tips • Flash 5 guide •

rd ALSO INSIDE: Wo Improve your info-graphics • info-graphics your Improve shops • new Inside Apple’s 10 • Civilization III • FreeHand roundup 8.5 • Projector Director

AKE YOUR OLD MAC TO 500MHZ TO MAC OLD YOUR AKE T G4 UPGRADES G4

pple’s BEST portable yet? pple’s

New iBook tested iBook New A MORE NEWS, MORE REVIEWS 26 sexy LCD screens tested screens 26 sexy LCD Flat-panel displays Flat-panel OS X software applications All new

Flat-panel displays Flat-panel OS X software

White light White light

Macworld JULY 2001 IBOOK TESTED • LCD DISPLAYS • G4 UPGRADE CARDS • OS X APPLICATIONS • PROJECTORS • WORD TIPS read me first Simon Jary Wow! Apple’s actually beaten its editor-in-chief own timetable to get Mac OS X pre-installed on all of its new Macs.

About time 2.0

t Macworld, we often see amazing technologies even been seen by the secret services of the high-tech demonstrated to us by fire-eyed developers. warring factions of the planet Kabbula. They say “Wow!”; we say “Wow!”; we write Bungie was the worst offender. First there was Oni… A about it; you say “Wow!”. Not long after you’ve “Wow!”. Then there was Halo… “Double Wow!”. Several shown the article to someone else, and they’ve said years after we all first looked forward to pretending to “Wow!”, you start writing in and asking when Wow 1.0 be lithe Japanese urban-shooter girls, Oni finally will be available to buy. Then we realize that what we shipped for the Mac. It’s now at least a couple of years just saw wasn’t anywhere near ready to ship. This is the since we imagined ourselves as body-armoured Halo point at which Wow turns to Oww… space troopers, and still we wait. By the time Halo hits Although, occasionally, Apple shipped products way the streets, Steve Jobs will actually have a halo, and our before they were ready (the, ahem, Newton, for great-great-grandkids will have been conscripted to instance), the company used to pre-announce more fight the imperialistic Kabbulan forces somewhere in stuff than it actually shipped. I remember witnessing the ninth galaxy. Bungie’s share price will explode (like “Apple used to demos for Sherlock, most of Mac OS 8 and tons of an over-charged sonic-flashblaster) as thousands of QuickTime features many years before they became a 23rd-century Earthlings rush to play this now quaintly launch a great part of the on-sale operating system. The funny thing historical game on their Red Alsatian neuro-MacPads. new Mac, only was that, after all those dormant years, these features Pre-announcing products like these games isn’t hadn’t changed a bit. They must have just been lying going to do companies such as Bungie any harm, as to make it look around on floppies and Zip disks gathering dust in long as it also actually invents and ships a few things Apple’s R&D laboratories. that people can buy in the meantime. outdated Maybe an absent-minded Apple boffin – his bottom Pre-announcing operating systems and gleaming immediately still smarting from the Newton fiasco – mislaid these new computers could cripple Apple, and very nearly did disks after they were returned from the demos. during the pre-iMac dark days. by showing off “Geoff, where’s that neat new QuickTime wavy Now, Apple should be applauded for largely sticking something it effect everyone loved at Macworld Boston 1995?” to its Mac OS X timetable – and, in late May, actually “Er… well, I think it’s behind the prototype 15th beating it. According to the deadlines, Mac OS X was to invented that anniversary Mac Portable by the water cooler, Frank.” ship as the default operating system “sometime this morning.” Imagine them having to tell the head of software summer”. This scary proposition has been bettered by development that they’d lost search utility Sherlock. Apple’s far-more sensible announcement (see page 21) “I’ve got nothing to find it with, either, now…” that, immediately, all new Macs will ship with OS 9.1 Steve Jobs realized that pre-announcing meant installed as default and OS X as an option. killing off all the stuff you can actually make and sell. Apple may very well be right that it’s now possible Apple used to launch a great new Mac, only to make it to survive on Mac OS X alone. But it’s equally true that, look outdated immediately by showing off something if you do go for it, you’ll be relying heavily on X’s Classic it invented that morning. Steve’s pre-announcements emulation. And there’s only two things slower than mean you won’t be able to buy the latest Mac for a Classic – E4’s interminable daytime coverage of Big month or two – just time for Apple dealers to flog-off Brother and Mac OS X’s own Finder. the remaining inventory at bargain prices. (In the past, Apple could have kept wowing us with Aqua demos Apple used to have to gather all its unsold stock and while waiting to release a faster, more compatible bulldoze it into desert landfills – I kid you not.) update later this year. But that policy would inevitably Pre-announcing then became the preserve of the have affected its Mac-hardware sales, as people waited browser warriors. Every few days, Netscape or for X-loaded systems rather than later having to pay Microsoft would release a new beta of its Web browser. out the extra £99. And software developers have been By the time, say, Netscape 2.5 was officially released, clamouring for Apple to jump-start OS X’s proliferation. everybody was downloading the beta for version 3.0. This early, more flexible move should help everyone. Now, the worst offenders for pre-announcement This isn’t unqualified praise for Apple’s OS X efforts, time-lags are games designers. Following his own however. While we no longer have to wait for X on our show-it-when-it-ships policy, Steve livened up his newly acquired Macs, customers new and old won’t be keynotes by inviting young whippersnappers on stage too happy to be kept waiting and waiting and waiting to blow-up bug-eyed monsters and race alien buggies for perkier X performance. Once that’s achieved, maybe in unbelievable 3D action – extraterrestrial visions of even the still-vociferous anti-X brigade will go “Wow!” in-flight space-blasting so incredible that they hadn’t as well. MW

4 Macworld JUNE 2001 Read more Macworld opinions online (www.macworld.co.uk), and join in the debate. JULY 2001 Contents COVER STORIES

76 All white now Apple’s new iBook is a dream – both in terms of looks and performance.

95 Inside the OS X extras? Get the scoop on five useful applications that come with Apple’s new operating system.

69 83 G4 upgrade cards LCD monitors The latest upgrades Flat panels tested for old Macs compared. and rated. page 6

Macworld JULY 2001 5 CONTACT Editor-in-Chief Simon Jary [email protected] Deputy Editor David Fanning Macworld www.macworld.co.uk JULY 2001 Contents [email protected] News Editor Jonathan Evans [email protected] News Reporter Dominique Fidéle [email protected] NEWS CREATE REVIEWS Managing Editor Sean Ashcroft [email protected] Chief Sub-Editor Woody Phillips Apple says ‘Shop Different’ [email protected] 18 Apple’s friendly retail X free Art Editor James Walker [email protected] on all new Macs Apple is design king Art Director Mandie Johnson X-appeal reels in apps Apple seals [email protected] Demon deal OS X Server goes Aqua Managing Editor/Online Gillian Thompson 52 [email protected] Douglas Adams remembered CD Editor Vic Lennard MHz: myth or reality Card makers’ US Editor Andrew Gore power play iMac memory deal Civ III 50-51 Macromedia FreeHand 10 Contributing editors David Pogue, Deke McClelland, for Mac confirmed Slump dampens 53-55 Macromedia Director 8.5 Franklin Tessler, Bruce Fraser, stores launch Viao SuperDrive Shockwave Studio Christopher Breen, How to: Web How to: graphics Matthew Bath, Peter Cohen, 131 137 57 Matrox RTMac; Adam C Engst, Jim Heid. Use Flash 5 to add A little imagination can PRODUCT NEWS oomph to Web sites. bring dull data to life. Acard Ahard PCI Raid Ultra ATA66 Group Advertising Manager Mustafa Mustafa [email protected] 58-59 Projector round-up: Deputy Advertising Manager Dean Payn 3D authoring ready for OS X Ask C60; [email protected] COMPETITION Display Sales Executive James Poulson 39 JVC’s mini DVP cam Lexmark inkjet Epson EMP-50; [email protected] roll-out NEC projector LCD price war hots Epson EMP-703; Classified Sales Executive Alex Cheesman up Video captured in [email protected] Infocus LP130 Classified Sales Executive Clive Page QuickTime [email protected] Epson Production Manager Sharon Bird printers [email protected] Deputy Production Manager Richard Bailey large it up [email protected] Scanners aid Production Assistant (Ads) Nikki Basten Expression [email protected] Missing manual: Office Q&A Marketing Manager Jo Brown 141 145 [email protected] Get to grips with Word in the Handy Mac tips and readers’ 58 Circulation Manager Jim Birch first part of this Office series. questions answered. 59 Macworld Music Handbook [email protected] Marketing Co-ordinator Kelly Crowley 61 Stomp Click’N Burn; [email protected] NewTek LightWave 6.5 Marketing Assistant Sam French [email protected] 62 Electric Image Amorphium Pro 1.1; Win a trip to New York! EVERY MONTH Publisher Guy Eaton Eovia Amapi 3D 6.0 [email protected] 139 Macworld is offering a three- night break in the Big Apple. Letters David Fanning 64 Epson Photo PC 3100z; Macworld is a publication of IDG Communications, the world's leading IT JVC’s mini DVP cam 10 47 Macromedia University media, research and exposition company. With more than 300 publications Readers vent their spleens Apple needs processor-hungry in 85 countries, read by more than 100 million people each month, IDG is the on OS X and missing iBooks. applications. 66 Aspyr Media’s Escape from Monkey Island world's leading publisher of computer magazines and newspapers, providing the answers buyers need to make purchase decisions. 69-70 G4 upgrade cards tested and rated: 151 BUYER’S GUIDE CD pages Michael Prochak IDG Communications, 99 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8UT. 13 49 Sonnet Encore ZIF G4 400 Tel: 020 7831 9252. Sales fax: 020 7405 0262 Photoshop Elements; Throwing cash at adverts Macworld (UK) is an independent journal not affiliated with Apple Computer. Apple, Spark XL 2.0; Rune; Acrobat won’t solve the IT downturn. and 500 MHz; the Apple logo, Mac, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer. 173-179 Buying a Mac Macworld’s advice for readers Reader 5; MarkScout 2.0 XLR8 Mach Speed G4 ZIF MPe 400; All contents © IDG 2001, except articles adapted from Macworld US buying a G4 Cube, Power Mac G4, iMac, iBook or © Mac Publishing LLC. Internet directory 450 and 500 MHz; ISSN 1356-9503 PowerBook G4. Includes UK’s only benchmark 184 Colour Origination: Lumis Colour Printed by St Ives (Plymouth). Covers scores updated every month. Domain name registration, PowerLogix PowerForce G4 ZIF 450MHz; printed by Hubbards (Sheffield) on paper produced in sustainable forests. hosting and support. Macworld editorial domestic Internet access courtesy of Netscalibur 70 Creative Labs SoundWorks Slim500 (0800 072 0000, www.dircon.net). 181-193 Star Ratings A full listing of our Stock photography courtesy of Cadmium (www.cadmium.com) acclaimed product reviews and group tests Career moves MACWORLD SUBSCRIPTIONS: 01858 435 304 A subscription to Macworld 188 and Training includes 12 issues, 12 CDs and FREE gift (see page 92). for the previous 12 months, with features 70 Subscribe by Direct Debit for just £39.66 UK (Europe £88.97; RoW, £113.98). index and detailed buying advice. Mac-skill courses and jobs. By Post: Macworld Subscriptions, FREEPOST (WC4336), Leicester, LE87 4DE. Subscriptions Fax: 01858 434 958 Phone: 01858 435 304. Web: www.macworld.co.uk/subs/subs.cfm 92 151 Shopping Advice on buying Get a free copy of Studio 194 Andy Ihnatko Macworld’s ABC-audited circulation is 31,640 from mail-order companies. Artist 1.5 with 12 issues Apple should re-enter (July-December 2000).

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKE LAYE COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: And 24 pages of dealer ads. of Macworld. the PDA market.

6 Macworld JULY 2001 Macworld JULY 2001 7 cc: Macworld letters

Your Star Letter wins a copy of Office: 2001, worth £480! We reward the best reader letter with a copy of Microsoft’s Office: 2001 for Mac. This integrated package of business applications includes enhanced versions of the market-leading Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs, as well as the new Entourage – a personal-information manager and email client. Write to: Letters, Macworld, 99 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8UT. Or email [email protected]. Please provide full name and contact details.

Subject: Apple Be missing out Apple should buy Be, which Star Letter: OS 9.1 vs X is teetering on the edge of insolvency. Apple would then our advice on upgrading to Mac OS X was acquire an infusion of top-notch Y spot on. Of course, even though I run a small engineering talent, obtain cool business, I ignored it and purchased a copy of OS X. Be technology to integrate into Just as you found, it’s nice to use and great fun. But OS X, and secure a nice path so many of the bits and pieces that hold daily life together – Subject: Appleless Apple to grow the OS past Windows WebShuttle, scanner, big Epson printer – don’t yet work with it, I’ve just read Fortune 2000. Apple could buy Be even in Classic mode. After a while, you get fed up rebooting to magazine’s (www.fortune.com) for around $40 million – the Mac OS 9.1, and go back to the old system to earn a living. profile of Steve Jobs. The most engineers alone are worth that. I eagerly await the arrival of upgrades of mainstream software fascinating thing is his refusal Dave Zihlman and drivers, and intend to dip back to OS X at regular intervals to to put licence plates on his keep up to date. This is definitely the future. The best decision Apple Mercedes to avoid parking Subject: Imperial or metric made was to enable people like me to switch between systems as tickets. What does this bode Your review in the June issue the world catches up with the advances in OS X. for Apple products of the of the new iBook has its details One of the most exciting things about experimenting with OS X future? An iMac with no OS in pounds and dimensions has been working with new bits of software: OmniWeb is a great installed, so as to avoid crashes? in inches. Isn’t it possible alternative to Microsoft Internet Explorer, and I’m already a big fan A PowerBook with no battery, for someone on your staff to of GraphicConverter. I’m sure I wouldn’t have discovered these so as to avoid startup problems? convert these to metric? I don’t without Mac OS X. Macs with no logo, so as to know many Mac designers still Martin Whitfield avoid pesky customers? Maybe working in inches. I find this the logical outcome of his no- sort of thing as annoying as number-plates tactic is the “color” and “trash”. Apple retail store without a Bill Kocher iTunes would only work on 9.1. Cocoa. However, Cocoa is not name – just a logo. The metric measurements were in the This wonder has been made a programming language, it’s Rob McMinn second paragraph of the preview on possible via a free patch, the set of new OS X APIs that page 21. We do try to include both available from programmers can use to write Subject: Free iBook metric and imperial – we get letters www.WormInTheApple.gr/ their programs. The languages I bought a copy of the June from people who prefer pounds to downloads/index.html. in which you write Cocoa apps 2001 edition of Macworld in kilograms, as well. – ed. Steve Howe are Java or Objective C. WH Smith. The CD was not Martin van Hensbergen on the cover, but I asked a Subject: Crazy weirdness Subject: Aquq flab shop assistant and they How depressing to read Michael Mac OS X’s Aqua interface takes Subject: Doh! Selector fixed this for me. Prochack’s War In NAMM piece up too much room. My 1,024-x- In trying to use the 2000 Issues However, even though the in the March 2001 issue. 768-pixel monitor looks like it’s CD, I can’t access the October magazine boasted “New iBook It was essentially an extended running at 640-x-480, thanks issue from the Issue Selector. If I Inside” on a bright yellow complaint that it’s now “easy” to those drop-shadows, anti- click on the October front cover, sticker, I could find no new for a talentless nobody to get aliased text, and mega-icons. I’m taken to the September iBook. The shop couldn’t help hold of a Mac and start making Have Macintosh users been issue. What can I do?” me on this matter, so I turn to mediocre music. complaining that everything Bob Evans you. Please send my iBook as It’s similarly true that guitars is too small? If I resize the Dock Apologies for this. Despite our checks, soon as possible. and saxophones come with no to the manageable width of the we all missed this error. Will Bramhill talent included. old Control Strip, then the eye- Within the Inside Macworld He declares: “there’s no popping, screen-filling icons folder on this month’s CD, you’ll find Subject: Window of opportunity substitute for being able to become illegible. Where is my a folder entitled ‘letters’. This has two In your review of Mac OS X, play an instrument”. There readable, elegant, single-pixel replacement PDFs. Drag-&-drop the you noted that, like OS X, was a time when this was Geneva 10-point? It’s vanished entire 2000 Issues CD – not just the Windows XP will result in a true. Now, that time has passed. in a fugging fog of blury pixels. contents of the open window – onto similar upheaval for its users. Paul Sellars Pete Farman your hard disk, and replace the Issue However, Windows doesn’t have Selector and Read Me 2nd PDF files the committed fans that the Subject: Retro iTunes Subject: Mind your language with the new ones. You should now Mac OS has. Does Microsoft As I type this, I’m listening to In your OS X feature in June’s be able to access all 12 issues from expect its casual users to learn a radio music via iTunes, on a issue you state that developers last year. You’ll need just over 120MB new OS? I don’t think they will. Umax Apus 3000 running can write native OS X code in a of hard disk space for this. Ross Jelley system 8.6! We were told that programming language called Vic Lennard, Cover CD editor

10 Macworld JULY 2001 Join in the live IT debates on Macworld Online Forum (www.macworld.co.uk/forum). Macworld JULY 2001 Cover CD A 30-day tryout of Adobe Photoshop Elements plus trials of Spark XL 2.0 and MarkzScout 2.0 head up this month’s CD. The latest demos, shareware and updaters are included – plus a stonking demo of Rune! Vic Lennard leads the way… MAIN ITEMS

Photoshop Elements 30-day tryout Adobe Photoshop Elements offers unique features for amateur photographers, hobbyists and business users who want an easy-to-use, yet powerful digital-imaging solution. State-of-the-art image-editing tools and flexible image-capture options let you work with photos taken with digital or traditional cameras, and versatile delivery features enable you to prepare images for print, email, or posting on the Web. Requires a Power Mac with Mac OS 8.6 or later, and 64MB free RAM with virtual memory on.

Spark XL 2.0 7-day trial Spark is a two-track editor with 12 high-quality VST plug-ins plus DeNoiser and DeClicker for audio restoration. Create your own playlists and burn them to CD. Use the crossfade editor for detailed crossfading and fades. Includes cut, paste, pitch shift and time stretching. Requires a Power Mac with Mac OS 8.6 or later and 48MB available RAM.

Rune demo In this section of the full game, assume the role of Ragnar the Viking, mightiest warrior of a bygone age, who doles out justice on the blade of his massive battle-axe. Explore beautiful settings as Ragnar fights his way through stunning kingdoms to an ultimate confrontation with the Acrobat Reader 5 MarkzScout 2.0 trial shadowy warrior-masters View, navigate and print PDF files. Create your own automated of the netherworld. Version 5 saves copies of files workflow. Markzscout is designed Using the same engine downloaded in Web browsers and has to fit into any pre-press operation and as Unreal Tournament, improved usability, drag-&-drop toolbar icons streamline the preflighting process by Rune requires a Power Mac and dynamic thumbnail generation, and detecting problems and then activating with 3D video hardware support for Adobe Illustrator 9.0 graphics other applications to correct them and at least 190MB of that contain transparency. Requires a Power automatically. Includes a new PDF creator available RAM. Check the Mac running Mac OS 8.6 or later. For Mac OS and improved FlightCheck integration. Read Me for more info. X, install in Classic mode but runs as Carbon. Test it out fully for 14 days. page 14

Go toMacworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 13 The CD-ROM on the cover of Macworld is supplied as is, subject to the following terms and conditions. The CD-ROM is provided as a free item to readers of Macworld for their personal use, and may not be resold or copied for distribution. The publisher shall have no liability without limitation for any losses or damage arising from using cover-CD software – or for taking advice from Macworld’s CD trouble- Cover CD shooting point-of-contact – including any loss of profit, damage to equipment or data, interruption of business, or any other damage, direct or accidental. It is strongly recommended that you back-up any programs or data on your hard disk before installing any cover-CD software. If problems occur, it is most likely to be a result of an incompatibility or conflict with other software on your system. Macworld JULY 2001 cannot be held responsible for discontinued offers. This does not affect your statutory rights.

Before you start working your way through the software on our CD, INSTALL go to the System Utilities folder and make sure you install the following:

■ Acrobat Reader 5 ■ StuffIt & RealPlayer ■ System tools & ATM Lite ■ QuickTime 4.1.2 Install this version to be able to read many Version 6.0.1 of StuffIt Expander and DropStuff is The CD also carries the latest version of InternetConfig, Some programs require QuickTime 4.1.2. This can be of the on-screen manuals. included as is the installer for RealPlayer 8. UnZip 5.32 and ATM Lite 4.6.1 (required for Suitcase 9). downloaded from www.apple.com/quicktime/download.

