• Recently reported security vulnerabilities fixed
  

We downloaded and installed the new version. It's setup offered to use it for QuickTime and AVI files, something new, but we did not check them preferring to use Apple's QuickTime instead. The latest build seem to work fine [Bill Fox]

Speed of Doom 3 on 2 GHz iMac G5 (frames/sec)*

	Doom 3 Version
Run Number	1.1	1.3	1.3revA
.
1	31	29	35
2	33	31	38
3	33	31	38
4	33	31	38

*Default settings. Red is much faster. Blue is much slower.

The results of our re-trial confirm those we previously reported on Tuesday (We reported an average of the last 3 runs because of incomplete pre-cacheing in run 1). The 1.3revA patch significantly increases the performance of Doom 3 on our iMac G5 at the game's default settings, just as we claimed originally.

To be fair, the web site disputing (at least indirectly) our results has largely withdrawn their original claim. It has been replaced with another comment attributed to ATI that there may be a performance increase at low resolutions and that the web site is re-running its tests. We have already demonstrated that, of course, but we look forward to independent confirmation. Such is science--critique leads to better-supported knowledge. [Bill Fox]

[2/23] New Paranoid Android v1.3 "Fixes" Safari Automatic Script Execution Vulnerability and More: We noted yesterday that Secunia.com had reported a new vulnerability in Safari and recommeded that be unchecked in Safari's General preference panel. Paranoid Android v1.3 is free from Unsanity and it fixes the automatic portion of the Safari (and Mail) vulnerability and the general issue with LaunchServices in Mac OS X 10.4.x "Tiger" of which the new vulnerability is a subset. According to Unsanity, here's what's new in version 1.3:

• Paranoid Android can now notify you when a file is launched with a custom application (one other than the default one for the document's file type). This does not affect opening documents from within applications.
  
• Updated to mitigate the recent Safari/LaunchServices exploit described in detail here.

We used Paranoid Android previously after a vulnerability in Widget downloading and installation was discovered and until Apple closed it. We downloaded and installed v1.3 (and v1.5.1 of Unsanity's APE which is required), logged in and out and then tested it on Secunia's demo page. Paranoid Android 1.3 prevented the demo exploit by intercepting the command to open the Terminal.app and asking us if we really expected and wanted that to happen--we clicked "Cancel." [Bill Fox]

[2/23] MacBook Pro Fixit Guide Already Available On Line: Before most initial orders of the MacBook Pro have been filled, iFixit, maker of the revolutionary Fixit Guide series, has posted the first MacBook Pro disassembly instructions and photos. Others have already posted photos of the MacBook Pro's insides but the MacBook Pro disassembly guide contains instructions and high resolution photos of the MacBook's internals, including the Intel Core Duo processor. The MacBook guide complements iFixit's revolutionary do-it-yourself laptop repair manuals, the Fixit Guide Series. Fixit Guides are available for every laptop Apple has made since 1998. All Guides are available free online. [Bill Fox]

[2/23] Apple Revised the Offerings from Two Hot Deals Retailers:

PowerMax has Hot Deals deals on a wide variety of products for your Mac, including the Dr. Bodelin's Laptop Bumpers that greatly reduce heat build-up under your laptop for $14.99; from Mircronet, the MiniMate 80GB Hard Drive designed for the MacMini has built-in USB and FireWire hub for $119.88; the LaCie d2 DVD+/-RW 16x Double Layer FireWire drive with LightScribe come with Toast 7 Titanium for $174.88; extend your Mac's flexibility with the ProScope Kit's 50x USB microscope for $279.00; turn your iPod into a home entertainment center with the DLO HomeDock from Netalog for $79.99; get more from your graphics applications and discover Mac OS X Ink when you attach the Wacom Graphire BlueTooth 6x8 Pen Tablet for $199.88; and much more.

Ramjet has posted Hot Deals exclusive prices on a wide variety of RAM upgrades for your Mac, including; 2GB DDR400 DIMM for the iMac G5 for $273.00; 2GB DDR2-533MHz DIMM for the iMac G5 w/iSight for $349; 1GB SDRAM Kit for PowerMac G4 (Mirror Drive Door) for only $96.00; and more.

[Bill Fox]

[2/23] Tonight on the Tech Night Owl LIVE--Oompa-Loompa, Dr. Mac and Xerox Solid Ink: This week The Tech Night Owl LIVE host Gene Steinberg and his irreverent son and co-host Grayson will feature cutting-edge conversation on a wide range of subjects. You'll hear the latest news about that recently-discovered Oompa-Loompa Mac virus from Intego's David Loomstein and noted author Kirk McElhearn. You'll get an update on the latest goings on in the Mac universe from Bob "Dr. Mac" LeVitus. And Shell Haffner, Product Marketing Manager for Xerox's Office Group, will be on hand to talk about the company's solid ink technology. Tune in the internet radio broadcast tonight from 6:00 to 8:00 PM Pacific, 9:00 to 11:00 PM Eastern. There's live chat plus a subsequent podcast and streaming audio archive. [Bill Fox]

Speed Test--2 GHz iMac G5 (Rev. B) vs 2 GHz iMac Core Duo (average* scores or secs).