INSIDE MACWORLD

BBEdit 6.1 Download UpdateAgent X AmorphiumPro 1.1 HTML and text editor Deputy Turbo Easy way to update all Intuitive 3D modeller designed for the Download manager the system software, with real-time 2D editing, searching, and accelerator in one control panels, extensions, brushes. Demo gives 24 transformation and package. Create lists applications and utilities hours of actual use. manipulation of text. of files you want on your Mac. Preview. and then downloads Cubase VST 5.0 them later. Shareware. CD CATALOGUE Professional music plus… recording system that Fetch 4.0 DoubleTalk 1.0.1 update Courtesy of Mark Pirri’s superb DiskTracker combines high-resolution User-friendly FTP client Fire.app 0.25.c program, Macworld brings you a searchable MIDI sequencing that allows point-&-click, Extension Overload 5.8.3 catalogue of all our CDs from 1997 to with 16/24-bit audio drag-&-drop file transfers. Ultra Lingua ES-ENG 2001 – over 221,000 files! This will recording. Demo. Works with Mac OS X. Ultra Lingua FR-ENG-MED grow month by month to allow you Fifteen-day trial. VCD Player 1.4.8 to find any file you want, without wearing out your CD-ROM drive. The latest version of DiskTracker (2.1.1) is also included – don’t forget to OS X HEAVEN SERIOUS SOFTWARE includes register if you find our library useful.

OS X Heaven – your monthly one-stop Chaos Master 1.2.1 Andromeda shop for the latest OS X-specific software. Chaos Master delves deeply into Perspective demo Utilities, demos, shareware and games the world of files and their inter- View and manipulate your image – OS X Heaven features the best Carbonized relations. It’s also a utility to help you clean through Andromeda Perspective’s “lens”. goodies for the Mac’s new OS. up your computer’s hard disk. In fact, it’s a This is a unique Photoshop compatible plug- This month there’s 20 shareware collection of utilities that help you manage in that uses a virtual camera in 3D space to utilities including Interarchy 4.1, a powerful your files. Clean out old, duplicate or introduce or enhance depth or perspective and flexible Internet interface, Contact damaged files, update applications with distortions in your images. Features include Keeper X for storing useful contacts, Prefling, help from VersionTracker.com, uninstall 360° rotation of images in any direction, a dockling that allows you to access all unwanted applications and related files, consistent perspective in multiple images or panels of the System Preferences directly and much more. in a string of text characters, and the ability from the Dock, and Mac Toolkit, an easy to This demo allows you to look around the to zoom in/out of an image with ease. use and convenient desktop utilities bar. program, to see how much space you could Use factory presets with a visual interface You’ll also find three carbonized games save, and to see how many unneeded files or create your own. A quick and intuitive including Tic Tac Toe A-GoGo which has you could delete safely. perspective tool. the interesting feature of enabling the Requires Mac OS 8.1 or later and 5MB This demo gives you full access to all computer to cheat. Enjoy! available RAM. features but is save disabled.

page 16

14 Macworld JULY 2001 Go toMacworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. FAULTY COVER CD-ROM? •If your cover disc is broken and you want a replacement CD, please contact Cover CD Kelly Crowley, on 020 7831 9252, or email at [email protected]. •If your cover CD doesn’t seem to work as it should, please check you have read all the instructions on the cover disc pages carefully first. If it still JULY 2001 doesn’t work, then please email Woody Phillips at [email protected].

GAMES WORLD DEMOS & GAMES

As always, Macworld’s Top 10 Shareware Mystery Island II demo Games folder plays host to a range of You are a navy seal serving on interesting offerings. the USS Volarus when your David’s BackGammon now reaches the submarine gets fired upon by an unknown big 4.0. New features include improved skills enemy. The ship is blown to pieces, yet on the computer’s side. Then there’s a couple somehow you manage to survive. Drifting of Yahtzee-style games in Poker Dice 1.0 all night, you wake up in the morning on a and Turtle Dice 2.1 plus the latest version of sandy beach… somewhere. Walking around MacSolitaire. the island you find a strange communications On the strategy side we have Double 2.0.3, panel. There is a message – aliens are the latest demo of Take Away! and an planning to take over the planet and excellent Chinese tiles game in Zador. enslave all human life to mine its resources. Arcaders among you will enjoy Elf Forest There are three power boxes somewhere on and Snake 1.2 while Legendary Lair 1.0.1 the island sending rays up to a translucent gives you an opportunity to put your role- sphere on the top of a mountain. You must playing adventure skills to the test. disable them and destroy the portal. (Top row) David’s BackGammon 4.0 & Zador Requires a Power Mac with (Middle) Legendary Lair 1.0.1 QuickTime 4 and 16MB available RAM. (Bottom) Poker Dice 1.0 ALSO ON THE CD DON’T MISS…

COMMS & INTERNET INFO Amazing Slow Downer 1.06 Pepper 3.6.5 ■ Cool Extras 12 applications including: MP3 Rage 3.3 Quick Rename 2.0 Shockwave Installer CreativePage 2.6.1 Virtual Composer 2.8.2 Rosetta 1.2.0 Latest version of DupliMizer 2.0.1 SwitchRes 2.5.1 Macromedia’s essential HTML-Optimizer 5.0 UTILITIES TaskMenuBar 2.4.1 Web multimedia player. Interarchy 4.1 Seven categories with The Dailies 1.0.6 ProcessGuard 3 NotifyMail 4.0.2 over 30 useful tools for txt2pdf 4.6 View and control all running ATPM 7.05 your Mac including: apps – background as well. EDUCATION WineBook 1.1 UPDATERS Three utilities including: plus seven utilities This month’s dedicated ■ Mac ISPs Language Assistant 2.1.1 for developers updaters folder includes Internet access offers from Abel gratis, AppleOnline & LineOne. QuickTTest 1.5 over 45MB of patches MATHS & SCIENCE to bring many popular ■ FONTS applications bang Netscape/Internet Explorer AltiVec Fractal Carbon up-to-date, including: Complete packages for Netscape 6 (with 6.01 update) and IE 5. AutoCat 3.0.1 Adaptec Toast 4.1.3 OEM clipEdit 2.1.3 BBEdit 6.1 -> 6.1.2 ■ Plus… ConverTable Units 1.7.3 Dreamweaver 4.01 … many thanks to Simon Youngjohns for our CD icons. Six items including: Default Folder 3.1.1 FlightCheck 3.9r9 Atom in a Box 1.0.6 Doublet Scan 3.3.1 LaCie Updater 6.4.1 Four items including: earthbrowser 1.5 DragThing 4.0.2 Norton AntiVirus 5-7 (05/01) FontCat 1.3.5 Periodic Table 2.6.2 Mac Army Knife 2.5.1 Retrospect Extension Upd SHAREWARE SmoothType 2.2.3 SoundJam 2.5.3 Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. SCREENSAVERS Toast Deluxe 4.1.3 It makes fitting your needs easier, as you can try before you GRAPHICS iScreensaver 1.5 Toast Titanium 5.0.1 buy. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee – if you Four items including: Setting Sun 1.6 Virex (05/01) don’t use the product, you don’t pay for it. If you try a Shareware Etchelon Macdoodle 2.2 VirusBarrier (05/01) program and continue using it, you are expected to register. GraphicConverter 4.0.7 SOUND & MUSIC VirusBarrier Updater 1.6 Support shareware authors so that they continue to provide Screen Catcher 2.3.4 Six programs including: OneApp Clean Text 1.2.5 VST FireWire Updater 2.3.1 high-quality programs for the Mac.

16 Macworld JULY 2001 Go toMacworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld News 25 Mac shops to open in US this year

“Branded shops are material to Apple being able to sell more and different Apple says ‘Shop Different’ products to customers”. Needham & Company analyst Charlie Wolf said: “Stores are pple CEO Steve Jobs has “We want to convince people that Macintosh essential if Apple hopes to grow outlined plans to open its installed base of users”. He A a chain of plush Apple is much simpler, richer, and more human” condemned the buying experience computer boutiques across the US. – Steve Jobs, Apple CEO in major computer shops for “We’ll open a new shop every ten Apple customers as “terrible”. days,” promised Jobs, as he took the Reputable US executive’s bible wraps off the first two outlets. Apple Florida and Washington. The third 95 per cent by being where they’re BusinessWeek said: “Given the typical will open 25 shops across the US this store will open by the end of June. already at, locating in high-traffic computer retailer’s disdain for Macs, year – with more in 2002. Jobs revealed that the prototype gathering places: malls, hip streets, Steve Jobs can’t open his string of The first Apple-designed shopping for the stores was constructed in a and lifestyle centres,” Jobs said. “We’re upscale stores quickly enough”. experiences are open now. One is warehouse deep inside Apple’s going to be in top-tier locations.” situated just outside Washington DC Cupertino campus. Store content and Jobs ‘blown away’ at Tysons Corner, McLean, Virginia; design was developed over two years Profit by Christmas Opening day (May 19) saw 7,700 another is in the upmarket Glendale by a stealthily recruited team of Apple Apple’s five per cent “is higher than shoppers turn out between the two Galleria in Glendale, California. executives, led by board member and both BMW’s and Mercedes-Benz’s locations to spend $599,000. Apple’s bold attempt to capture Gap CEO, Millard Drexler (Jobs is also share of the automotive market. It “We are blown away with the consumer mind-share (and credit-card on the board of directors at Gap). The equals 25 million customers around numbers,” said Jobs. “Customers have details) has been public rumour for executive team is led by Apple’s VP of the world using Macs. If only five of told us they love everything about the months. Jobs praised the move as “an merchandise, Ron Johnson – once of those remaining 95 people switch to store – from the knowledgeable sales amazing new way to buy a computer”. giant US discount retail-outlet, Target. Macs, we’ll double our market share,” staff at the Genius Bar to the store’s

PHOTOS BY MACCENTRAL, EXCEPT GENIUS BAR BY LAURA DUNN BY LAURA GENIUS BAR EXCEPT BY MACCENTRAL, PHOTOS “Rather than hear about “We’ve seen a lot of smart people said Jobs. design and unique approach.” Grand opening megahertz and megabytes, customers try their hand at retail and get their Johnson believes the stores will First-day customer, Patrick Apple CEO Steve Jobs minutes can learn and experience what they head handed to them,” Jobs said. attract over 100,000 visitors a week Donohue said: “Customers can see before the opening of the Tysons can do with Macs.” “We don’t want to be one of them, during the Christmas period. Apple’s products in action. Apple has taken a Corner store; a punter receives Stores will open for business so we’ve surrounded ourselves with CFO Fred Anderson affirmed: “We’ll real hands-on approach to selling advice at the store’s Genius Bar; across the US. Four are in Los Angeles, experienced people.” break even by the end of Christmas computers.” you wouldn’t see this at Dixons. with more in: Birmingham, Alabama; Apple wants to increase visibility shopping, and show a slight profit Praising the Genius Bar, graphic Chicago; and Pittsburgh, Minneapolis. and capture market share. Five per next year.” designer Sean Copley said: “It’s a Gap More stores will appear in New York, cent of computer users are Macintosh Analyst reaction remains positive. with Apple products. There’s an Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Connecticut, users. “We’ve got to ‘ambush’ the other AG Edwards analyst Brett Miller said: aesthetic quality to using a Mac. It goes without saying that its store would be the same.” Apple retail staff receive a month’s training in Cupertino, and must have Apple plans friendly great interpersonal skills, said Kathie Calcidise, Apple’s VP retail operations. HARRIS/BWP MEDIA PAUL PHOTOS: KIDS: MACCENTRAL Jobs called Apple’s staff “craftspeople”. Johnson said: “We problem, but Apple must meet sales “We want to convince people that Apple’s retail heaven retail experience want to select great people, train targets. Business Week observes: Macintosh offers a much simpler, From top, and left to right: them well, hire great managers, and “Since PC-retailing gross margins are richer, and more human-centric Opening day at the Apple store rightly designed, well-lit and desktop movies, creating digital provide a great culture.” normally 10 per cent or less, Apple computing experience. We believe in Glendale, California; kids get B spacious, Apple’s big-city prints, and burning custom CDs. As a major venture, Apple faces all has to sell $12 million a year per store that the best way to do this is to somewhere to play, too; an iMac plush corner shops are designed to Kids can explore the latest the traditional problems that beset to pay for the space.” Apple’s open Apple stores right in people’s in the Home zone; PowerBooks in help customers get what they want. educational and gaming titles. retailers. Leasing space in upmarket advantage is that its margins could be neighbourhoods. MW the Pro zone; customers get to try The shops try to capture the essence This section also carries a host of areas is costly. Staff and training cost as high as 30 per cent. Dennis Sellers, Jim Dalrymple, out Apple’s systems with expert of the Macintosh-user experience, third-party “digital-hub extensions”, money. Distribution is less of a Summing up the plan, Jobs said: Jonny Evans, Lauren Dunn help at hand. taking it out of the box and into including MP3 Players, digital the mall. Reflecting this, the front cameras and camcorders, and PDAs. windows of each store mirror store really affected us. Apple stores could the Aquafied Mac OS X desktop. Think Genius UK wants Mac stores ‘immediately’ generate new users – which would be good Ten clearly sectioned areas focus Staffed by experienced Macintosh for everybody.” attention on what using the Mac OS users, the Genius Bar supplies pple won’t discuss plans for international If Apple chooses to bring wholly owned David Shaw, purchasing director for is all about. solutions to customers’ Mac winning software solutions, such peripherals, including printers, A stores. However, the company has said that it’s retail outlets to the UK, what would UK resellers’ onestopapple, agreed that: “Retail stores in the The Product area showcases conundrums. Should a question as iMovie, iTunes and Final Cut Pro. scanners, graphics tablets, cables, “exploring many geographic locations for stores”. reaction be? UK would create more demand for Apple products”. current Macs. This area is split stump the resident genius, then a The Software section stocks paper, ink and other accessories. Macworld’s UK readers would welcome the Mygate’s managing director Maneesh Patel Looking forward, Patel said: “We’d work with into “Home” and “Pro” sections. single call on the hotline rigged up 300 of the best-available Macintosh Not just a showroom, the retail- move – 66 per cent want to see an Apple store told Macworld: “Limited numbers of stores won’t Apple to create similar store environments in the Solutions exists to help customers to Apple HQ provides an immediate solutions, taken from a range therapy stores hold stocks on hand on their street “immediately”. For full details, provide the same service nationally. Resellers UK. Such partnerships may be a way for Apple add value to their Macs, and has four answer, claims Apple. of subjects – including those for so customers can buy what they see www.macworld.co.uk/polls. can provide a full range of products and services to extend its concept beyond US shores.” sub-sections – Movies, Music, Kids The Theater is a presentation small business and Web design. want when they want, according Apple UK is installing what it calls “Apple in places Apple stores don’t reach.” Jobs offers reassurance: “Our strategy isn’t to and Photos. Among other things, area with a ten-foot screen to The Etcetera section hosts a to Apple. MW ecosystems” in carefully chosen stores. These are Patel sees Apple’s stores as physical put our resellers out of business, but to work side these topical zones look at making demonstrate the company’s award- wide assortment of third-party Dominique Fidéle designed to show Apple products in the best light manifestations of the online AppleStore: “Following by side with them. Our stores will help resellers and to visually express Apple’s user experience. initial concerns, we did not find that the online by increasing exposure to the Mac platform.” MW

18 Macworld JULY 2001 For the information as it happens visit Macworld Online Daily News (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the day For the information as it happens visit Macworld Online Daily News (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the day Macworld JULY 2001 19 OS X ships in box; Apple discontinues last CRT Macworld News X for free with all new Macs

pple CEO Steve Jobs surprised Jobs said. pundits and industry insiders Macs without A alike at the Worldwide OS X are still Cost of CD-R Developers Conference (WWDC), available in announcing that Mac OS X will ship Apple’s sales media to rise in-the-box with all Macs from May 21. channels. Jobs also revealed Apple’s plans To compensate, The cost of CD-R-media is to offer an all-LCD flat-panel monitor resellers have set to rise, following last line-up, confirming rumours that been shipped flat- year’s manufacturers’ price its 17-inch CRT (cathode ray tube) pack versions of war. Major manufacturers – monitor will be discontinued. OS X, containing thought to include Memorex, “We don’t have to talk about the the OS X installer- TDK and Verbatim – are future any more. Mac OS X is here CD. While supplies expected to announce price now,” Jobs told the crowd of last, customers increases of up to 350 per developers. “The reception has been will be given cent over the next few so positive that we’ve decided these on the spot weeks. The manufacturing to pre-install it alongside Mac OS 9 when they buy a base for the media has on all Macs. We said we were going Mac. Otherwise, Apple Cinema Display is now £500 shrunk since 1998, when to be pre-installing in July. We are if you bought your Mac after May 21, cheaper, at £1,799, and the 15-inch between 60 to 80 companies going to move that up two months you can download a form from Apple Studio Display is available produced CD-R discs. and are pre-installing today.” www.apple.com/uk/macosx/uptodate/uptodate.html, for £449, a price cut of £130. Production reached 100 New Macs will ship with Mac complete it and send it to Apple, and “Apple is the first company to million discs per company OS 9.1 as the default OS, although the company will post you a copy of move to an all-LCD display line-up per year. This led to Apple’s Dual Boot technology means Mac OS X for free. – the all-digital desktop has finally a severe that “it’s so easy to flip, we think “This will give all our customers arrived,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. worldwide many will,” access to the world’s most advanced “Apple’s complete line of affordable glut of discs. operating system and ensure a ready digital LCD displays are far brighter Industry and lucrative market for Mac OS X and sharper than the CRTs of old.” insiders applications,” said Jobs. “This is a Apple claims its digital displays explained: total commitment on Apple’s part provide crisper images than analogue- “They were and we ask the same from you. driven flat-panel displays. The all- producing The train has left the station.” digital interface produces “sharp, discs with no firm purchase However, low-end Cubes and flicker-free images that need no orders from anybody.” iBooks ship with only 64MB of RAM. adjusting via user controls, such as As the standard gained This is enough to run OS X, but not those required by CRTs”. The displays’ converts, demand increased Classic. Apple recommends 128MB. active-matrix technology provides by up to 84 per cent in 2000. “extraordinary brightness and Manufacturers slashed Apple flat out contrast with no image degradation”. prices to shift their surplus Meanwhile, Apple’s 17-inch CRT Apple has also introduced product, assessed at one has been dumped in favour of a Mac OS X in eight additional billion discs. new 17-inch Studio Display – a digital languages: Swedish, Danish, But now demand is set LCD featuring a 1,280-x-1,024-pixel Norwegian, Finnish, Brazilian- to outstrip supply. Global resolution for £699 (see page 90). Portuguese, Korean, and Traditional sales of CD-R media will Apple also slashed the prices of its and Simplified Chinese. MW reach 4.5 billion this year two digital LCD displays. The 22-inch Jonny Evans alone. MW Apple is design king gong – again pple cleaned-up at the D&AD (British Design director of creative markets for Europe (pictured right A and Art Direction) awards again this year, taking with TV’s Ruby Wax). three top awards in the Products for Work category. D&AD is a professional association and charity D&AD presented four Gold Awards this year; two for that represents the UK’s design and advertising environmental design and architecture, one for ambient communities. Its awards are internationally respected media, and one for Product Design – which Apple in the design and advertising industries as benchmarks picked up for its Pro Mouse. of excellence. Silver awards were presented to Apple for its G4 Last year, Apple won a D&AD Gold Award for its Cube, Pro Speakers and Pro Mouse. Among those Jonathan Ive-designed Cinema Display, while the Power collecting awards for Apple at the ceremony – held at Macintosh G4 and iBook scooped silver awards. MW London’s Earls Court 2 on May 30 – was Oren Ziv, Jonny Evans

Go toMacworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 21 Raft of new software ships to OS X Macworld News X-appeal reels in new apps

pple continues to improve printers are now available as free Mac OS X, with a raft of downloads from the company’s Web A updates released in the past site (www.lexmark-europe.com). month. Among these is Mail Import Hewlett-Packard has also released Script 1.1, which imports messages a set of OS X printer drivers for its from most email applications into PhotoSmart 1000 and 1200 ranges Mail, the Mac OS X email client (for of printers. These drivers replace a review of Mail, see page 98). As we those installed with OS X and are went to press, there was rumour of available from www.hp.com. another imminent full-system OS X Adobe announced at the National update. This follows the release of Association of Broadcasters trade OS X 10.0.3 on May 3. show that an OS X-native version The delay in delivering key QuickTime Streaming Server has of Premiere will be available “in the applications to Apple’s Unix- been updated to version 3.0.1. This summer or autumn of this year”. powered platform has presented adds skip-protection, Web-based Version 5 of Adobe’s Acrobat Reader an opportunity to both smaller administration, improved also now runs natively in OS X – and established developers. authentication and sturdier although Adobe stresses that it has One such developer is the Omni broadcasting support. not been fully tested. Group (www.omnigroup.com), which has Key applications and peripheral- dedicated itself to making “software driver releases are more of a trickle Font of knowledge development fun again”. It calls OS X than a flood. Many vendors are Adobe has announced that it “the most rewarding platform waiting for OS X’s installed user-base will not make its ATM Deluxe font available to develop for”. Its NeXT- to expand, in order to make their manager OS X-native. However, programming background has led development effort worthwhile – Extensis and DiamondSoft do to the release of a slew of products. something particularly true of plan on updating their font- Foremost among these is OmniWeb, publishing developers. management products – Suitcase, which has won much praise for its Office 2001 for OS X from and Font Reserve respectively. graphics rendering (see Reviews, On the CD Microsoft is due in the autumn, Macromedia’s X-compatible Macworld, June 2001). Other Omni ■ BBEdit 6.1 from Bare and many other key players are £279 FreeHand 10 vector-graphics products include OmniGraffle, a Bones Software also waiting until then – expecting an application is available to buy. charting and drawing program, (www.barebones.com) is the increase in demand following Apple’s Features include Master Pages, tighter OmniOutliner, a project manager, first version of the HTML decision to ship OS X with all new integration with Macromedia Flash 5, OmniDiskSweeper, a file manager, and text editor to run Macs from May 21 – two months and the ability to publish both on the and OmniObjectMeter, a developers natively on Mac OS X. ahead of schedule. Web and in print. app. The Omni Group also has FTP support is improved. Microsoft has also released its free FileMaker Pro 5.5, from FileMaker, some free software for download. The application costs 5.1.1 update for Internet Explorer 5.1 offers native support for Mac OS X. Other developers are £99 and is available from Preview, which ships with OS X. This database solution makes full use concentrating on general-purpose Mygate (020 8297 9699). It’s available through Mac OS X’s of Aqua, Mac OS X’s slick new user- software. StimpSoft has released Son ■ Fetch Softworks’ Software Update feature, but interface. This version offers improved of Weather Grok (www.stimpsoft.com/ (www.fetchsoftworks.com) $25 is unavailable on the Web. This Web-publishing features. products/sonofgrok.html). This offers hourly Fetch 4.0 has become update runs with Mac OS X 10.0.3. (www.filemaker.com). updates of temperatures worldwide. the industry-standard app for Makers of third-party peripherals Apple recommends that OS X And Iconata (www.fabricata.com/iconata) is a FTP (File Transfer Protocol). are answering the call from OS X early users frequently run the built-in tool from Fabricata (see below) that Mac OS X-compatible, it adopters for drivers. Lexmark is Software Updates preference to keep customizes icons in OS X. MW uses the Aqua interface delivering on its promise to support up-to-date. There are also are third- By Jonny Evans and Dominique Fidéle and is also compatible OS X – drivers for party solutions that will track down to System 7. its Z53 and Z43 software updates for all installed ■ Insider Software’s series applications. Update Agent X from (www.insidersoftware.com) Insider Software, and TechTracker Pro UpdateAgent X is an OS X. TechTracker is free for a 30-day updater for Mac OS X. It evaluation from www.techtracker.com. can automatically download A beta version of Norton AntiVirus the latest Carbonized 7.0.2 has been released by Symantec. versions of software, and It scans OS X discs for viruses, and holds information for 5,000 is available for a free trial download. products. It costs $9.95 (www.symantec.com). for a single user.

Go toMacworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 23 Macworld News WWDC: Apple makes robust play for networks X-rated Server goes Aqua

pple announced Mac OS X the features of its Mac OS X release, Server, WebObjects 5 and new users also get protected memory, A G4 Power Macintosh server pre-emptive multi-tasking, configurations to developers gathered symmetric multiprocessing, advanced at the company’s Worldwide memory management and full Developer’s Conference (WWDC) implementation of all the latest in May (see page 23). networking and security standards. Java 5 alive Mac OS X Server is now built on Apple is also proud of its built-in pple has announced the true Mac OS X release. Reflecting fault tolerance systems. These have Aversion 5 of WebObjects, Apple’s platform-level shift to a Unix- been developed to automatically its pure Java-based based operating system, it integrates detect and recover from failures in application server for Web a variety of powerful server system services. This means network “Mac OS X Server reboots itself if the publishing and in-house applications. These include the admins can set the server up to enterprise application industry-standard Apache Web Server, reboot itself if the whole system fails, whole system fails, and applies its own development. Its solutions which powers 63 per cent of Web and to apply its own fault-tolerance fault-tolerance diagnostic and repair in can be hosted on any Java- sites, according to Netcraft’s April diagnostic and repair in the event of compatible server. Apple has announced its summer range of 2001 Web Server Survey. Other individual application failures. the event of individual application failure” Apple’s own online G4 servers – the single-processor 533MHz sophisticated OS X Server features The server is also controllable AppleStore is hosted on Power Mac G4, and dual-processor 533MHz include Samba for Windows file remotely. Administrators can change two Mac OS X Servers, Power Mac G4. Both ship with Mac OS X and sharing, WebObjects 5 and QuickTime settings or apply security adjustments sing from the same hymn sheet. OS X let users collaborate over the Web and was constructed using OS X Server installed. Streaming Server 3. The applications’ from wherever they happen to be. Server can support up to 50 clients in the same way some already do WebObjects. Another high- The Macintosh Server G4 with a single cutting-edge features are accessed Apple says the implementation of from one server, with the client Macs over corporate intranets. profile UK client is the BBC, 533MHz processor, 256MB RAM, 60GB hard through Apple’s user-friendly Aqua such fault-tolerance systems also booting up from the server rather It also has a built-in IP filtering which uses the application drive and Mac OS X Server Unlimited Client user interface. reflects the company’s unique ability than their internal drives. Firewall, and is capable of deploying for its online presence. Edition costs £2,099 (ex. VAT). The hardware to offer full integration between its The Macintosh Manager feature a series of IP addresses for a network Built-in tools include features are otherwise identical to those of Power, simplicity, elegance software and hardware. lets administrators create small, – called Dynamic Host Configuration a Project Builder, Direct the 533MHz Power Macintosh. The new iteration integrates all Mac OS X Server will control individual disk images on the server. Protocol or DHCP. This DHCP support to Web and Direct to Java The £2,799 dual 533MHz processor Server the server functions of the previous intranets and internal networks, too. Privileges (such as application access) offers users greater security. for three-tier Web and G4 also offers 256MB RAM, 60GB hard drive version of Mac OS X Server, and It can share files and printers with can be defined for each disk image. Confirming this stress on security, Java applications, and and Mac OS X Server Unlimited Client. adds all the features of AppleShare IP Mac, Windows, Unix and Linux clients Built for use in corporate and Apple announced that it has taken WebObjects Builder, to A souped-up version of this model with and WebObjects 5. and offers a host of useful network educational environments, a seat on CERT (the Computer ATI readies next-gen 3D graphics simplify the design of HTML a 72GB Ultra160 SCSI hard drive, and dual- Apple’s vice president of features. One major advantage of this feature makes it a complete Emergency Response Team ATI, which supplies graphics cards for Apple’s iMacs, iBooks and interfaces. Tools for database channel SCSI card costs £3,849. worldwide product marketing Phil its implementation is the fact that no-brainer to ensure that users saving Co-ordination Center), the Internet PowerBooks has unveiled a new rendering technology called Truform, modelling are also built-in. Apple’s iServices team is offering Mac OS X Schiller claimed: “Mac OS X Server has a Windows user can log on and see work do so to the server, rather than hacking watchdog organization which is supported in OpenGL and designed for future generations of At the heart of the new Server training courses and certification the power of Unix, yet is simple and all devices (printers, for example) to their own hard drives. Whenever funded by the US government. graphics processors. It adds detail to 3D objects, making them look more £492 version 5 is Java 2 programs for system administrators. easy to install, administer and attached to a network. users on the network log in – no Mac OS X Server is available in natural by giving them smoother surfaces with more accurate lighting. Standard Edition version 1.3 All Apple’s server systems ship with four- maintain. It’s Apple’s most powerful The NetBoot feature permits matter from which machine – this both ten and unlimited client In games and computer graphics, 3D images are composed of runtime. Java 2-accredited port ethernet cards so the servers can serve up server ever and can integrate with users to create a single image of the feature means they will see their varieties. The ten-Client edition costs triangles. The more triangles, the higher the level of detail and realism. servers include Mac OS X different sites on different ports over different Mac, Windows and Unix networks.” operating system accessible by client own desktop and files. £339 (ex. VAT), while the unlimited However, adding triangles takes time, effort, memory, and bus bandwidth. Server, Solaris 8 and connections – or multitask as both a mail and Because this version of Apple’s computers on the network. In this client version costs £680. It costs Truform uses a new type of higher-order surface composed of curved Windows 2000 Pro. MW a Web server. Server solution fully implements all way all the Macs on a network can User-friendly Unix £339 to upgrade from the ten-client triangles – PN Triangles, dubbed “N-Patches” by ATI – that permit “We’ve done a great deal of work to the unlimited-client version of surfaces to be generated entirely within the graphics processor. to make the system admin more the solution. MW And it doesn’t require any more bandwidth or memory. user-friendly. We’ve also added the Jonny Evans Apple seals default ISP deal with Demon ability to define access privileges Easy implementation for each user,” said Apple UK’s Stuart What’s more, for existing 3D artwork composed of flat triangles, Truform Harris. “It’s possible for a user to get doesn’t require significant changes but rather enhances those models by pple and Demon have forged a multi-year ISP. Of course, users do not have to choose Demon, all their documents and applications adding triangles within the current form. This makes Truform compatible A alliance that makes Demon the exclusive and can pick any Mac-friendly ISP – including from the server”. with older graphics processors, and therefore easier for software Internet Service provider (ISP) in Apple’s Internet several free services. The Server also offers full support developers to implement in their games. setup software included with all Macs sold in the The deal is Apple’s first outside of the US. for email protocols, including SMTP “N-Patches also allows for a higher level of scalability, meaning the UK. Previously, Apple offered a choice of ISPs at Apple partnered with EarthLink at San Francisco’s (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), number of triangles or polygons in a 3D image can be varied according startup, including BT, Direct Connection and Demon. Macworld Expo 2000 – see Macworld, March 2000. (Internet Message Access Protocol) to the capabilities of the installed graphics hardware,” said Toshi When new users access Apple’s Internet Setup Demon won the ‘Best Overall ISP’ award in Net IMAP and POP (Point of Presence). Okumura, ATI senior product manager of desktop marketing. Software feature they will be directed through Magazine’s June 2001 ISP survey, and is the most These three protocols are used every “N-Patches can take 3D models with low polygon counts and generate setting-up and installing a Demon Internet account. popular ISP for medium-sized businesses, according day to enable email over the Internet. smooth, highly detailed images, affording most users a greatly enhanced Demon’s basic dial-up account costs £11.75 per to a recent Oftel survey. The Server also supports WebDAV. visual experience with no compromise in performance,” added Okumura. month. Apple will make a “substantial amount” from The partners are expected to announce a number This is a set of extensions that enable ATI expects to ship Truform-enabled chips for both PCs and Macs Demon for each customer signing up to the service. of services exclusively for Macintosh users. They collaborative Web publishing and before the end of 2001. And because the company has been working Demon promises a “full range of well-priced revealed that they have been working together for remote-content management. with game developers on Truform since November, ATI expects several services” for Macintosh users. New users will get a four years to create the best “Internet experience” The World Wide Web Consortium games that utilize the new technology to ship around the same time. 30-day free access trial if they select Demon as their for UK Macophiles online. MW hopes that WebDAV will one day Mathew Honan

24 Macworld JULY 2001 Visit Macworld’s Web site for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 25 Macworld News Hitch Hiker’s AppleMaster bought UK’s first Mac

So long, Douglas Macs, the universe and Adams… everything ritish AppleMaster Douglas In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Adams, author of The Hitch the Galaxy, Deep Thought, a B Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy “stupendous supercomputer (HHGG) radio/novel/TV series, died the size of a city block,” suddenly aged 49 on May 11 in requires 7.5 million years California following a heart attack. to answer “the ultimate At the recent Macworld Awards question of life, the universe, ceremony in London, another literary and everything.” Mac fanatic, noted comic and close The answer (42) is pretty friend of Adams, Stephen Fry told close to the number of Macs the audience that he believed himself Douglas Adams has owned. the owner of the third Mac ever Adams used his Macs to purchased in the UK – Douglas Adams experiment with interactive had bought the first two. fiction and online games – Adams described his relationship such as his own, Starship with the Mac as “love at first sight”. Titanic (see right). “It was the first time I came MARK JOHANN We spoke to Adams across a computer that seemed to be during last year’s July designed by someone with a creative New York Macworld Expo. imagination,” he said in an interview Here’s an interview extract: on www.apple.com/applemasters/dadams. MW: Just how many Macs “I’ve been a Macintosh user for as do you currently use? long as there have been Macintoshes, Adams: My main ones are right from the very first one. It was a PowerBook and a G4 with elegantly thought out, intuitive, and a Cinema Display. I have an it was such a pleasure to use that embarrassingly large number you wanted to hug it. It was also years before anyone outside of old Macs: some iMacs, ludicrously slow and underpowered, universities and the American defence a blue-and-white G3. My of course, but that was a small price, dept had ever heard of it,” Fry added. oldest Mac these days is as Butch Cassidy said in the movie, Starship Titanic “He never had the aggression or a 20th Anniversary Mac, to pay for beauty. Macworld Games Room editor Peter Cohen on single-minded ambition to profit from which I want to set up “Most of the people I know Adams’ Starship Titanic: “The game exhibits all the dotcom boom, which he regarded for Internet radio. use Macs, and it feels like we’re the trademark wit and bizarre, surreal situations with tolerant scepticism,” said Fry. MW: Which piece of a privileged minority, though the you’d expect from any Adams opus, with “His Internet was much more than Mac-related paraphernalia odd thing is that, unlike Mercedes’ fantastically detailed surroundings created by a flash travel agency or dating service, can’t you do without? or BMWs, they are not significantly Oscar-winning designers. There’s also a great it was a chance to change the way A: The Cinema Display. It is a more expensive than the competition. cast of characters, including a deranged parrot people thought and advanced.” stupendous piece of kit. I use Why does anybody use anything voiced by Monty Python’s Terry Jones. The game In HHGG, the planet is described Final Draft and Inspiration else?” ruminated Adams. is beautiful to look at, fun to play, entertaining, as “mostly harmless”. Fry said that a lot. And Microsoft Word, and promises dozens of hours of challenge as Adams had once suggested these I suppose. Also, iMovie has Intergalactic satire you unfold all of the game’s mysteries.” words as his epitaph. Now Fry been a bit of a revelation for The author became a household suggests instead the words of Steve me, and I’m working my way name when the quirky cult sci-fi Jobs, Apple CEO: “Insanely great”. up the nursery slopes of novel was turned into a television of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Biological guru and author of Final Cut Pro. series. HHGG, published in 1979 Galaxy movie screenplay, an all new The Selfish Gene Richard Dawkins said: MW: Pick an iMac flavour. after a successful BBC radio series, novel, and a new secret project”. “I have seldom met a more congenial A: Mint. A completely clear was a satirical adventure about spirit. And in modern electronic iMac. An obvious gap in a group of intergalactic travellers. Mostly harmless technology, he was a real expert. the range. It opens with the Earth being “He brought wit to science fiction. Science has lost a friend, literature MW: What was it like destroyed to make way for an His ability to connect cosmic ideas has lost a luminary, Apple Computer making your first iMovie? intergalactic superhighway. It sold with the banal commonplaces of has lost its most eloquent apologist. A: I loved it. I’ve done a more than 14 million copies worldwide. everyday life was unique,” Fry said And I have lost an irreplaceable bunch of iMovies since then It was followed by the sequels The after his friend’s early death. intellectual companion and one as well. In fact, I’m going to Restaurant at the End of the Universe, “Over the past 10 years he of the funniest men I ever met,” have to scrub that software Life, the Universe and Everything, So concentrated less on writing and Dawkins concluded. off my machine soon, or I’ll Long, and Thanks For All the Fish, and more on bridging the cultures of Read thousands of tributes have too much fun and not Mostly Harmless science and the arts in lectures (and leave your own) at do enough work. At the time of his death Adams and broadcasts all over the planet. www.douglasadams.com. MW Interview by Adelia Cellini was working on “the 137th rewrite He spread the word of the Internet Douglas Noel Adams, 1952-2001

26 Macworld JULY 2001 Go to for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld News 733MHz PowerPC G4 vs 1.5GHz Pentium 4 MHz: myth or reality? LAB TEST o to a Macworld Expo keynote speech, and you’re bound to G see a demo that shows a Mac blowing away its Wintel rivals. Apple 1GHz PowerPC execs run an Adobe Photoshop file on machines with the fastest available in ‘late 2001’ PowerPC and Pentium processors: the Mac sprints to the finish line first, IBM’s PowerPC development and the Wintel PC staggers down team aims to develop chips the home stretch like a weekend capable of hitting 1GHz late jogger running a first marathon. this year, aiming to reach Apple’s point is simple: megahertz 2GHz in 2002. Though numbers aren’t everything. Chip this development still architecture is just as important— hangs on the coattails of that’s what helps a PowerPC CPU Intel and AMD, it could offer outperform a faster Pentium chip. significant speed advantages At January’s Macworld Expo, a 733MHz to Apple’s computers. Power Mac G4 finished a Photoshop Intel plans to reach 2GHz test 33 per cent faster than a PC with with its Pentium 4 in 2001’s a 1.5GHz Pentium 4 processor did. third quarter. However, many Does Apple’s example hold up tests prove that despite the in a real-world road race? We ran six on-paper chip-speed-gap, Photoshop 6.0.1 operations on the the performance difference fastest PowerPC and Pentium chips remains slight (see right). we could find: a 733MHz Power Mac IBM’s newest PowerPC G4 and a Gateway Performance chip (code-named Sahara) 1500XL with a 1.5GHz Pentium 4 chip. will be announced later Going up against a P4 chip twice this year, sources say. It will its speed, the G4 more than held its speed advantage that the Mac enjoys account for the PowerPC’s lower be theoretically capable of own. The Mac and the PC performed over a Pentium PC quickly evaporates. Quake III frame rate. Most PCs have 1GHz performance. Reports most of the tasks in about the same Operations in Microsoft Office took a sound card to take the load off the claim Motorola is set to ship time, with the Mac the decisive longer on the G4 – more than three host CPU during game play; the extra a follow-up version of the winner in two tests. times as much time in one case. Only processing demands on Apple Sound current 7450 chip (code- How did a Mac with a 733MHz chip line-by-line scrolling tests in Word Manager sent the Mac’s score even named Apollo) later this year. outperform a 1.5GHz machine? Credit and Excel were faster on the Mac. lower. With Sound Extension turned This will also reach 1GHz, AltiVec, the subprocessor built into The MP3-encoding test is a perfect off, the PowerPC’s scores improved. with 2GHz chips from a G4. It allows the chip to render example of the G4’s worst-case It’s not just marketing spin when Motorola promised in 2002. graphics and perform calculations scenario. Since the Mac version of the Apple says processor speed isn’t the Both IBM and Motorola faster than an ordinary PowerPC CPU. MVP player and encoder hasn’t been only way to determine whether a will be implementing their Adobe designed Photoshop to take optimized for AltiVec, the G4 lags computer will zip through a task. own versions of advanced advantage of AltiVec; hence the Mac’s behind the PC version. (When running But if the other factors involved don’t technologies (for example, speedy performance in Photoshop AltiVec-friendly SoundJam, the favour the Mac, performance will lag IBM’s Silicon-on-Insulator tests. (In April, Adobe announced PowerPC edges out the Pentium.) behind that of a Pentium machine, technology) to build these an optimizing plug-in for the P4.) Architectural differences between megahertz gap or no. MW high-speed PowerPC chips. But try other applications, and the the Mac and Windows platforms Jeffy Milstead & Philip Michaels

More than just megahertz? Macworld Lab’s real-world performance tests

Best results in test. Shorter bars are better (except in Quake III tests, when longer is better Photoshop 6.0.1 (results in seconds)

Gaussian Blur 10 Unsharp Mask 2.3 Resize 50% RGB to CMYK Rotate 0.3 degrees Lighting Effects Total time Power Mac G4/733 5 6 2 14 9 6 42 1.5GHz Pentium 4 PC 7 4 3 23 12 6 55

Microsoft Word 9 (results in seconds) Microsoft Excel 9 (results in seconds) MVP 1.2 (seconds) Quake III (fps) Document scroll Search & Replace Auto-summarize Recalc Document scroll MP3 encode Time demo Power Mac G4/733 17 49 29 36 11 276 82 1.5GHz Pentium 4 PC 51 40 8 22 38 188 126