Test	20" 2 GHz iMac G5 (Rev. B)	20" 2 GHz iMac Core Duo	% Change
Benchmarks:
AltiVec Fractal	4.8	3.8	-21
Let1kWindowsBloom (sec)	9	12	-33
Cinebench 9.5 - Rendering	275	308/566+	+12/106+
- OpenGL Hardware Lighting	1226	1681	+137
Xbench 1.2 - CPU	84	77	-8
- Threading	55	199	+262
- Memory	64	108	+69
- Quartz Graphics	88	72	-18
- OpenGL Graphics	121	132	+9
- User Interface Graphics	69	19	-72
- Hard Disk	92	92	0
"Real World" Tests:
Startup (sec)	40	29	+52
Shutdown (sec)	7	7	0
Duplicate 500MB folder of files (sec)	62	32	+48
Scroll File in Adobe Reader 7.0.7 (sec)	39	38	+3
Doom 3 1.3A MQ (frames/sec)	38	65	+71

*Average of 3 runs. Red is much faster. Blue is much slower. ⁺Using both cores.

By and large, the 2 GHz iMac Core Duo is much faster than the 2 GHz iMac G5. This is especially true for applications that are multi-threaded, i.e. can take advantage of multiple CPUs. The iMac Core Duo essentially has 2 CPUs. The difference can be seen in the Cinebench 9.5 Rendering test and the Xbench CPU/Threading tests. In the Cinebench test, when using only one core the iMac Core Duo is only 12 per cent faster than the iMac G5 but when using both cores the iMac Core Duo is over twice as fast as the G5. The two are about the same in the Xbench CPU test that uses only one of the Core Duo's cores but the Core Duo is nearly four times as fast in the Threading test using both cores. The Finder in the iMac Core Duo is 48 per cent faster at duplicating a 500MB folder containing twenty 25MB files.

It appears that the iMac Core Duo may be a bit slower in Quartz Graphics than the iMac G5. We know that the User Interface Graphics score is not valid in v1.2 of Xbench because of a bug. Many universal applications launch in a fraction of Dock icon bounce, much faster than their counterparts running on the iMac G5.

The iMac Core Duo may be a real screamer when it comes to 3D OpenGL games running natively. It is 71 per cent faster at running Doom 3 than our iMac G5. So far, Doom 3 is the only game we've benchmarked that has been upgraded with universal binaries so we'll withhold judgement until we see another one but the future of Mac gaming is looking very speedy!

Finally, the iMac Core Duo is no slower running in Rosetta emulation than the iMac G5 while scrolling our test PDF document. It is likely that a future universal binary version of Adobe Reader will out-perform its Power PC counterpart. But other applications will run slower with Rosetta as demonstrated by the results with AltiVec Fractal (the Core Duo does not have an AltiVec engine) and Let1kWindowsBloom. [Dana Baggett & Bill Fox]

[2/22] Apple's iTunes Music Store has FREE Video Pilot Episode of Conviction: Last week it was a NASCAR Daytona 500 Video Preview. This week it is a video of the pilot episode for NBC's Conviction that premiers on March 3:

"Conviction, the latest drama from Dick Wolf, the creator of Law & Order, takes a provocative look at the lives of New York Assistant District Attorneys. Download the pilot episode for free before it premieres on March 3, and get extras like a music video by The Gabe Dixon Band and a behind-the-scenes look at the new drama."

Open iTunes, go to the Music Store and look for the tile at right above and click on it. There are actually 3 free Conviction videos: the pilot episode (43:43), a music video (3:28) and a behind-the-scenes video (3:00).

We don't know if Apple plans to offer a free video every week as it has for songs. [Bill Fox]

[2/22] Heads Up--An Apple Event is Scheduled on February 28: According to MacCentral, Apple will hold a special event at 10 a.m. PT next Tuesday on its Cupertino campus. The invitation contains the words "Come see some fun new products from Apple." We don't know what these fun new products could be but, especially given the performance of our iMac Core Duo, we are hoping that an Intel-based Mac mini Core Duo with improved graphics will be released soon. We'll report on next week's event when it is over. More... [Bill Fox]

[2/22] Safari Automatic Script Execution Vulnerability Announced: If you use Safari as your principal Web browser, as we do, we recommend that you immediately go to the General panel of Safari's preferences and uncheck "Open 'safe' files after downloading." It is possible for someone to sent a malicious script enclosed in a zipped file that will automatically decode, open and run when downloaded. That script could easily cause damage like deleting files but if you don't believe it, go to this Secunia.com Web page and try the demonstration. No malicious script that takes advantage of this vulnerability is known to exist in the wild but it could be just a matter of time. Apple will probably patch Safari shortly but it is still not safe to automatically decode and open files. It's also not safe to manually decode and open compressed files from just any source. [Bill Fox]