28 Macworld JULY 2001 Visit Macworld’s Web site for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Upgrades to use OS X as multiprocessor lever Macworld News Card makers in power play

he Macintosh platform’s largest sockets, and you choose how to upgrade-card manufacturers populate them. What’s the difference? T have stepped up their efforts You don’t need a Carrier ZIF MPe, but to double the Mac’s processing power. do need the proper-speed MACh Sonnet Technologies and XLR8 are Velocity G4 MPe. For instance, owners now shipping dual-processor upgrade of beige G3s need the MACh Velocity cards, while PowerLogix continues G4 MPe 66, for this Mac’s 66MHz bus. to develop its own. The upgrades Blue-&-white G3s and non-AGP G4s are designed to take advantage of the with 100MHz busses need the MACh multiprocessing support in Mac OS X. Velocity G4 MPe 100. ZIF processors Sonnet was the first to market, can be added to any empty slot in with its Encore/ST G4 Duet card. This XLR8’s MPe carriers – a key selling £680 card features two 500MHz G4 point. It means old processors can be processors, each with its own 1MB kept, or replaced by an XLR8 G4 MPe of backside cache. Duet works with ZIF upgrade, and then put into a Power Mac G4s with AGP graphics. multiprocessor upgrade. iMac double- It replaces the original processor approach for using ZIFs to upgrade The company is selling double-G4 daughtercard in the Mac, and Macs. The company began labelling processor upgrades, utilizing the memory deal requires no software. It’s also its ZIF upgrades last summer as new technology for both 100MHz Apple has launched a compatible with Mac OS X. multiprocessor-enabled (MPe). and 66MHz bus speeds. A pair of special double-your-memory Sonnet is also looking to Extra connections increase 400MHz G4s costs £845, a dual- promotion for buyers of new develop multiprocessor upgrades production costs, so no ZIF packages 450MHz upgrade costs £925, and iMacs. The memory give- for older Macs. other than XLR8’s have adopted this. the twin-set G4 500MHz MACh away is available from Once XLR8 had its G4 ZIF cards Velocity G4 Mpe costs £1,169. participating dealers only. Sonnet sales joy enabled to serve as multiprocessors, There are drawbacks when using These include most Sonnet is planning OS X-supporting the company had to find a way to put a G3 processor on a non-MP-enabled AppleCentres, the Online multiprocessor products for earlier two CPUs in a single processor-slot G4 in XLR8’s multiprocessor upgrades. Apple Store and most major Zero Insertion Force (ZIF)-based Macs or ZIF socket. XLR8 came up with two XLR8’s director of engineering Chris resellers, who will double (such as blue-&-white G3 machines) methods – each for a different family Cooksey said: “Use a G3 processor in the iMacs’ standard installed and PCI Macs such as the Power Mac of Macs. the empty ZIF socket and you’ll lose RAM. Apple is footing the 8500 and 9500 series. While Sonnet For PCI Macs, such as the 8500 the G4’s AltiVec capabilities that came bill. plans to expand its multiprocessor and 9500, XLR8 created the Carrier ZIF with the multiprocessor upgrade. iMac 400MHz and efforts, XLR8 is already shipping the MPe (£115). This approach attaches to 500MHz models – which first of its ambitious multiprocessor the company’s MACh Carrier G4 MPe Performance boost ship with 64MB of RAM upgrade product line. XLR8 has based upgrade card, which has one ZIF “If you use a non-MP-enabled G4, installed – as well as older its latest upgrade cards on both ZIF- socket and one Light Insertion Force you’ll get AltiVec – the subprocessor iMacs still in the retail processor packaging and the (LIF) socket. LIF is similar to a ZIF, but technology that speeds up certain channels – iMac 350MHz, company’s Carrier ZIF product, to with no lever. You choose what speed applications. But you may also DV and DV Plus – will all be allow for upgrades in a wide variety the G4 in the LIF socket is. You can experience slower performance, upgraded at point of sale of PCI Macs. XLR8 has choose to buy another G4 for the since non-MP-enabled G4s lack the with an extra 64MB of free adopted a modular ZIF socket, or buy the card with extra connections needed for superior RAM. iMac 600MHz SEs, as the ZIF socket empty. performance. That also happens if well as older end-of-line For ZIF-based Macs like you use a G3 and G4 as your two iMac DV SEs, get 128MB of beige G3s, blue-&-white G3s, processors, because the G3 doesn’t extra RAM. and early non-AGP G4s, XLR8 have these connectors.” Apple recommends a offers the MACh Velocity G4 MPe PowerLogix demonstrated its minimum 128MB of RAM upgrade card. This card works first multiprocessor design back to run OS X in Classic mode. much like the MACh Carrier G4 at the Macworld Expo 2000 in San Confirm that your dealer is MPe – it has LIF and ZIF Francisco but hasn’t shipped any supporting this promotion multiprocessor upgrades since. before purchasing your iMac. The company is still working on multiprocessor upgrade cards, says marketing director Robin Sharp-Howdershelt: “We will announce an MP ZIF processor upgrade and a dual- processor upgrade for AGP Macs. However, there will be no MP PCI upgrade, because this will be too pricey.” MW David Read

Go toMacworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 31 Macworld News Games news for the Macintosh world E3: Civ III for Mac confirmed uring E3, the video-game industry’s largest trade show D (held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, May 17-19), Infogrames’ MacSoft division announced that it will ship the long-awaited Civilization III for Mac. Calling Civilization “a standard against which all other strategy games are judged,” MacSoft marketing manager Cindy Swanson said her company is enthusiastic to be publishing the game, and is expecting an equally avid response from Mac players. The game is the latest title to be designed by the legendary Sid Meier. Civilization titles have sold a total of more than four million units to date, a terrifically impressive number by any measure. MacSoft has previously scored success with the Macintosh A new Culture rating (alongside City at bottom of table conversion of Civilization II, military strength and technological The City screen is now on the map. Firaxis’s released in 1996. discoveries) helps players get positive Jeff Briggs says that Civ III keeps more A rival successor to Civilization II outcomes in diplomatic negotiations, info on the map, and so reduces pop-ups: was released by Activision last year. expands borders, and faster “We’re working to make it a seamless, Civilization: Call to Power (reviewed, assimilates conquered cities. continuous experience”. Macworld, March 2000) was not Also in Civ III, barbarians have developed by Sid Meier’s Firaxis their own cities, which “respawn” company, and was generally received in an uncharted area of the map better looking maps, animation with indifferent reviews. Civ III, on the when you destroy them. and graphics. An improved interface other hand, is reported to stick a lot Civilization III is an empire- and new reporting screens will help closer to Civ II’s gameplay, while building strategy game. Players get acclimatize novice players, and expanding its reach and enhancing the opportunity to take on some provide useful info for experienced the arena of combat. of history’s greatest leaders as they Civilization fans. New Wonders of the world try to build a civilization themselves. The title sports customization include: The Great Canal, which Some elements from previous tools and enhanced combat, trade links oceans; and The Internet, Civilization games have remained the and diplomacy features, as well. which promises to boost national same, but the new title sports a new MacSoft hasn’t yet offered a firm science output. graphics engine that will provide release date for the game. MW C’mon, feel Apple pits the GeForce3 Nvidia’s GeForce3 graphics Mac OS X chip is now available through the online Apple Store for £359 (ex. VAT). The against GeForce3 graphics processor (see Macworld, March 2001) 64MB of dedicated graphics Microsoft’s holds over 57 million processing RAM and has a transistors, and can perform 230MHz 128-bit memory more than 800 billion controller. In tests, GeForce3 Xbox at E3 operations per second. shows its prowess – Quake Apple notes that the III runs at 71fps on it, Despite Microsoft’s determination to steal the show to concession to gamers, each Mac was equipped with card “is designed only for against 35fps on the promote its X-box games console, Apple took a booth multi-button USB mice manufactured by Logitech, Power Mac G4 systems with GeForce2 MX. When he at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) last month rather than the Apple Pro Mouse. the new 4X AGP card slot announced the card at to showcase games running on Mac OS X (v10.0.3). Running at 1,024-x-768 resolution and 32-bit (introduced in January Macworld Expo Tokyo, Apple set up a dozen Power Mac G4s equipped colour depth, the Macs returned stable frame rates 2001).” Apple CEO Steve Jobs called with dual-533 MHz processors. The Macs had 512MB of 60 fps or above in enclosed areas of a never-seen- The card will render 3D GeForce3 “the most exciting of RAM and a fresh batch of Apple-made GeForce3 before beta build of Quake 3 Team Arena. MW scenes in real time, carries thing in years”. MW cards driving 15-inch Studio Displays. In an interesting Peter Cohen

32 Macworld JULY 2001 Go to for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld News Business news for the Macintosh world Slump dampens stores launch

month of notable announcements for Apple received a mixed reaction – with consumers and analysts A welcoming the company’s new products and strategies, but the financial community reserving judgement. Despite the successful launch of its retail stores (see pages 18-19) and continued enthusiasm for its titanium PowerBook G4 and revised iBook range, Apple’s share value fell by $4.80 during May. However, Apple remained a favourite with institutional investors, with 69 per cent of trades in May coming from that group. Initial market optimism for the iBook saw Apple stock climb 50 cents per share, but this was tempered by continued uncertainty over the short-term future of the PC industry. As Macworld went to press, IT giant Sun Business Microsystems had issued its own warning, which had impact across the industry. The company warned of sales briefs of $3.8 billion in its first quarter. Analysts had expected ■ Ricoh UK increased its UK $4.42 billion in sales. market share by 7.6 per cent The market message boards are praising Apple for during 1999-2000. Xerox climbed accelerating its product release schedule – with its 3.1 per cent, while Canon fell by hardware announcements staggered throughout the year, 11.1 per cent. Figures come from rather than being concentrated at the US Macworld Expo market analysts, Inforsource. events. Others cite the increasing strength of Linux in the ■ Former CEO of Belgian corporate markets, the perceived weakness of Windows, software vendor Lernout & and the underlying Unix-based networking strengths of Hauspie, Gaston Bastiaens, has Mac OS X. These factors could offer significant opportunity near-term dollar-value target of $29 – well in excess of been arrested in the US and is for Apple in the future, they claim. consensus near-term estimates of $23. Apple stock awaiting extradition to Belgium Analysts AG Edwards upgraded Apple stock to a “Buy”, climbed almost a dollar in response to these predictions. on charges of stock-price following news that the company was opening a chain of However, Salomon Smith Barney analyst Richard manipulation and false retail outlets on May 7. A spokesman for the brokerage Gardner warned that Apple may face inventory problems, accounting. said: “The stores will be about brand equity. If you’re going as new users try to purchase OS X-installed Macs in ■ Palm’s market capitalization to go after consumers, you need to raise awareness and preference to OS 9.1 machines. Apple has moved to fell last month, following a profit generate excitement.” head-off such as situation, with its OS X on-demand warning announcement. Palm Lehman Brothers analyst Dan Niles agreed, saying the strategy (see page 3). Gardner rates Apple stock as has cancelled its merger with company will attract new customers with the move. Niles “Neutral”. “We would not be aggressive buyers of Apple Extended Systems, and is is positive in his outlook for the company, predicting a shares in the mid-$20 range, due to the company’s channel expecting fourth-quarter inventory-management challenges and continued operating losses between consumer demand weakness worldwide,” said Gardner. $170-190 million. Good news for Apple came from Merril Lynch’s mid- ■ HP posted revenues of $11.6 Viao SuperDrive May report. The analysts predicted a significant cut in the billion for the quarter ended April rate of growth for the industry, but forecast a strong 2002. 30. This total compares to $12 ioneer is shipping its DVR-103 to Sony for use in its Research firm IDC predicts a 4.1 per cent year-on-year rise billion in revenue for the same PVaio notebook, sources claim. Sony is the fourth in unit sales of PCs in the current quarter. Analyst Steve period last year. HP saw its manufacturer to take the product, after Apple, Compaq and Fortuna said: “We feel next year could be surprisingly revenue slide 7 per cent year- NEC/Packard Bell. Apple calls the DVR-103 the SuperDrive. strong.” over-year in the US markets. Its It offers both DVD-R and CD-RW capabilities and is Wall Street remains as pragmatic as ever. “I’d love to marketshare in Europe dropped bundled with the 733MHz Power Macs. have a recovery in hand, but I don’t think it is yet,” said 5 per cent. The device is also available as the DVR-A03 for use Tom Sparico, managing director of equities at broker ■ Roxio has completed its by third-party systems integrators and peripheral makers Bengal Partners. “It’s just too soon. We have to digest separation from parent company such as LaCie. This external unit retails for $995. this slowdown process first. Ultimately, it will lay Adaptec, to focus on software To meet rising demand, Pioneer is expanding the groundwork for a very robust recovery.” MW development. Its shares stood significantly its production capacity in China, opening Jonny Evans at $11 as press time. two new plants there this autumn. The company plans ■ Tomb Raider creator Eidos to produce over one million DVD-R/CD-RW drives there is to offer existing shareholders before the end of the fiscal year. new shares at below present For the fiscal year ending March 2002, Pioneer expects market value in a bid to raise its group net-profit to climb 15 per cent to 21 billion yen, $70 million. and group revenues to rise 11 per cent to 720 billion yen. ■ Adobe Systems will shut The company expects sales of core electronics products, down operations in the US and such as DVD players and recorders, plasma-display panels Canada for the week of July 4 and car electronics, to continue growing steadily. MW to help control expenses.

34 Macworld JULY 2001 Go toMacworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Product News

Controlled explosion Cinema 4D XL version 7’s Crystal clear projection ExplosionFX tool can explode Canon has introduced the LV-7105 objects into 3D elements, rather LCD multimedia projector. than flat polygons – both blast It weighs 2.8kg, and has a direction and blast strength are resolution of 1,024-x-768 pixels. controllable. Material settings of It features digital keystone- the application have also been correction and will improved to support blurry accept S-Video signals, reflections and transparencies. as well as those from Artists can adjust parameters, DVD players and games including lighting effects, within consoles. The £2,999 projector will an image-processing application work only with Macs that have a without needing to re-render. VGA or video-mirroring port – such as PowerBooks, iBooks, iMacs and G4s. It needs a £35 Mac adaptor. 3D authoring Canon, 01737 220 406 Absent downloads Ilesa’s Download Deputy version 4.5.3 allows downloads to be queued and scheduled to ready for OS X occur during downtime, by dragging axon Computer is shipping animations can be rendered over networks the link from a Cinema 4D XL version 7 and using PCs or Macs, and the rendering can browser to the utility. If M BodyPaint 3D for Mac OS X. be administrated within a Web browser. the site is busy, the utility The company has made upgrades for BodyPaint 3D is an image-creation tries again later. It can both apps available from www.maxon.net. and -manipulation tool built to integrate automatically expand downloads, Features of version 7 include new with Cinema 4D. Maxon calls it “the disconnect the PPP connection, or rendering effects – such as radiosity and ultimate texturing tool for every 3D shut the Mac down. Version 4.5.3 caustics – which calculate light reflections artist, no matter what modeller is used”. features Proxy/Firewall support, an of reflective or transparent surfaces. Maxon has no plans to surcharge improved scheduler and is more Multipass rendering support has also customers migrating to Apple’s next stable than before. It costs $30. been enhanced. Information calculated generation OS. Owners of a Mac OS 9 Ilesa, www.ilesa.com by the application will be written into version of either application will be Visor’s price cut the image layers. Cinema 4D XL 7 also entitled to a free upgrade to the Mac OS X- Handspring has reduced the price of Seiko pads out Palms features improved Polygon Reduction tools native versions. Maxon Cinema 4D XL 7 its Visor Deluxe handheld computer Seiko has launched its Smartpad – built to help create games and scenery. costs £1,188. BodyPaint 3D costs £408. from £179 to £199. The Visor Deluxe 2e. This £169 A4-sized portfolio 100 pre set Shaders called Smells Demos of both products will be available comes with 8MB of RAM, allowing case opens up to reveal a Like Almonds 2.5 are also built in, and from Maxon. Anyone who purchased you to store up to 12,000 addresses. Palm on the left side can create special effects, such as X-Rays. Cinema 4D XL version 6 between It comes in five colours: ice, graphite, and an A5 pad of Maxon’s Cinema 4D Net, the network- March 22 and June 2001 should blue, orange, and green. Every Visor paper on the right. rendering application, comes as standard. automatically receive a free upgrade Deluxe also comes with a black- The device includes a A three-client licence of this is bundled to version 7. leather case. Smartpad pen, which with each version of 4D XL 7, so that HiSoft, 01825 718 181 Handspring, 020 7309 0134 communicates with the Palm via infrared using a tablet under the notepad. Under the pad is a virtual keypad for inputting data direct to JVC’s mini DVP cam a Palm. Seiko UK, 01628 770 001 JVC has announced the Miniature GR-DVP3/DVP1, which it claims is the world’s smallest digital-video camcorder. The pocket-sized camera uses MiniDV-standard Medicines sans Frontiers tape and an SD Multimedia card to capture still-images and MP3s. UltraLingua has released a pair of It integrates a digital still-camera function, the ability to email video clips in language dictionaries – French- MPEG4 format, and has MP3 sound effects built-in. It also offers 10x optical and English medical terms 100x digital zoom, as well as playback controls. The camera powers up and down and French-Spanish. when the viewfinder or the two-inch high-resolution LCD monitor are opened or The $29 French- closed. Spanish translating The colour bandwidth is almost three times that of analogue video, according dictionary includes over to JVC, and the video camera boasts a CD-quality sound-recording system in either 250,000 indexed terms two-channel, 16-bit sound at 48KHz; or four-channel, 12-bit sound at 32KHz. The and a reverse translation system. camera is equipped with both USB and DV (FireWire) terminals. The $49 French-English Medical Bundled Mac software includes Presto! Mr Photo and Presto! Photo Album. Dictionary includes over 60,000 The camera is available in dark grey and silver, or silver finished models. The DV-out indexed medical and life-science model costs £1,100, while DV-in and -out version is £1,300. The product should ship entries. by early August. UltraLingua, www.ultralingua.com JVC, 020 8208 7654 continues page 40

For the information as it happens visit Macworld Online Daily News (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the day (All prices exclude VAT) Macworld JULY 2001 39 Product News

Apple updates Apple has released a number of Husky voiced International-English updates in Momentum is a new collection recent weeks. These include from PhotoDisc, part of Getty the AppleWorks 6.1.2 Images. This collection has been update for customers assembled to reflect the energy with AppleWorks and movement involved in four 6.1. Apple has also areas of life: expressing, working, released the iTunes designing and playing. It consists Visual Plug-ins of 500 images, which can Software Development be previewed online at Kit (SDK), which contains www.photodisc.com.A printed documentation and sample coding book containing the images is files that will enable developers also available. Pricing depends to create visuals for iTunes 1.1 on use and print run. or later. iMovie 2.0.3 has also Getty Images, 0845 302 1212 been posted. The company has also released Multiple Users 1.4 for OS 9. This fixes some bugs and offers enhanced security and file handling. Apple does Inkjet roll-out not permit third parties, such as Macworld, to carry System exmark has released four inkjet printers – the Z13, Z33, Z43 and Z53 ColorJets. updates. All the above updates All feature Lexmark’s colour printhead technology and have a resolution of up to can be found at L 2,400-x-1,200dpi – except the Z13, which offers a resolution of 1,200-x-1,200dpi. www.macworld..co.uk/updates. Printheads are integrated into the ink cartridge to keep print quality robust, according to Lexmark. Each printhead has 192 nozzles, which produce 2.88 million ink drops per page. Third-party updates All four printers feature a Lexmark-developed paper-feeding system called Accu-Feed. UltraDev and Dreamweaver 4.01 This is a stripped down version of the system developed by the company for use in its These updates significantly speed business-class printers, which virtually eliminates paper jams and misfeeds, claims the performance of Macromedia’s Lexmark. The system supports a range of print media, including envelopes, Web-authoring transparencies, labels and iron-on transfers. applications. All the printers are covered by an on-site exchange warranty. They also offer DoubleTalk 1.0 regionally defined colour tables, reflecting Lexmark’s own research that shows This prevents out colour preferences vary by geographical location. Peer-to-peer networking is of memory errors, also supported in some models. improves the The Z43 offers USB connectivity at up to 12ppm in black, or 6ppm in built-in Help and colour. It ships with Lexmark’s Print Gallery CD, which contains over 100 International Sweet 16 high-definition images from some of the most famous artists and museums language support and fixes The £129 USB Z53 offers print in the world. This printer costs £84. minor bugs in Connectix’s cross- speeds of 16 pages per minute The £67 Z33 reaches print speeds of 9ppm in black and 5ppm in colour and uses platform communication (ppm) in black and 8ppm in exclusively licensed pigmented black ink to deliver laser-quality sharpness. The ink is also application. colour. It also offers double- waterproof and won’t smear. Toast Titanium 5.0.1 sided and multi-page printing Finally, Lexmark’s USB Z13 ColorJet printer is an entry-level printer with a resolution This update adds compatibility (up to 16 reproductions of 1,200-x-1,200dpi at print speeds of 7ppm in black and 4ppm in colour. It costs £50. with iTunes and Disk Burner, per A4 page). Lexmark, 01628 481 500 support for built-in CD-RW- drive copying, and fixes some minor issues with the Apple Super Drive for Roxio’s award- C-1 transport winning CD-authoring application. NEC’s eco MTs The C-1 supports USB BBEdit 6.1.2 updater NEC has released its MT 850 and 1050 series projectors.The MT 850 has for transferring images BBEdit 6.1.2 improves an SVGA (super video graphics array) resolution of 800-x-600 pixels and a to the Mac, and ships compatibility with a variety of FTP brightness of 1,700 ANSI lumens, the MT 1050 offers a brightness of 2,100 with Camedia Master servers, improves its performance ANSI lumens and an XGA (extended graphics array) resolution of 1,024-x-768 software. under Mac OS X, and adds pixels. support for previewing HTML The projectors will cast images from a CompactFlash card. documents in OmniWeb browsers. An energy-saving Eco-mode is built-in, as is the company’s proprietary C-1 mounts on Macs Rebound! 2.0.3 AccuBlend solution, developed to enhance image quality. This file contains an installer for Tools include an integrated laser-pointer, an on-screen cursor, point-&-drag Olympus is introducing the Camedia C-1, a 1.3-megapixel digital Rebound! version 2.0.3 software, electronic zooming, a USB-mouse controlled camera. The £249 camera’s dimensions are 110-x-62-x-34cm. It including the logging system, chalk board, and full remote has a 35mm lens and through-the-lens autofocus, which ensures online help, documentation controls. Keystone correction sharp images, according to Olympus. An ESP-metering system and optional utilities in PDF form. is built-in. takes readings from various points, to determine optimum Iomegaware 3.0 Available now, the MT 850 costs exposure settings. It also has a 2x digital-zoom. This offers the latest support for £3,050; the MT 1050, £4,650. The digital camera – which can be used with Camedia Zip, Jaz, and PocketZip products. NEC, 0208 993 8111 printers – stores pictures on a 64MB SmartMedia card. Olympus, 0800 072 0070 continues page 43

40 Macworld JULY 2001 For the information as it happens visit Macworld Online Daily News (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the day (All prices exclude VAT) Product News

Extension tracker Extension Overload version 5.8 LCD price is a 4,580-item database detailing extensions, Control Panels, Control Strip modules and Contextual Menu items in Mac operating war hots up systems 7 to 9.1. It will enable and disable extensions. The utility contains a he long-expected LCD price war controls (red, green, searchable database of has begun, with NEC-Mitsubishi blue, yellow, magenta system-error codes, T following Apple in announcing and cyan). It’s an 18.1- and generates reports to a series of hefty price cuts across its inch monitor with a help users track extensions LCD range. horizontal and vertical and Control Panels. Registration Tom Martin, director of IBM’s flat panel viewing-angle of 17- costs $20. The demo is free to use monitor programme, predicted significant degrees. The monitor for a two-week evaluation period. price drops in the LCD-monitor market this can be rotated up to 90- Extension Overload, year, during the Stanford Resources Flat degrees to offer portrait www.ExtensionOverload.com Information Displays conference last year. format viewing. It can NEC-Mitsubishi has cut prices across also be separated from Belkin fires off hub the range. Its 15-inch entry level LCD1530V the stand for different Belkin has launched the six-port drops to £368 from £549. Its multimedia applications. The 1850DX FireWire hub. The cross-platform 15-inch – the 1525M – falls to £449 from offers two DVI-I interfaces. peripheral adds six £589, while its 1525X drops by £120 to Maximum resolution is 1,280-x-1,024 Multimedia mogul FireWire ports to any £559. pixels at a refresh rate of 60Hz. It ships The LCD1700M+ 17-inch FireWire-equipped NEC-Mitsubishi has also released its with a three-year warranty and, costs multimedia monitor (above) offers computer. It can be LCD1700M+ 17-inch multimedia monitor. £1,649. a wide 160-degree viewing angle used alone, or This £799 compact monitor measures NEC-Mitsubishi has sliced £400 from with an active display of 33.8-x- docked with other 422-x-451-x-208mm. The company the price of its sRGB-equipped 18-inch 27.3cm. The monitor ships with hubs and costs £68. recommends the monitor runs at a monitor, the LCD1830. This now costs a three-year warranty. The hub is covered by a lifetime resolution of 1,280-x-1,024 pixels at a £899. These monitors will require a warranty. frequency ratio of 60Hz. Macintosh adaptor for Macs with no Belkin, 01604 678 300 Also new from the company comes SVGA port. See page 83 for the LCD1850DX, which offers six-colour NEC-Mitsubishi, 0870 1201 160 Macworld’s test results. Video-CD player updated VCD Player version 1.4.8 plays video-CDs on Macs with full- screen MPEG playback. It features configurable Mobile projector ships options to control sound and playback, Mitsubishi Electric has released its £4,500 LVP-X390U portable display projector. and tracks are The projector weighs 6.7kg and measures 299-x-133-x-367mm. It hosts selectable, like a a 2W stereo output, and supports up to 16 million colours at an XGA (Extended conventional audio CD player. Graphics Array) image resolution of 1,024-x-768 pixels. The LVP-X390U offers It supports multiple monitors. The a 400:1 contrast ratio, and has a brightness of 2,200 ANSI lumens. unregistered version plays It also includes digital keystone-correction of up to 15 degrees. The projector for five minutes at a time. offers a point-&-zoom function that magnifies any part of the picture for sharper Registration is $10. viewing. It also offers a picture-in-picture (PiP) feature, so two images from Jonny Lee, www.jonnylee.com different sources can be shown together on the same projection. The digital zoom will expand any part of the image to fill the screen, retaining the original Natural colour DiskLock security fillip image as a PiP. The LVP-X390U features DiskLock 4.6.5 supports Mac The projector supports PAL, SECAM, NTSC, component DVD and HDTV. Mitsubishi’s Natural Colour Matrix, operating systems up to and Mitsubishi Electric, 01707 278 684 which controls six colour-signals. including OS 9.1. It offers high- level security for data on a Mac, using encryption technology rather than a password key. DiskLock can Video captured in QuickTime instantly lock data to protect it from prying eyes. It supports yVideo is a USB-based video-capture and -output solution from Eskape Labs. It will multiple-user profiles, offering M capture motion JPEG movies from any analogue-video source to digitally edit on a Mac, different levels of access – an and for later output to any analogue VCR or monitor. It will capture QuickTime movies from S-Video administration package is also Motion video or Composite video sources, and will capture and playback at full speed (PAL 25fps; NTSC 30fps). available. Folders can be protected MyVideo captures and outputs MyVideo is compatible with iMac, iBook, PowerBook, blue-&-white G3 Power Macs and all G4 with a single click by DiskLock, video to analogue monitors. It Power Macs. It handles audio too, and ships with a selection of desktop-video software and Eskape which loads before the system comes with composite-video TVs own video-capture software. It costs £170. software. It costs £69. audio cables. Hauppauge, 020 7378 1997 Computers Unlimited, 020 8358 5858

continues page 44

For the information as it happens visit Macworld Online Daily News (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the day (All prices exclude VAT) Macworld JULY 2001 43 Product News

CDs & books Epson printers Illustrator book Wows Peachpit Press has updated its Illustrator 9 Wow! Book. It’s designed to help beginners and large it up advanced users in the use of Adobe’s vector-design tool. Quick times pson has launched its Stylus Pro 10000 and the It includes step-by- Epson’s 10000CF (right) uses a Stylus Pro 10000CF wide-format printers. Each step instructions, Photo Accelerator module, which E uses a different ink – QuickDry Dye-based ink, examples of work, the company claims will make which dries “in 10 milliseconds, and ColorFast Pigment- and a CD-ROM printing up to 2.5 times quicker. based ink, which “last 100 years”, respectively. Both six- containing brushes, colour printers support A3 to BO+ (40-x-94 inch) sized demos and other Illustrator media. They have a resolution of 1,440dpi, and a speed add-ons. The book costs of 20 square metres per hour. £37.99. A new Micro Piezo print head features 180 nozzles Pearson Education, 020 7447 2000 for each colour, to improve print speed and control over dot size, shape and placement. Data transmission has Maths education boon also been speeded up. The Auto Print Head Optimization System will Sherston has released Display identify blocked nozzles four seconds before a print instruction is executed. It Yourself Numeracy and Hide The Stylus Pro 10000 hosts a number of enhancements for the computer assisted and Reveal Random numbers. design (CAD) markets. Additionally, an Epson Stylus RIP Designer XL is available to improve The educational CD-ROMs images. The USB Stylus Pro 10000 costs £7,495, while the 10000CF costs £7,995. explain mathematical concepts, Epson, 0800 220 546 and develop logical thinking. They cost £31 each, and have a full screen mode. Sherston Software, 01666 843 200 Scanners aid Expression Dummed-down video Epson’s new 48-bit Expression 1680 and The scanners offer USB, FireWire and SCSI IDG has released Digital Video 1680 Pro scanners both offer an output of connectivity. The bundled software includes for Dummies, its guide for 1,600-x-3,200dpi, and can recognize 280 Adobe Photoshop LE, Epson Twain Pro 2, Xerox novice filmmakers. It details trillion colours. The 1680 can scan an 8.5- Textbridge Classic, Presto! and Scan Server camcorder choice, software, Clearly read x-11-inch photo in less than 23 seconds at software. The 1680 costs £649 and the 1680 planning, shooting The Expression 1680 Pro 300dpi, Epson claims. It will scan a 35mm Pro is £859. and mixing. The ships with a transparency unit. slide at 1,600dpi in “less than 65 seconds”. Epson, 0800 220 546 title ships with a free CD-ROM, and costs £19.99. IDG titles are available Grand Central Pro updated at up to 30 per cent off direct from Hermstedt will release Grand Central Pro 3.0 file-transfer Macworlds’ reader offers software in August. Version 3.0 will be Carbonized for department. www.macworld.co.uk/ Mac OS X, and offer peer-to-peer data transfer using readeroffers. Internet Protocol (IP) through a choice of analogue, Macworld, 020 7831 9252 ISDN and xDSL line connections. Its Multi-Homing function offers more security settings for IP and ISDN Biological imperative file-transfer servers. Rickitt Educational Media has The Grand Central Pro file CarryOne on case introduced three interactive- server keeps the connection learning titles for secondary for external file transfers enticular Products has released the schools biology. The £49 titles separate from the internal L OneTouch and CarryOne CD storage devices. are: Biomes; Flowering Plants; ethernet. This minimizes the Inspired by Apple’s range of colourful hardware, and Non-Flowering Plants. The risk of unauthorized external such as the iMac, the OneTouch CD-storage company has also released access to the company’s box is made of translucent plastic. It costs £22 nine new chemistry titles – network. (inc VAT) and will hold 60 CDs in three separate including Atomic Structure and Other features include sections. CarryOne is a zip around polypropylene Properties of Acids, Bases and encrypted transfer for high- shell. Priced at £5, it stores either 24 CDs or Salts. The chemistry titles start data security, a Suspend and holds a CD player and a few CDs. at £79. The tutorials are Resume function and group Both products are available in Graphite, designed to complement sending. Grand Central Pro 3.0 Tangerine, Lime, Grape, Pink and Blue. The CD commonly used science text will cost £399. An upgrade sleeves are made from breathable, non-scratch, books. from version 2.x to 3.0 will non-woven material. REM, 01458 254 700 cost £99. Lenticular Products 01666 840 888 Hermstedt, 020 7242 4060

44 Macworld JULY 2001 For the information as it happens visit Macworld Online Daily News (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the day (All prices exclude VAT) David Fanning

If Apple is to sell more-powerful machines, it needs more processor-intensive applications

Nutty processors

have said this before, but it looks like computers a video card stolen from Area 51? Wrong again, are fast enough already – at least for the average it was on a PowerBook G4 – other than a stack person doing word processing and maybe of memory (I’m guessing), it was bog standard. I some graphics. So what is next for Apple? Even I saw similarly amazing stuff at a demo of an iBook can edit DV movies without skipping a beat. LightWave 6.5, where creating rushing-water Well, Apple needs to find more processor-intensive scenes or realistic smoke was just as amazing. tasks for people to do. But if you can already do Before you all rush out and buy Maya or digital video, what else is there? We need to look LightWave, you need to know that this demo was to what people are doing at the high end to get done by a professional. Mere mortals like us will a clue. need to learn some pretty complex things before Just about the most taxing thing you can ask we get to do that cool stuff. However, Maya is a computer to do is render 3D images, especially getting easier and easier to use. It has gone from “Simply when making animations. I’m not talking about an application that required some pretty hard-core games rendering such as Quake or Tomb Raider. programming and modelling skills, to one where combine That stuff is rendered on the fly by video cards, sliders are now being introduced to save endless realistic which are getting faster and faster. I’m talking about co-ordinate typing. animations that take a while to render, such as Toy The fact of the matter is that you still won’t learn characters with Story or the new computer animated movie Final Maya or LightWave in an afternoon. In fact they are so convincing AI, Fantasy (out this summer). This stuff isn’t rendered complex, it might take years. However, the technology live. It takes render farms weeks to get the amazing is there, and it’s getting easier to use. In five or ten and they’ll footage that makes a computer generated movie. So, years your kids might be using a descendant of Maya make their perhaps the next time you upgrade your Mac, it’ll be to make scenes for Barbie in their own soap opera, or so you can render 3D graphics on your PowerBook. decapitating Jar-Jar Binks in their own remake of Star own movie. You may be thinking that this stuff is totally pie Wars. The power is here already, so only the interface That should in the sky, but a couple of things I’ve stumbled across needs simplifying. have convinced me otherwise. Artificial intelligence (AI) is still creeping along, but keep your A few weeks ago, I saw a demo of Maya – the given ten years and practically unlimited computing iBook G6 animation software from Alias|Wavefront that’s power, who knows what might be possible. Given coming to Mac OS X this summer. What I saw the ultra-realistic characters of the forthcoming warm.” took my breath away. Final Fantasy movie, you may not need to re-write Part of the demo involved a blue rectangle that Star Wars. Simply combine the realistic characters could be viewed from any angle as the camera was with convincing AI, and they will make their own spun around. It got more interesting when an electric movie. That should keep your iBook G6 warm. fan was introduced to the scene. As the direction of This is one possible scenario for what might the fan changed, it started to blow on the blue square. lurk on a future iBook. It might seem fantastic, Rather than being inanimate, the rectangle but it really isn’t far beyond our reach – we’ll represented a hanging sheet of blue silk. As the fan have problems distinguishing real and animated was pointed at the sheet, it billowed just like clothes characters quite soon. on a washing line. The camera spun around to capture Of course, the driving force will be whatever the movement from every angle. I had no idea such people want to do with the new-found power incredible things were possible – especially as this of computers. If the past is anything to go by, wasn’t a rendered scene, every aspect was being the porn industry is likely to come up with the calculated live. You could control the fan by moving next killer application. But, it isn’t impossible for the mouse, and you could spin around the scene the games industry to come up with something while waving the fan around. cool. I’m sure they can do better than Furbies. This is amazing, but it doesn’t stop there. Was I I’d be interested to know what other applications watching the demo on a tricked-out SGI workstation you think might be used to soak up the glut with a dozen liquid-cooled processors? No. So it must of processing power. If you have any good ideas, have been a secret multiprocessor gigahertz Mac with let me know at [email protected]. MW

Read more Macworld opinions online (www.macworld.co.uk), and join in the debate. Macworld JULY 2001 47 Michael Prochak Spending money on vague adverts when money is tight is stupid

I don’t understand s the Counting Crows song says, we all doing it? Well, HP, rather like Apple, considers want to be big, big stars, yeah... but we it has a very strong consumer channel – and is got different reasons for that. Out in our reportedly using this as the reason behind its current A “everybody I know who is right always agrees advertising. However, CA and EMC in particular don’t with me” world, it’s comforting to know that for the really focus on the consumer market, and IBM’s most part, no one bothers to question just what those e-business advertisements are clearly aimed at large reasons are. Well, at least not in public. And now that companies. So, the same reasoning can’t possibly the media-fuelled angst and urgency of the election apply. What appears to be happening in all of these circus has reverted to more mundane and traditional scenarios is that these huge corporations are trying grounds – such as fear, greed and vengeance – the to build their own Coca-Cola-style brand recognition blizzard of news, lies and thick advertising are in the market-place. All of these organizations have gradually receding to their normal subliminal level of extensive marketing budgets, and it’s often the case incomprehensible soporific background noise. But it’s that in an economic downturn – which we’re in, in OK... bullshit makes the flowers grow, so it must be case you haven’t noticed – many big companies get beautiful. desperate and spend even more. Although it’s “Like Speaking of advertising, somebody once said probably not a realistic expectation of any of the politicians or that they knew that half their advertising budget current crop of advertisers – CA, EMC, HP, or IBM was wasted... the problem was, they didn’t know – that this television marketing will result in a celebrities, which half. When it comes to advertising, or real life telephone call the following morning from the CEO computer for that matter, essentially all statements are true in or CTO of a large company requesting a visit from a some sense. However, they’re also false in some sense, salesperson or account manager, there is some vague companies meaningless in some sense, true and false in some hope that these messages – plus the perception that want to be big sense, true and meaningless in some sense, false IT is a major contributing factor to profitability – will and meaningless in some sense, and true and false eventually up their turnover. stars, and and meaningless in some sense. In the world of Unfortunately, according to a recent Butler Group adverts give advertising, common sense is what tells you that survey, there is absolutely no correlation between IT the world is flat. spending and profits. And, despite the media-driven them some As you’ve probably noticed, Apple has just hype, technology has been hideously over-valued by semblance of launched two new iBook TV commercials to companies involved in an IT “arms race” that has no accompany their existing back catalogue of iMac direct relation to company profits. an on-screen and titanium PowerBook adverts. As usual, Apple According to the report, spending money on IT persona” is sharply targeting the consumer/business/ guarantees absolutely nothing, and the absence of ‘is there anyone out there’ market, and probably a demonstrable relationship between profitability doing a splendid job of wasting both halves of its and IT spending should be seen as evidence that advertising budget. But strangely enough, on UK other influences – such as strategic advantages, terrestrial television, there’s been a rash of similarly competitive positioning and leadership’s effects vague advertisements for highly unlikely companies – are likely to be more decisive than information like EMC, Hewlett-Packard, Computer Associates technologies. (CA), and IBM. And apart from speculating which One might construe from this information that half of the advertising budget they’re wasting, one if spending money on IT guarantees nothing, vague, does wonder why these companies – usually targeted undifferentiated advertising of IT companies on fairly and squarely at the upper echelons of the IT TV probably guarantees even less. industry, and specifically at the decision-makers – are Like politicians, celebrities or pig farmers, even advertising to the great unwashed public in general? computer companies want to be big stars, and Traditionally, advertising on television involves adverts do give them some semblance of an on- specific consumer products. So, to the unilluminated, screen persona. Personally, I think some of these, the move of the aforementioned companies into this particularly the IBM and Apple adverts, are quite mucky medium is breaking relatively new ground – clever and entertaining. But, they’re still not getting particularly in the UK. So why, you may ask, are they the products noticed. MW

Read more Macworld opinions online (www.macworld.co.uk), and join in the debate. Macworld JULY 2001 49 Macworld Rating Macworld reviews ★★★★★/9.0-10.0 = OUTSTANDING ★★★★/7.0-8.9 = VERY GOOD ★★★/5.0-6.9 = GOOD ★★/3.0-4.9 = FLAWED ★/0-2.9 = UNACCEPTABLE

multiple copies of a graphic. In FreeHand Limited use OS X-ready Illustration and layout application 10, this has been renamed the Library Contour gradients aren’t always panel to reflect its wider use beyond just successful. In practice, they are FreeHand 10 graphic objects. The Library is now the easy to create, but very difficult to Publisher: Macromedia www.macromedia.com/uk place where you manage symbols, styles, make useful. They can produce Distributor: Computers Unlimited (020 8358 5857) brushes, Master Pages and so on. It’s some interesting neon effects, Pros: Stable Mac OS X performance; master pages; live previewing of basic Flash especially handy since it retains the gradient drop shadows and the triggers. thumbnail preview pane above the list like, and also do some nice things Cons: Brush Strokes no match for Adobe Illustrator; not a feature-packed upgrade. of names, so you can always pick out with text once you’ve converted it Minimum specs: Mac OS 8.6 or Mac OS X; 32MB available RAM; 70MB hard- the right Master Page by sight, even to outlines. However, it can make disk space; Web browser (Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer 4.0); 800-x-600 if you forget which name you gave it. your artwork look rubbish, so use colour display; CD-ROM drive. For graphics use alone, the Library it with care. It’s still a long way Price: £279; upgrade from previous versions, £99 (both prices exclude VAT). Star Rating: ★★★★/8.7 panel is still a great time-saver. If a behind Illustrator’s freeform particular graphic is supposed to appear Gradient Mesh. several times throughout a multipage layout, you can simply drag-&-drop it his time last year, Macromedia from the Library panel onto your pages. wanted you to forget its print- They all maintain a link back to the T design past, and instead think of it original stored symbol, even after as wholly Web-focused. Today, a similar moderate editing – so if you subsequently claim would be commercial suicide. Master time change the symbol, all linked instances FreeHand 10’s final big new feature offers mostly a bunch of tweaks and Shrewdly, however, Macromedia never Make the most of multipage designs, for Web and multimedia, by setting up Master Pages, saving are automatically updated to suit. In this is known as Brush Strokes. These let shortcuts – albeit quite a lot of them. burnt its bridges and continues to publish you considerable time on repeated elements. sense, it’s like Find & Replace without you extend a graphic along a drawn path, A few will certainly be useful to an annual upgrade to its FreeHand the need for any searching. such as a railway track, a picket fence or everyone. Some enhancements will be vector-illustration package. The latest Another important upgrade feature a neon tube. Using a graphic that looks a useful to people who use those particular release improves on Web-export features, making FreeHand a popular alternative pointer as you drag it, but I didn’t is the enhanced support for Flash actions bit like a splodge of oil paint, you can use features a lot, but may not even be but also targets the jobbing designer in to desktop-publishing (DTP) software in discover any functional problems to within a FreeHand document. Don’t get Brush Strokes to create almost (but not noticed by anyone else. For example, print and multimedia. Crucially, it’s the the multipage or poster-advertising field. stop me working. If you’re looking for over-excited, though: it doesn’t mean quite) real-media effects. Because the clicking with the Pen tool on a path first big-name application to be released As such, FreeHand’s closest an excuse to move to Mac OS X, you can create self-contained movies stroke is edited as a single path rather you’ve already drawn will add additional commercially for Mac OS X. competitor is Adobe’s Illustrator, but FreeHand 10 could well be it. in new ways other than the page/frame than as the graphic that has been loaded nodes to it, and you can click the Pen on FreeHand is intended for professional it also shares many of its vector-design Otherwise, as with FreeHand 9 before animations already introduced with on it as “paint”, you can move, reshape the end of a deselected path to continue designers, or anyone who wants to features with those in CorelDraw and it, FreeHand 10 is an upgrade that brings FreeHand 9. Rather, the program now lets and otherwise adjust the results simply. it without having to select it first. produce high-quality, resizable vector Deneba Canvas. Macromedia says that a mere handful of big feature additions, you apply a wider variety of basic Flash This feature can be extremely handy art for print and online presentation. It’s this latest upgrade is the fruit of user but countless tiny enhancements. One triggers (Go To, Play, Stop, Print, and so for filling a busy canvas with multiple Macworld’s buying advice not an all-round drawing package for the wishlists, so current FreeHand users of the major items is the Master Pages on) in addition to standard hyperlinks objects that need to appear similar, but Despite all this, FreeHand 10 might not home or office – there are no flowchart should be smacking their lips already. feature in the Document panel. FreeHand from within a new Navigation panel. not identical. For example, you could seem such a great leap forward for some or calendar functions, for example – nor has been a multipage-design package Having associated some of these draw an entire shoal of non-identical potential buyers. In that sense, it’s a bit is it priced as such. FreeHand lets you Interface-lift for years – a function that Adobe has triggers with graphic objects, you goldfish in under a minute by dashing like FreeHand 9, which introduced frame- draw by hand, build shapes from other The most noticeable improvement inexplicably resisted to this very day in can now preview their effect without away with a Brush Stroke containing animation Flash export and a real-time shapes, apply strokes (outlines) and is the interface. The ever-expanding Illustrator – and now the ability to set exporting everything to Flash and just the one original fish. perspective grid, but nothing else terribly fills (inside areas) to objects, work main Tools panel has been re-arranged repeating Master objects across pages HTML. Instead, you just select Test Movie It’s even quite easy to copy important. Unless you’re having specific with textures and gradient colours, and a helpfully. Items, such as the Pen tool DTP-style is a significant finishing touch. from the Control menu and preview it in an existing graphic or symbol to a problems with your current version, or Selective prints good deal more. You can print the results and new Color Selection swatches at You can create up to an unfeasible FreeHand 10’s integrated Flash Player. Brush Stroke via the Library panel. perhaps if your business is on the Web, FreeHand 10 now includes a Print to colour separations, render them to the bottom of the Tools panel, work in 32,000 different Master Pages in a This way you can fine-tune your But unfortunately, applying it can be you may still be perfectly happy with Area mode, which allows you to bitmaps at any size, or use them as exactly the same way as their equivalents single document, and apply updated animated and interactive processes first, a confusing affair. You’d expect to load FreeHand 7 or 8. There’s not much Graphic converter click-&-drag out an area on your Web graphics. You can export the in Macromedia Flash, Dreamweaver and edits across “child” pages instantly. and then export to Flash format at the the Brush Stroke from the Library panel here to win over Illustrator, CorelDraw Don’t forget, FreeHand inherits canvas that you want to print – graphics for use on desktop-publishing Fireworks. Despite legal quibbles with Turning a layout into a Master Page, end when you’re happy. Now there’s to the Stroke panel and get going, but or Canvas users either. But committed all the powerful features from without having to print the entire pages, or combine photo images within Adobe, you can continue to drag floating – effectively working backwards – no excuse for not producing your next every time you draw a path, the stroke FreeHand-professionals, especially those previous releases, including the document. your FreeHand designs themselves, panel tabs apart and snap them back is a snap too. electronic portfolio or presentation in switches back to its default. This is upgrading to Mac OS X, will love it. unparalleled Find & Replace together, but now also save your The process is a little confusing Flash format, and without having to learn absolutely infuriating until you get the Richard Boardman Graphics dialog box. preferred panel layouts, and even at first, but once you understand when any Flash technique at all; you don’t even hang of the system; the sequence of share them with other users. you’re in Master Page edit mode and have to own a copy of Flash itself. selecting, loading and fixing each brush Generally, under Mac OS 8 or 9, when you’re in plain page edit mode, One area in which FreeHand has really ought to be simpler. you should find the palettes and toolbars it can be an excellent time-saver. It also always been forced to play catch-up FreeHand 10’s Brush and Spray neater and clearer. Under Mac OS X, they means you can use FreeHand directly for with Adobe Illustrator is in custom Strokes are not as slick or powerful as are just gorgeous, having finally broken simple multipage jobs, such as brochures, gradient fills. To fight back a little, the equivalent feature in Adobe away from the trademark dingy grey of menus and other design-led booklets. FreeHand 10 introduces a new type of Illustrator. Nor does Macromedia offer Macromedia interfaces to date. If you One of FreeHand’s best features in gradient it calls Contour. This is prepared as many preset brushes; nor are they tried FreeHand once and didn’t like it, recent versions has been the way it can on a slider in standard gradient fashion, as interesting and diverse as Adobe’s. I urge you to try again under Mac OS X deal with your designs as identifiable but the shape of the gradient is Perhaps the feature deserved a decent – I think you’ll find it a very different objects and styles. You can, for example, determined by the outer shape of the paintbrush tool as found in Illustrator, experience. Sure, there are a number search and replace graphics in FreeHand object you apply it to. It’s a bit like rather than relying upon FreeHand’s of cock-ups that affect the interface as you would with text in a word Ordnance Survey maps of hilly regions, more limited range of pens. Overall, it’s appearance, such as the way the colour processor. The last upgrade to the where the coloured bands follow the a welcome and attractive new feature, square in a gradient bar within the Fill program added a Symbols panel, which shape of the mountain, changing from but not a compelling one. panel jumps to the left of your mouse let you store, re-use and globally update the edge to the centre point. Beyond these big items, FreeHand 10

50 Macworld JULY 2001 Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Macworld JULY 2001 51 Macworld reviews

3D multimedia application

Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio Publisher: Macromedia www.macromedia.com Distributor: Computers Unlimited (020 8358 585) Pros: Brings interactive 3D to the Web; Flash 5 integration. Cons: Upgrade of limited value unless you need 3D content; not Carbonized. Min specs: Mac OS 8.1; 64MB of RAM; 100MB of hard-disk space. Price: £949; upgrade from 8.0, £149; upgrade from 5-7, £299 (all prices exclude VAT). Star Rating: ★★★★/8.5

irector rolls on. While Flash has eclipsed Director as the most D versatile and ubiquitous tool for creating interactive Web-content, this release (version 8.5) shows there’s still life left in the old dog. This latest version adds one major new feature, as well as a number of enhancements that will bring Shockwave to a whole new audience. All this is delivered online through parameters of the 3D object using the Familiar face Director is now seen primarily as the latest version of the Shockwave extrusion tab of the Property Inspector. The user interface of Director 8.5 a Web-development tool, for creating Player, which includes the 3D engine There are few things I hate more than remains essentially unchanged. content that will be exported as needed to render and display the 3D animated spinning 3D text, but this Shockwave and delivered online. objects embedded into the Director program seems set to give us them in Sure, it can still be used for multimedia movie. An object’s geometry, textures spades. presentations, CD-ROM development, and environments can all be streamed, DVDs, interactive TV and the rest, but it’s keeping download times to a minimum. 3D interactive the Shockwave side of things that’s really While other Web3D plug-in technologies Applying interactivity to 3D objects within pushing it on. Not for nothing do they call – such as Cycore’s Cult3D and Director can be done either using Lingo, this Shockwave Studio. Viewpoint’s 3D technology – have gained or by using the number of 3D behaviours only small numbers of users, Macromedia that come with 8.5. Firstly, you apply 3D Shockwave boon can leverage the huge installed base of actions to your 3D sprite, for instance to Let’s start with the big addition to Shockwave users. zoom the camera in an out, and then a Director – Shockwave 3D. This is the While Director might now sound trigger that will instigate that action, such biggest thing to happen to Director since like a 3D tool, it’s not. Just as there are as a key press or mouse movement. You the Flash Asset Xtra back in version 6.5. no video-editing tools in Director, even can apply a number of actions to an The new 3D features in Director 8.5 allow though Director supports digital video, object, and then set up a number of you to import 3D objects, animate them, there are no 3D modelling tools in the corresponding triggers, so that you make them interactive, and then export Director itself – other than a simple text could make your 3D scene completely them as part of a Shockwave movie. extrusion capability. Director 8.5 simply zoomable, pannable or rotatable – all Director is able to bring 3D to the supports a special new type of 3D file through different key and mouse Web by incorporating Intel’s Internet 3D format, called Shockwave 3D, with the combinations. Graphics software, an adaptive geometry- W3D file extension. You will still need to A Shockwave 3D model within and rendering-engine developed by Intel use an existing 3D-modelling application Director may consist of a number of for the deployment of 3D graphics at low to create your 3D models in the first place objects or groups of objects, and these file-size. – or license them from a third party. can also be manipulated individually by The architecture developed by Intel Currently, the only application that Director. It gives you the ability to set features a multi-resolution mesh. This has an export option for Shockwave 3D certain objects as clickable – for instance allows it to scale to the performance is Discreet’s 3D Studio Max, which will in a 3D model of a group of buildings, you and bandwidth of the user’s machine, by be a disappointment for Mac users. may want each building to be a clickable scaling the number of polygons that are However, the situation is rapidly link to information about that building. rendered – as well as surface subdivision changing, as exporters are released The supplied Behaviors are fine for – to keep file sizes low, but add detail for more 3D applications, including simple interactivity, but more advanced at the rendering stage. The architecture Mac-friendly ones such as Cinema 4D, control than this – for instance, to create Real compatible also incorporates systems such as particle Amapi, Maya, Lightwave and others. a button onscreen to rotate your object Director 8.5 supports a number effects – used in most high-end modelling The text extrusion capability is very 360 degrees – will require some of new file types, including tools, allowing the simulation of complex easy to apply to any existing text cast knowledge of the new Lingo commands Shockwave 3D, RealMedia, natural phenomena, such as smoke or member, which instantly turns it into in Director 8.5. The learning curve for this Flash 5, and Havok Physics explosions. a 3D object. You can then define the continues page 55 scenes.

Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Macworld JULY 2001 53 Macworld reviews

is steep. I counted over 320 new Lingo contain 3D objects are viewable only with commands – or existing commands that the new Shockwave 8.5 player. The file had additional function when applied size is very compact, and the 3D objects to 3D sprites – which is why the stream as well. This is a remarkable 8.5 manual of new Lingo commands is achievement. over 500 pages thick. Thus, it’s not for the While the 3D features make up the fainthearted, but it does give you a much bulk of the new features in Director 8.5, greater degree of control, whether it’s to they are not the only ones. Perhaps the build interfaces to control the interaction most significant of these is the support with your 3D scenes, or for more complex for Flash 5 files. Director 8 supports actions such as detecting collisions Flash 4 import only via it’s Flash Asset between objects. You can even use Xtra, which means that you have to XML to use dynamic data to send to your ensure your Flash movie is written using 3D objects – for instance, 3D bar-charts. only Flash 4-compatible code. With Flash If you want your 3D objects to obey 5 support, all the ActionScript commands the real laws of physics – such as friction, and dot syntax from Flash are now collisions, gravity and elasticity – then recognized within Director. your mechanics knowledge from A-level The Flash 5 support also features maths is really going to come in handy. a few new commands to increase the Fortunately, there’s also an Xtra (Havok amount of communication between the Physics Engine) available, which provides Director movie and an embedded Flash a real-time interactive physics-engine for SWF. One of the most important of these realistic motion and interactions without is the Telltarget function, which gives all the pencil chewing. you the ability to control the timeline of a movie clip with the Flash movie also supports the UDP transport protocol Learning the Lingo Gaming action – previously you would have had to as well as TCP, which apparently makes The support for Flash 5 is a With Director 8.5 new to the market, it’s import each movie clip as a separate for faster traffic and improved server-side welcome addition. Lingo scripts too early to predict in what ways its 3D sprite within Director. Another Lingo scripting – allowing more of the data- can now target movie clips within capabilities will be used. One thing that addition is the XML command, which processing to happen at the server the Flash movie, as in this is certain, is that games designers will provides allows structured data exchange processor rather than the client-side. interactive pie chart. be able to utilize the 3D engine in between the Director movie and Flash. There’s little to add about Fireworks 4, Director to create fast and furious While undoubtedly welcome, except to say that it compliments Director Web-enabled games. the Flash integration could be greater, perfectly. Image assets in Director can be There’s already a playable Quake especially with respect to targeting movie edited directly in Fireworks, and you can level that’s been coded in Shockwave 3D, clips. Only a small number of commands launch just the image-export component so things like Virtual Pool or Tomb Raider are supported – you can set properties of Fireworks to speed things up further. clones can’t be far away. And all can for instance, but not variables. You will be delivered over the Web in a browser. almost certainly need to think creatively, Macworld’s buying advice Published Shockwave files that and adapt your Flash movies prior to If you’ve still not discovered Director as import into Director. a multimedia-authoring tool, then buying Director 8.5 now supports RealMedia the Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio will import, covering both audio and video, be like Christmas. It remains head and and will enable designers to develop shoulders above any other multimedia front-end RealMedia players. application. Flash may be creating the To wrap up the rest of the Shockwave biggest buzz at the moment, but you Studio, you’ll find the Shockwave Player can do more with Director, and, of course, 8.5, Shockwave Multiuser Server 3, the you can always embed your Flash movies. graphics application Fireworks 4, and For existing users, the upgrade’s Flash 5 Object of desire the sound application Peak LE. support is a bonus, while Shockwave 3D The properties of a Shockwave 3D will either be the best thing you’ve ever object can be set using the Mac and Java used, or something you’ll never look at. Property Inspector, including With Multiuser Server 3 you can Martin Gittins lighting and texture effects. create Shockwave applications that allow up to 2,000 users to access a movie simultaneously. One of the most obvious applications for this is the creation of interactive chat-engines. Using the Multiuser server allows the creation of rich environments – with real-time interaction. In a nutshell, this works far better than any other Java based real-time chat you’re likely to come across; and the best news for Macintosh users is that the server is totally Mac compatible. Media management All you need to be able to serve The RealMedia support will be most useful Multiuser applications is an externally for online Shockwave applications. accessible IP address. The new version

Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Macworld JULY 2001 55 Macworld reviews

graphics channel in real time. If it can’t Real-time video editing render your work in real time, it will show an approximation of the final rendered effect. RTMac There are some things that can’t Manufacturer: Matrox (01753 665 624) www.matrox.com be done in real time; motion blur, for Pros: Real-time editing and effects; example, needs to be rendered. But, additional monitor support. you should be able to use any Cons: You have to buy Apple’s motion effect together with InternetBuddy Web Journal Final Cut Pro 2 to use it. any transition at the same Min specs: 400MHz G4 with AGP time. That isn’t to say Publisher: Web graphics slot; 256MB of RAM; free you can’t do more Support Services PCI slot; Mac OS 9.1; QuickTime 5.0. complex effects, just not in www.websupportservices.com Price: £699 (excluding VAT) Pros: Handy size; specially real time. When an effect is too Star Rating: ★★★★/8.5 designed pages for Web complex to render in real time, a red line information. Pro – with extra room for windows, you appears in the render status bar. You can Cons: If you lose it… that’s all can always see what is going on. To use simply choose the highlighted sequence your info gone; needs more f you are really serious about editing the RTMac at all, you will need Final Cut and render as you need to. pages than are included. video, then RTMac is a must-have Pro 2, and that isn’t included in the £699 Star Rating: ★★★★/7.5 I device. It consists of a hardware price – it’s an extra £680. This is irritating, Macworld’s buying advice Passwords for myriad Web card that attaches to a breakout box – as the PC equivalent comes with Adobe The cost of editing video professionally sites can be impossible to a device with various audio and video Premiere and a fistful of other software has plummeted. Now you can use your keep track of. You can connections. The hardware card takes – the Mac version comes with nothing Mac to do broadcast-quality television organize them efficiently by care of analogue-video capture, and but drivers. or movie work. While Final Cut Pro is an using the InternetBuddy Web more importantly the effects acceleration. If you do have the latest version exceptionally powerful piece of software, Journal. The InternetBuddy, The most compelling reason for of FCP, RTMac will enable dozens you can’t afford to be drumming your a 5-x-8-inch ring-bound buying RTMac is for its real-time effects of transitions and motion effects. fingers waiting for effects to render organizer, consists of index capabilities. While the breakout box has It might shave only off thirty seconds when clients are watching. RTMac pages and detachable security analogue-video connections, most people here and there, but waiting for rendering is the solution to that problem. cards for passwords. You enter will be using DV which is captured though effects cuts on creativity. You’re less likely It would be nice if Matrox had your real passwords against the Mac’s built-in FireWire ports. If you to try new things, or change things that included FCP, but even when buying it a proxy Password 1, and need only analogue to DV capture, then don’t quite work if you have to wait separately, the solution should pay for then enter Password 1 in the the Formac Studio (See Macworld, June) around for the results. Instant effects let itself in a professional environment. If relevant Web site section of would suffice. The card supports a you keep the rhythm of editing, and help you want to use a Mac in an edit suite, your Buddy. Lose it, and at monitor output, which allows you to have you produce better results faster. the RTMac offers the right features, least your passwords are safe a dual monitor set-up if you have a spare The RTMac also lets you work with and will reduce those pauses that – even if you don’t know what screen lying around. This is very helpful up to three layers in real time, meaning slow rendering inflicts on the editor. they are for. when using an application like Final Cut you can have two video channels and a David Fanning Gillian Thompson

FireWire drives use a bridge between ATA drive connector the FireWire connection and the ATA Swift RAID drive, the results were slow. The Ahard The Ahard card is great alternative to FireWire when working with video. card will allow you fantastic speeds at It’s quicker and relatively cheap Ahard PCI RAID relatively low prices. Ultra ATA66 If you are not that familiar with Manufacturer: Acard www.acard.com the inside of a Mac, you may be forgiven Distributor: TMC Technology for a little reluctance to delve. However, (01438 842 305) installation and set-up is pretty Pros: Simple and effective; straightforward, at least in G3 or G4 Mac OS X compatible. towers. All you need is the Ahard card, Cons: Short on instructions. a couple of ATA drives and a screwdriver. Min specs: PCI slot; two ATA drives. You can pick up a 40GB ATA drive for Price: £189 (including VAT) Star Rating: ★★★★/8.4 £125, so for £250 you can get an extra 80GB of internal storage. This is great for video projects – big enough for a your normal f you want to add to your hard- full-length feature film, and fast enough internal drive. It’s likely that an disk storage with minimum cost to keep up with the throughput. Ahard RAID system will be fairly close I for maximum speed, the Ahard You set the drives up as a single in performance to a SCSI RAID system, from Acard is a terrific solution. It lets volume by flipping a couple of dip but at a fraction of the cost. you combine two fast-but-cheap ATA switches and formatting. Because the drives as a single RAID volume. This RAID is a hardware setting, it doesn’t Macworld’s buying advice will outperform most single drives depend on software to mount the volume. If you want to use your Mac for video – SCSI or ATA – without a problem. This means the card works perfectly with work, the Ahard RAID is an ideal way When I tested FireWire hard drives Mac OS X. of solving the storage problem. It gives a few months ago, I was disappointed The performance will differ depending you all the speed you need, and bumps to find that the drives weren’t that well- on what make and model of hard drive up your space for minimal expense. suited to audio-visual (AV) work. Because you use. However, it should easily outstrip David Fanning

Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Macworld JULY 2001 57 Macworld reviews Macworld reviews

ive years ago, a portable digital- Projector round-up projector cost around £5,000, F would have made a mockery of the word of portable, and had a C60 brightness of around 400 ANSI lumens. Manufacturer: Ask Modern projectors’ specs have improved (0800 028 6470) greatly, but the price hasn’t shrunk much. www.infocus.com Pros: XGA output; 2.6kg. We took a look at some of the most Cons: None. recent models – the smallest, lightest Ask C60 has Min specs: VGA or video and most expensive end of the market, the higher resolution of source. and also some lower-specification lower- 1,024-x-768 pixels, compared to Price: £2,590 (excluding VAT) price models. the Epson’s 600-x-800 pixels. This Star Rating: ★★★★/8.2 The latest ultra-portable projector is understandable, because the from InFocus is now smaller than a Epson is almost £800 cheaper. budget is tight, it’s better to have a EMP-50 laptop, and pumps out 1,100 ANSI Resolution is an important measure projector than nothing at all. If you Manufacturer: Epson lumens. Epson has a comparable of quality for an LCD projector – the more budget doesn’t stretch to £2,590, the models tested, the difference in need an extra bag. The LP130, however, but it’s likely to change before this issue Price projection (0800 220 546) projector. Though not quite as tiny as pixels you have to play with, the crisper EMP-50 is excellent value. brightness is negligible and extremely is so diminutive that it almost puts the hits the streets. Though similar sizes, the Ask C60 www.epson.co.uk the InFocus LP130, the EMP703 offers the image will be. If you’re projecting a difficult to measure accurately. Either PowerBook to shame. It seems much The new pricing brings the LP130 (above, left) packs more of a Pros: Cheap; sturdy. similar specs at a similar price. PowerPoint presentation, for example, Top end model would be bright enough to project more suited to the new iBook. down from an unobtainable executive punch than the EMP-50 (above), Cons: 600-x-800 pixels small text can be distorted beyond The other two projectors we looked on to a screen without dimming the lights plaything to a price that companies can but costs an additional £800. maximum output. Size matters recognition if the resolution is too low. at are definitely not for the budget – though, if there is direct sunlight, it Macworld’s buying advice more readily afford. Min specs: VGA or video source. Even the entry-level models are Both projectors have a video input, and conscious – the more expensive model would be necessary to draw the curtains. It would seem that the LCD price-war At the moment, the high-end ultra- Price: £1,799 (excluding VAT) considerably smaller than their video – which is comparatively low is almost four grand. What you’re paying Portability is a main issue for these (see page 43) may be starting to affect portable market is dominated by the Star Rating: ★★★★/8.1 predecessors. We took a look at Epson’s resolution anyway – looks terrific on for is the ultra-portability of a high-end models; both are sold as ultra-portable the projector market. Although not all of LP130, at least until Epson re-jigs its EMP-50 and the Ask C60. Again, both either model. projector with no expense spared. The projectors. The Epson is definitely small the models tested use LCD technology, prices. At the entry-level, the EMP-50 EMP-703 models have similar specs, and the prices InFocus LP130 is a real show stopper, enough to carry around without breaking the prices are shifting. Just before we does a perfectly good job for the price Manufacturer: Epson are in the same neighbourhood. Noise reduction eliciting interest from anybody that saw backs or slipping discs. This is a major went to press, InFocus wiped £1,000 (£1,799 excluding VAT). With a little extra (0800 220 546) The entry-level models are bulky Both models have a speaker system, it. It’s the smallest projector out there, yet step forward considering the “luggable” of the price of the LP130 – reducing budget you will get a little more www.epson.co.uk compared to the ultra-light class, but, but neither is high quality. The Ask it has the punch of models twice its size. 12kg models around only a few years it to £3,290. This hasn’t left Epson performance and functionality Pros: High specs. compared to older models, reasonably comes with stereo 1W speakers, while The reason that InFocus can make ago. The Epson is still bulky compared to time to react with a new price, so for the from the Ask model. Cons: High price; bulky compact. Neither model is back- the Epson has only a single 1W speaker. such a small projector is because it uses a PowerBook though, and would probably moment the EMP-703 remains at £3,999; David Fanning compared to the LP130. breakingly heavy, with the Epson If you were to watch a movie on one of a DLP chip. A DLP chip, or Digital Light Min specs: VGA or video weighing in at 3.1kg and the Ask at these projectors, I would recommend Processor, is basically a RAM chip source. 2.6kg. The dimensions are pretty much connecting your video to some more covered with microscopic mirrors, on even Prochak sensibly concentrates on effects (such as Price: £3,999 (excluding VAT) the same. powerful speakers. In the boardroom, the smaller hinges. As the chip is addressed, Steinberg’s Cubase VST (version 5.0). Grungelizer and Wild Star Rating: ★★★★/7.4 Mac-music starter guide Both models are based around three small speaker works well enough, and if each of the mirrors is switched to an On Cubase is one of the Mac’s most popular Flanger), quantizing, and 0.7-inch LCD panels, which explains the anything will save you from naff or an Off state. It all seems very fragile, virtual studios, “in” which you can customizing. LP130 similar dimensions – though it doesn’t swooshing page-turn sound effects but it’s remarkably sturdy – because the Macworld Music record, edit and process MIDI and audio At the back of the Manufacturer: Infocus explain where Ask lost 0.5kg. The that litter so many sales presentations. weight of the mirrors is so small, they are data in a creative and affordable manner. book, there’s a 100-page (0800 028 6470) Handbook brightness is 1000 ANSI lumens on the The other aspect of sound is of course largely unaffected by knocks of vibration. Publisher: Sanctuary www.sanctuary-publishing.com Helpfully, the bundled CD includes a glossary – so that www.infocus.com Distributor: Macworld (020 831 9252) Pros: Small; powerful; light. Epson and 1,100 on the Ask. When both the noise from the very necessary fan. As the DLP is a single chip, the size can demo of the latest version of Cubase VST. experienced studio- www.macworld.co.uk Cons: Still out of many people’s projectors displayed an image side by Because these projectors use such bright be brought right down. (You may also have noticed that there’s engineers can’t make too Pros: Well-written starter guide; budgets. side, the picture wasn’t obviously brighter bulbs, the heat generated is tremendous. Epson doesn’t use DLPs in its a couple of extract chapters in a free much fun of you when not too technical; extensive glossary. Min specs: VGA or video on the Ask; however the colour seemed Fans are noisy because they churn-up air. projectors, most likely because it has booklet attached to this copy of you’re just starting out. Cons: No index. source. slightly washed out on the Epson. Both The EMP-50 was noticeably noisier than so much invested in LCD technology. Macworld; so we’ve included the Cubase On just one page, this Price: £20 Price: £3,290 (excluding VAT) machines claim a contrast ratio of 400:1, the Ask model, but both were quiet There seems to be a reluctance to use Star Rating: ★★★★/8.5 demo on this month’s Macworld CD.) tells you the difference Star Rating: ★★★★/8.7 which should mean a greater range of compared to older models. technology that is developed outside Prochak points out that Mac users between a ribbon colour. However, claims about brightness Choosing between the two models is Epson, which is a shame. Consequently, traditionally hate manuals, and so microphone and a ring and contrast are notoriously difficult not easy. The Ask model beats the Epson the Epson projector uses three LCD approaches his subject as a musician modulator, a riff and a Size up the options to verify. In our tests the Ask came on almost every count, but it doesn’t beat panels, which inevitably make the s Macworld columnist Michael helping others to familiarize themselves roll-off, and a rhythm While DLP projectors, like the out slightly in front for image quality. it by much. As far as pricing goes, the EMP-703 much bigger. Prochak spells out in the with Cubase, the Mac and digital music- track and “riding the LP130 (top), are shrinking fast, the Picture resolution is an important Epson is the most affordable at £1,799 The LP130 weighs-in at a A introduction to his Macworld making. faders”. EMP-703 (below) is possibly as measure of a projector, and again, the (excluding VAT), while the Ask is £2,590. featherweight 1.6kg, compared to Music Handbook, the Mac has long been “The Macintosh is changing the way small as LCD technology will So even though the Ask is a slightly the 703’s 2.7kg. The LP130 is smaller the choice of professional musicians for in which music is made. What used to be Macworld’s buying advice allow. better projector, is isn’t immediately too, measuring just 170-x-219-x-51mm. the recording, manipulation and playback done by a team of people in an expensive Regular Macworld readers will be familiar obvious that it’s worth the extra The Epson measures 267-x-213-x-72mm, of digital audio. USB and FireWire editing studio can now be done by one with Prochak’s bozo-Gonzo writing style, money. more than twice the size. technologies mean that all new-Mac person at home. All it takes is the right and will be glad to know that he has Money is probably It almost seems unfair to compare users can easily and instantly connect equipment and a bit of knowledge about written this book in a similarly non- going to be the deciding the two models, but both have similar digitizers, MIDI devices and DAT storage the basics of digital recording and MIDI,” technical manner. The Macworld Music factor for these two specifications. The Epson isn’t a drives in order to capture high-quality writes Prochak. Handbook is an excellent guide for Mac projectors – by paying for particularly large projector by normal 44.1kHz audio tracks at ultra-fast speeds. And, that’s exactly what he helps users starting to make music, and for the extra resolution, you’re standards; it’s just that the LP130 is But, there hasn’t been a book devoted budding Mobys and Beastie Boys with musicians starting to use the Mac. increasing the useful life incredibly small. to Mac-based music making since Fatboy in this book. There’s chapters on the Whether you want to be a Kraftwerk-like of the projector. The lower- Both models sport an XGA (1,024-x- Slim was nerdy Norman Cook in The differences between pro and budget synthetic robot or a bit of a hippy (like resolution model will be 768 pixels) output, and both are very Housemartins. setups, buying the right equipment, Prochak), this long-awaited book is sure outdated much quicker. So, it bright – with the LP130 claiming 1,100 Rather than write about every single getting started with Cubase, mixing MIDI, to help lay down your tracks. makes sense to pay the extra ANSI lumens and the EMP-703 claiming piece of Mac-compatible music software, editing and manipulating tracks, adding Terry Church for the extra features. However, if your 1,000 ANSI lumens. As with the other

58 Macworld JULY 2001 Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Macworld JULY 2001 59 Macworld reviews

Cheap-and-cheerful CD burner

Click’N Burn Publisher: Stomp www.clicknburn.com Distributor: Intellica UK (020 8887 0328) Pros: Cheap; simple to use; includes CD Stomper labelling kit; good range of burning options; can be dedicated for FireWire, USB or SCSI. Cons: Lacking some more advanced features of competition. Min specs: Mac OS 8.0; 32MB RAM; supported CD recorder. Price: £42 (including VAT) Star Rating: ★★★★/7.5

n a market dominated by Toast, you’ll have to enter name songs manually. Burning data CDs is just as simple. Burn out launching another CD-burning It took 14 minutes to burn a normal Click n’ Burn can deal with Mac HFS Click’N Burn gives you the option I application may seem to be foolhardy audio CD on a 4x Speed Yamaha CD- volumes and Mac/ISO 9660 hybrids, copy of leaving the disc open for – especially as Apple’s free iTunes has a Burner. There were no problems, and the CD to CD-RW, and burn multi-session another session, so you can add burning capability. But Stomp has brought disc played perfectly. (You have the option discs in the same fashion as the Audio tracks to squeeze the last bit of out a cheap-and-cheerful toaster. of using literally hundreds of other, faster routine. This being a product from Stomp, space onto that CD. Being that Click’N Burn gives you the option burners, but check for compatibility first.) you can finish the process by labelling miserly, I decided to burn some of choosing the interface of your burner This involved simply dragging the your CDs with the bundled CD Stomper. MP3s on the end. – SCSI/ATAPI, FireWire or USB – and MP3 files onto the main audio window. installs the appropriate drivers and They then automatically expanded into Macworld’s buying advice software for each. Once installed, AIFF files to make them compatible to Click’N Burn doesn’t have the most the user has two options – quick start burn. Again, the results were adequate. advanced feature list in the world, and and advanced mode. For the review, Click’N Burn also provides Audio you may be put off by the dull interface. I concentrated on the latter, kicking Scribe software, which acts as an But, it’s a good for the price. If you’re off in Audio CD burning mode. analogue-to-digital recorder, allowing looking for a simple-to-use and cost- Losing a point to Toast, Click’N Burn you to transfer music from vinyl. This effective solution, check it out. can’t connect to the CDDB database, so is comparable to Toast’s CD Spin-Doctor. Michael ‘Click n’ Burns

Modeler is polygon and spline based. Cheap 3D with high-end specs It offers an efficient surface-subdivision mode that can create smooth organic forms similar to what you’d get with LightWave 6.5 NURBS modelling. The program includes Publisher: NewTek www.newtek.com a collection of tools for patch modelling, Distributor: Gomark (020 7610 8686) Pros: Integrated 3D tools; great rendering along with “viewports” that you can engine; integrated particle-system. use as UV-mapping editors for precise Cons: Poor documentation. placement of textures. Min specs: PowerPC; Mac OS 7.5; Some notable additions in version 6.5 32MB of RAM; QuickTime4.0; are an integrated particle system, a soft- QuickDraw 3D 1.5.4. body dynamics engine, automated Atlas Price: £995 until July 31, then £1,599 mapping tools, and a new Schematic (both prices exclude VAT). view. Other welcome enhancements Star Rating: ★★★★/8.9 include a reorganized interface, a bézier- curve tool, and resizable viewports. Several powerful procedural iven the Mac’s graphics animation tools make complex motions superiority, it’s surprising that easier to set up. An integrated particle and caustics; the radiosity engine Hats off to mapping G 3D production on our platform generator – when used in conjunction allows you to illuminate a scene using LightWave’s Atlas function of choice has, until recently, been a with HyperVoxels, LightWave’s photographs saved in the HDRI format. automatically “unwraps” models. piecemeal process. One of the first volumetric-object generator – lets you fully integrated 3D packages simulate smoke, explosions, and fluids. Macworld’s buying advice to migrate to the Mac from the Unix Motion Designer can force objects to For anyone looking to buy a complete world was NewTek’s LightWave, a behave like cloth that can be influenced 3D-production package, LightWave is powerful application for creating by any other element in the scene. tremendous value – especially when television and film effects. But, no matter how many impressive you consider that many standard LightWave is a collection of features a 3D package offers, it all comes features, such as particles and applications: Modeler, for creating down to rendering – and LightWave dynamics, are available only as objects; Layout, for animating and excels at this. The ray-tracing engine can plug-ins in other packages. rendering; and Hub, for updating projects. calculate realistic reflections, refraction, Matt Lowrie

Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Macworld JULY 2001 61 Macworld reviews

lectric Image’s Amorphium made Accessible 3D tools 3D modelling more accessible, by E putting intuitive sculpting tools into a simple interface inspired by Amorphium image-software wizard Kai Krause. Pro 1.1 Like Amorphium, Amorphium Pro Publisher: Electric Image lets you modify objects as though they www.amorphium.com were made of clay, apply sculpting and Distributor: Gomark painting tools, and employ real-time (020 7731 7930) distortion effects. But, the new version Pros: Unique modelling tools; easy to use. removes the original’s most frustrating Cons: Skimpy manual; not limitations. A full keyframe-animation Carbonized. timeline lets you animate multiple Min specs: Mac OS 8.6; objects, the camera, lights, and PowerPC; 64MB of RAM. environmental effects. The vastly Price: £209 (excluding VAT) improved Materials function lets you ★★★★ Star Rating: /8.2 define surface colours and properties, and you can add surface effects with shaders. In addition to importing models Special FX in popular 3D formats, the program Amorphium’s basic sculpting functions are now split between two modes. Tools mode has a new can import EPS files and convert them Brush Editor for creating your own sculpting tools; FX mode now has a Cogs effect that lets you into 3D objects. And, Amorphium Pro’s produce gear-like objects. extensive Flash-export options let you choose between realistic, high-bandwidth you can link one object’s motion to Macworld’s buying advice animations and more-cartoonish ones that another’s, and Boolean functions let Amorphium Pro vastly expands on consume less space. you create new objects by intersecting Amorphium’s feature set, and remains A new Wax mode, complete with a existing ones. With the improved masking remarkably easy to use. It’s a great tool Heat setting, lets you expand or contract tools, you can reduce or expand polygon for Flash developers, 2D artists with an a model’s geometry as if it were a lump density in different parts of a model. interest in 3D, and 3D artists looking for of wax. As before, you can use linked The manual is skimpy, and at £209, a new organic-modelling program – it’s spheres to create fingers and other Amorphium Pro costs £50 more than just a shame about the price hike. objects. With a new parenting function, the original. Stephen Beale

lthough Amapi 3D has some basic 3D-modelling app animation capabilities, it’s largely A a modelling and rendering tool for creating static 3D artwork – which makes Amapi 3D 6.0 it a rarity on the Mac. It has an unusual Publisher: Eovia www.eovia.com interface that some people think is the Distributor: Computers Unlimited best thing since sliced polygons, and (020 8358 5857) some run screaming from. And now it’s Pros: Fluid and intuitive; taken individuality to new lengths with excellent results. its Web3D format, 3Space. Cons: Flaky; proprietary On its own, 3Space is a pretty decent Web3D technology; not format. It includes all of the standard Carbonized. features, such as simple animation Min specs: Mac OS 8.1; capabilities for allowing the user to click 24-bit True Colour display, and open the door of a toy car. However, 64MB of RAM. Price: £299 (excluding VAT) it also includes a full dynamics-system Star Rating: ★★★★/7.5 that allows you to give objects force, mass and other properties – such as Spaced out stiffness and damping. This allows 3Space results look good on both Mac and Windows PCs – if these were the only criteria for the creation of realistic interactive judging a format, then 3Space would be one of the best available. But, they’re not. environments without fixed results – such as snooker table with potable balls. later this year. That 3Space doesn’t work greyscale image. You also get an extrude 3Space files are small, even when with Internet Explorer on the Mac is tool that can work multiple sections of compared to other Web3D formats, and another reason to avoid it. an object (or the entire object) and a are rendered in OpenGL by the end-user’s If you don’t care about Web3D, then bump/unbump control for contouring computer. The main problem with 3Space Amapi 6.0 is a better prospect. Its tools surfaces. On the downside though, Amapi is that it’s not Shockwave 3D. There’s no have had a major overhaul, with a refined can be flaky. It has a tendency to crash point working with a format that has no smoothing tool and a clearer interface. and sometimes won’t open saved files user base. MetaStream Viewpoint has the The polygon tools have been boosted, – though you can always import them. user base at the moment, and Shockwave and a better tessellation tool added. has a huge number of potential users The app includes more primitives and Macworld’s buying advice who need only a minor update to get deformers than previous versions. It also It produces stunning results, but is onboard. And, that’s not counting Adobe’s adds totally new tools, such as the height let down by 3Space – and flakiness. venture into this market with Atmosphere field object for creating a relief from a Moe Vernon

62 Macworld JULY 2001 Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Macworld reviews

t first glance, you may wonder connection, the 3100z actually works like Hi-res digital camera what the difference between the a card reader. Simply plugging it in to a A new 3100z and the old 3000z is. Mac with USB will The major specifications are the same; automatically mount PhotoPC it still has a 3.3-megapixel chip, which the card in the 3100z when combined with Hypict technology camera on the Manufacturer: Epson outputs files that are nearly five desktop. This (0800 200 546) megapixels (2,544-x-1,904 pixels). This makes life simple, www.epson.co.uk makes it ideal for printing A3 images. and is another Pros: Monster file-size; There is, however, a raft of small but minor refinement good software support; significant enhancements. For instance, that improves the flash mounting. there’s now a built in photo-stitching camera. Cons: A little bulky. Min specs: USB or a Compact assistant. This isn’t just an extra piece of The interface Flash card reader. software – although there is one thrown for the controls on Price: £649 (including VAT) in the box – it’s actually a mode on the the back screen is Star Rating: ★★★★/8.6 camera. In stitching mode, each picture simple to navigate. you take moves to the left quarter of the You can turn off the view and becomes translucent. This camera’s helpful allows you to line up the next shot of beeps if you find them resolution your panorama without the guesswork. irritating. You can also access pictures – if you want to print A3 It still has a 6x zoom – 3x optical and the special modes such as video, size photographs, the 3100z is ideal. 2x digital – but the digital zoom has been panorama and continuous mode. Adding The 2,544-x-1,904 pixel output is as improved and is now smoother than a voice notation is easy too – the 3100z high as you really need, and it’s good that before. The big lens gives you an has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. Epson has concentrated on other ways excellent, sharp picture – even in to make the camera better. Now that the Hypict high-resolution mode. Macworld’s buying advice the resolution race is done with, and the Getting your images from the cameras The 3100z is bulky compared to some digital-camera market matures, we will to the printer is now much easier than cameras, but the extra weight adds to its see more functional cameras like this one. before. Rather than depending on a feel as a traditional camera. If you don’t It’s packed with both pixels and features. card reader or a software-driven USB mind the bulk, it’s excellent for high- David Fanning

s one of the leaders in design Web-based training applications, Macromedia now A offers online courses for its software – from learning how to use Macromedia Macromedia UltraDev, to more general University skills such as DHTML or XML. You can Publisher: Macromedia choose to sign up for either instructor macromedia.elementk.com or study led courses, or a combination Pros: Learn when and where of both. you want; easy-to-use To register as a student for the campus-style training; online Macromedia University, you first need to advice if you need specific go to www.macromedia.com and click on the direction. Cons: Needs a wider range of link to Resources. The registration process subjects; Windows interface. is simple: Fill out your details, enter your Price: Basic Training, US$99; eight-digit code, and log in as a student Complete Training, US$249; with access to several choices. Professional Training, US$399. You can choose from several different Min specs: PowerPC; Mac OS lesson styles – instructor led, self-study 8.0; Netscape 4.0 or Microsoft and seminar, or a combination of any of Internet Explorer 5.0 the above. Take time to have a quick tour On course Star Rating: ★★★★/7.2 of what’s available to make sure you sign Macromedia University remembers your preferences, selected or semi-completed courses, and level up for the right class. Unfortunately, I was of skill achieved. The My Courses page summarizes which classes you have completed and how first interested in running through the many levels are still to go. However, it has a Windows-interface option only. self-study Quick Skill course in DHTML, but it isn’t available for the Mac. The classes are presented as online could be prohibitive. You don’t The classes are listed clearly, and interactive Flash movies. Not only are need any Macromedia software to do you can take a tour of the virtual campus you shown how to perform a certain the course (other than Flash Player). before signing up. There’s also the option action, you’re also encouraged to follow The learning is done through a browser, of taking a test, from which the courses the steps and remember sequences. so you save money there. to choose will be recommended. If you get stuck or lose your place, A subscription to a course library A study-led course has the advantage simply listen to the instructions again. grants you a year of access to all current of allowing you to choose when and courses, plus any new courses added where you work. However, for those Macworld’s buying advice during the year. If you want to see of us who need more motivation – the If you aren’t lucky enough to have access if the training courses are worthwhile, equivalent of that slave-driving teacher to a high-bandwidth leased line in your Macromedia is offering a 30-day trial. – an instructor-led course is available. office, then the cost of spending time Gillian Thompson

64 Macworld JULY 2001 Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Macworld reviews

Pirate adventure with comic twists Escape from Monkey Island Publisher: Aspyr Media www.aspyr.com Distributor: Softline (01883 745 111) Pros: Engaging story; terrific graphics; many challenging puzzles. Cons: Occasionally too self-referential; not for players with short attention spans. Minimum specs: 233MHz Power Mac G3; 64MB of RAM; 8x CD-ROM; 100MB hard-disk space; 4MB of VRAM; OpenGL 1.2.1. Price: £40 (including VAT) Star Rating: ★★★★/8.8

o ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me! Ever since I was a wee lad, I’ve Y been obsessed with pirate stories. Monkey business This hasn’t abated in my adult life – much Don’t let the brightly coloured, cartoonish animation fool you – kids may enjoy this title, but it’s to my therapist’s fascination, I’m sure. definitely made for adults (the game is recommended for teens and adults). So when I heard that Aspyr Media was publishing a Mac version of LucasArts’ latest Guybrush Threepwood adventure, menace on the high seas: lawyers. and at least 64MB of RAM. Westlake Escape from Monkey Island, the Threepwood also goes head-to-head with Interactive, the company that ported Blackbeard in me wildly gyrated a real-estate tycoon, a thief with no nose, the game from the PC, did a nice job his hook and peg leg with joy. a prosthetics salesman, and perhaps the on the conversion. Installation was a Escape from Monkey Island is most frightening of all, a bucktoothed breeze, and the game performed reliably, a rollicking good time, and thanks to barista at the local Starbuccaneers coffee although it did crash once or twice on recent advances in graphics technology, shop. That’s only the tip of the iceberg, my 450MHz Power Mac G3. Interestingly, it’s a feast for the eyes as well. mateys – to tell you any more of the it ran perfectly on my 333MHz PowerBook Escape from Monkey Island is story would ruin the surprise. G3, which is slower and equipped with the fourth adventure game to star Throughout, the game is rife with less-formidable video hardware. The Guybrush Threepwood, a wannabe pirate, well-written dialogue, superbly delivered game’s only apparent technical deficiency and an unlikely hero if ever there was by top-notch voice actors. And, there’s is a prodigious appetite for space on your one. Although he’s a bit daft, he means an engaging soundtrack accompanies hard disk. It needs 500MB in “normal” well. And as the story unfolds, you’ll find the action – I didn’t scramble to turn installation mode, 1GB for the full Tricks and tips that even though Threepwood may have off the music after the first few minutes. installation, or 100GB for light mode. Avast ye! If you can’t find your a bit of Walter Mitty in him, he’s not just Escape from Monkey Island’s user If Escape from Monkey Island has sea legs in Escape from Monkey Island, try these tricks: a daydreamer – he’s a doer, but in his interface is intuitive and straightforward. any shortcomings, it’s that the game ■ Typically, anything own bumbling, incompetent sort of The game consists of 2D illustrated often depends on self-referential jokes, Guybrush can pick up is useful, way. In fact, he’s already won the hand backgrounds, populated by 3D characters and on characters who were introduced so don’t be afraid to grab of the beautiful and plucky Elaine Marley- and objects. in the series’ first three games – which whatever you find. He has Threepwood, resident governor of Mêlée You direct Guybrush using the arrow you probably haven’t played, unless you amazingly voluminous pants, Island – a veritable pirate haven. keys on your keyboard, and you can make have a PC lying around. If you aren’t apparently, because that’s Elaine and Guybrush return to him look at, use, or store various objects, already a Monkey Island fan, you’ll where he keeps everything. Mêlée Island after a three-month as well as talk with characters. When occasionally have that somewhat ■ Don’t be afraid to talk with honeymoon to discover that Elaine Guybrush needs to address someone, uncomfortable feeling of not being others. Often, conversations will get you somewhere, even has been declared legally dead. Elaine’s you’re presented with a branching menu in on the joke. if at first you feel as though gubernatorial seat is up for grabs, and containing various comments, queries, As a single-player adventure game, you’re wasting your time. challenger Charles L Charles is making and replies, depending on the context. Escape from Monkey Island can be played ■ Can’t figure out what the his play for the position. Charles is a new The game is cleverly designed, so if only once. But it’s vast, spanning two CDs old drunken sailor’s birthday – yet disturbingly familiar – presence in you haven’t yet explored a crucial area in all, and you can count on getting days balloon is good for? Challenge town. Guybrush and Elaine soon discover or got a key piece of information, your – if not weeks or months – of challenging the dart-throwing champ to try that proving Elaine’s identity and health interaction with other characters in the fun out of it, depending on how much to hit it. status is more difficult than they thought, game may subtly change so as not to time you invest. Like a long, engrossing ■ Getting out of the bank and that their old nemesis, pirate give the story away. This level of detail novel, Escape from Monkey Island would vault involves wedging open the door frame. Hint: sponges LeChuck, is behind recent events. is refreshingly complex and challenging. be a good game to be stranded with on swell when soaked. What makes this adventure tale Escape from Monkey Island is also the proverbial desert island. ■ Once you get the directions so engaging is that it’s firmly rooted nicely configurable – you can set keys to Pegnose Pete’s lair in the in situations that folks can identify to execute a variety of commands, tweak Macworld’s buying advice Mystes O’ Tyme Marshe, write with today. Threepwood’s archnemesis audio and video settings to your liking, Escape from Monkey Island is an them down. This will make LeChuck may be a supernatural force and save the game at any point. exemplary modern adventure game, navigation a lot easier. straight from the flaming bowels of The 3D characters and objects in superbly executed by Westlake and Aspyr. Otherwise you’ll be travelling hell, but Guybrush needs to solve all Escape from Monkey Island are rendered If you find the adventure genre appealing by raft, looking at the map to sorts of mundane – and riotously funny – using OpenGL, which can tax a Mac’s and have a bit o’ the pirate in ye, then see where you are, adjusting your course, and trying again problems in his attempt to vanquish him. graphics hardware. Aspyr recommends set sail for Monkey Island, by hook or until you get there. Threepwood and his band of brigands running the game on a Mac with an ATI by crook. square off against the most fearsome Rage Pro or comparable graphics-card Peter Cohen

66 Macworld JULY 2001 Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Macworld reviews

G4 upgrade cards tested and rated

erhaps you’ve recently upgraded to Mac OS X, and you notice your P once acceptably fast blue-&-white Power Mac G3 beginning to show its age. Luckily, this Mac’s 100MHz system bus makes it a prime candidate for a processor upgrade, which can give you nearly top-of-the-line performance. Macworld Lab examined PowerLogix’s 450MHz PowerForce G4 ZIF card; Sonnet Technologies’ 400MHz and 500MHz Encore ZIF G4 cards; and XLR8’s 400MHz, 450MHz, and 500MHz Mach Speed G4 ZIF MPe cards. We found that although these cards performed similarly (relative to their speeds), those from Sonnet and XLR8 offered the most extras. A G4 processor has a subprocessor package, providing all of the necessary experiment with overclocking – driving called AltiVec (Apple calls it the Velocity tools and excellent instructions. Sonnet’s the cache to a higher speed than is Engine), which can dramatically boost instructions were also very well written – recommended, to squeeze out more performance – but only in applications especially for users with little experience performance – Sonnet’s arrangement designed to take advantage of it (such as inside a Mac – with clear, descriptive will be preferable. LAB TEST Adobe Photoshop and some other image- illustrations and a minimum of jargon. XLR8’s 450MHz Mach Speed G4 ZIF editing programs, MP3 encoders, and MPe had a slightly better Speedmark video-editing packages). Not many Overclocking score than PowerLogix’s 450MHz applications are optimized for AltiVec, but Each card has a 1MB L2 cache that, PowerForce G4 ZIF; however, the if you happen to work with one of them by default, runs at half the processor’s difference was negligible – the Mach every day, you’ll want a G4. And OS X speed. (The L2 cache stores frequently Speed beat the PowerForce by only a uses the Velocity Engine much more than used instructions, allowing the processor second when performing a Gaussian Mac OS 9 does, so if you’re planning to to operate with greater efficiency.) All the blur in Photoshop, and it even fell a few switch to OS X, a G4 upgrade may be in cards come with software that monitors seconds behind when encoding an MP3 order. the cache, but the amount of control in SoundJam. The performance of both provided differs from company to 450MHz upgrade cards was close to Patchy support company. PowerLogix and XLR8 provide that of the 450MHz Power Mac G3 in our A G4 processor can’t work in a blue-&- control panels, but XLR8’s gives you more Speedmark and Quake III tests, but the white Mac without a firmware patch, control over the cache’s speed and other upgrades’ speeds far exceeded the G3’s which modifies the ROM, preparing the performance parameters. Additionally, when it came to Photoshop, which is motherboard for the upgrade. But, only XLR8’s control panel checks the cache optimized for the G4. Sonnet provides a method for removing and sets it to the fastest possible settings the patch; you would have to contact the – even if they exceed the default settings G4 performance other companies for a removal procedure – automatically and reliably. Sonnet’s The Speedmark subtest that looked (at press time, each was developing this software is invisible to the user and sets specifically at disk speed confirmed procedure and was hesitant to release it). the cache settings to the proper speed that the Power Mac G4, with an ATA/66 XLR8 had the best installation during start-up. If you don’t intend to controller and a newer hard drive, has

G4 upgrade cards compared MANUFACTURER MODEL STAR RATING PRICE PROS CONS CONTACT TELEPHONE WEB

Sonnet Encore ZIF ★★★★/8.4 £279 Good documentation; No tools provided. Computers Unlimited 020 8358 5857 www.sonnettech.com Technologies G4 400MHz flexible firmware package; excellent value. XLR8 Mach Speed G4 ★★★★/8.4 £325 Excellent installation package; Firmware-patch uninstaller Channel Dynamics 0870 607 0540 www.xlr8.com ZIF MPe 400MHz MP enabled; good software; not included. excellent value. PowerLogix PowerForce G4 ★★★★/7.2 £349 Easy to install; offers good Firmware-patch uninstaller AM Micro 01392 426 473 www.powerlogix.com ZIF 450MHz performance boost. not included; no tools provided. XLR8 Mach Speed G4 ★★★★/7.3 £369 Excellent installation package; Firmware-patch uninstaller Channel Dynamics 0870 607 0540 www.xlr8.com ZIF MPe 450MHz MP enabled; good software. not included. Sonnet Encore ZIF ★★★★/8.1 £379 Relatively inexpensive; No tools provided. Computers Unlimited 020 8358 5857 www.sonnettech.com Technologies G4 500MHz good documentation; robust firmware-package. XLR8 Mach Speed G4 ★★★★/7.4 £489 Excellent installation package, Pricey; firmware-patch Channel Dynamics 0870 607 0540 www.xlr8.com ZIF MPe 500MHz MP enabled; good software. uninstaller not included. All prices include VAT.

Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month Macworld JULY 2001 69 Macworld reviews

much better disk performance than the Macworld’s buying advice The 400MHz cards from these two blue-&-white Power Mac G3, with its XLR8’s upgrades come with all of the manufacturers are sensible investments. slower SCSI hard drive. (The faster disk is tools you need, and its products can However, the prices of the faster cards part of the reason that the 466MHz Power be incorporated into a multiprocessor begin to approach those of used or Mac G4’s scores were better than those upgrade later. Sonnet’s helpfull refurbished Apple G4s, which have of the 500MHz upgrade cards.) Even if documentation and low prices make its faster hard drives and CD-ROM drives. you upgrade your G3 and your hard drive, upgrades exceptionally attractive. And The G4 upgrade card from PowerLogix you’ll be limited by the slower ATA bus. software that works without intervention, is technically sound, but has no The upgrades from XLR8 are along with easily removable firmware distinguishing features, and its rough multiprocessor enabled. If you purchase a patches, makes Sonnet’s upgrade cards documentation makes it less appealing 400MHz MPe ZIF, you can use it as one of excellent choices for those who don’t than the others we tested. XLR8’s multiprocessor upgrade. enjoy tinkering with their machines. David Read Clocking the Velocity Engine

Best results in test. Speedmark 2.1 SoundJam 2.5.2 Adobe Photoshop 6.0.1 Quake III

Model Overall score MP3 encode Gaussian blur Unsharp mask Normal Sonnet Technologies Encore ZIF G4 400 MHz 120 2:24 10 14 30 XLR8 Mach Speed G4 ZIFF MPe 400MHz 127 2:21 9 13 32 PowerLogix PowerForce G4 ZIF 450 MHz 128 2:06 9 12 34 XLR8 Mach Speed G4 ZIFF MPe 450MHz 134 2:15 8 12 34 Sonnet Technologies Encore ZIF G4 500 MHz 137 2:02 9 12 33 XLR8 Mach Speed G4 ZIFF MPe 500MHz 140 2:01 8 11 35 Apple Power Mac G3/450 127 3:00 15 18 31 Apple Power Mac G4/466 157 2:02 6 8 46

Longer is best Shorter is best Shorter is best Shorter is best Longer is best

Speedmark 2.1 scores are relative to those of an iMac 350MHz (1999), which is asigned a score of 100 for each test. SoundJam scores are in minutes:seconds. Photoshop scores are in seconds. Quake scores are in frames per second. We tested each card in a Power Mac G3/450 (blue-&-white) with Mac OS 9.1, 128MB of RAM, a default system disk cache, and virtual memory enabled. We set displays to 1,024-x-768 pixels and 24-bit colour. We tested MP3 encoding with an audio-CD track that was 9 minutes and 25 seconds long, and converted it using a default setting of 128Kbps in SoundJam. Ł Macworld Lab testing by Jason Cox.

f you’re looking to buy audio bolt-ons Alone, these matt-silver satellites Quality speakers for your Mac, first ask yourself what are way too weedy to meet your I kind of Mac owner you are. Be desktop-audio needs – which is honest, now. Are you pathologically why they come draped SoundWorks compelled to style-coordinate your on the tattooed arm of Slim500 peripherals and system, and damn the a subwoofer brutish Manufacturer: Creative Labs cost? If yes, then don’t even bother enough to quiver your www.europe.creative.com reading this. Get online and spend £140 liver. The sub, says Distributor: Computer (inc VAT) on the ultra-cool SoundSticks Creative Labs, is Warehouse (reviewed, September 2000) – because “electronically (020 8400 1235) you know you will in the end anyway. If, contoured” to give a Pros: Magnetically protected; however, aesthetics take a back seat to “deep and £80 cheaper than harman kardon SoundSticks. value for money, then read on – because resounding bass”. Cons: Satellite speakers can it’s unlikely you’ll find a better deal than I’ve no idea what the it to be adhered to a convenient sound reedy; not as pretty the Cambridge SoundWorks Slim500 techie jargon means, but the company’s spot. This handiness, though, is undone as SoundSticks. three-piece speaker system. sound-quality claims are certainly by the fact that the bass volume-control Price: £60 (including VAT) Not that the Slim500 is ugly: it’s a justified. The sub has a frequency range knob remains on the back of the Min specs: Any Mac with slightly out-of-prime Diana Dors to the that starts at 38Hz, which is 6Hz lower subwoofer, meaning one still has sound card offering line-out. SoundSticks’ sex-kitten Bridget Bardo, if than harmon kardon’s high-performance to clamber under the desk to make ★★★★★ Star Rating: /9.1 you will. This is no bad thing, considering iSub (reviewed, May 2000). adjustments. Why not have dual-controls some of the pug-ugly PC sound-systems To test the system, a colleague ran-up on the wire? The SoundWorks Slim500 out there. a CD compilation that spanned the also comes with a two-year warranty. The Slim500 consists of two ultra-slim musical divide – from acid jazz to the (hence the name) 6W satellite speakers Sound of Music. The subwoofer will Macworld’s buying advice and a 17W subwoofer. The 40mm-high handle anything thrown at it, always My benchmark for the Slim500 is the satellites are magnetically protected, adding as much depth as it does volume. speaker set-up I have at home: an iSub so you don’t have to worry about My only quibble is that, with certain and two built-in in harman kardon performance being affected by where sounds, the satellites can sound reedy speakers on my iMac DV. There’s no they are placed. Plonk them on top of the and flat by comparison. comparison – the Slim500 wins hands monitor if you want. You can hang them Volume is controlled via a “knob down – and for just £10 more than the on the wall, too, as they come with a on a wire” – and we’re not talking Billy iSub costs on its own. A victory for detachable stand as well as a wall- Smart’s Circus. This little sound-control content over style. mounting socket. unit even has a sticky strip, allowing for Sean Ashcroft

70 Macworld JULY 2001 Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKE LAYE 76 Macworld P F JULY 2001 owerBook G4–givesusallthechancetogoportable. Apple’s newiBookbrushesasidethecompetition,and–alongside orget thehypeaboutSonyVaio andlightweight Windowslaptops. erhMacworld’s Reviews databaseonline ( Search www.macworld.co.uk By SimonJary ), updatedthroughout themonth. with like, we’llcompare Apple’s iBookwiththe Vaio Z600to these littlelaptopsoffer/offered alltheiBookdoes. noneof AmericaandJapan)weighedalittleless. But North (1992-97) andPowerBook 2400(1997-98;available onlyin Evengetting aslow1.7kg. Apple’s oldPowerBook Duo withweeny subnotebook spectrum, Windows portables theheavy endofthe with thewholechicken. It’s at you could feed two weight that as afeather –indeed,at Ta iBook vsWindows subnotebooks 0.2kg (0.5lb)lighter thaneven thetitanium PowerBook G4. – nearlyabagofsugarlessheavy thantheoldiBook,and 2.2kg (4.9lbs) ofall,thenewiBookweighsjust £230). Best tooexpensive (an extra 10GBdrive costs around and not space, addingahot-pluggable FireWire hard drive iseasy Ifyou market. needmore ofitstarget suffice for most offerports greater flexibility andportability. original iBook(and stillcanwiththisone,ofcourse), two y alsoretains the TV/VCR-ready AV port. It y r more iBook,but up tofive hours–anhourdownonthefirst battery life canreach maximum 640MB. Appleclaimsthat 500MHz,andRAM isexpandable toa at more powerful are downtoalloweasierunder-arm carriage. The G3is r agreater 1,024-x-768-pixel displays millionsofcolours at the negatives. improved theoriginaliBook’s plus points andeliminated all, wegroaned underits3.1kg (6.7lbs) weight. of most But port. 160MB)andthelackofany video-out just battery life. r adored itsinnovative handle,itsfull-size keyboard, AirPort c active-matrix TFT screen withmillionsof loved itspixel-sharp 12.1-inch back inSeptember1999. We months after itslaunch forportable many Number 1consumer was the sold well.It seat) wonawards aplenty, and like designertoilet acolourful itself looked abit ofIve’s creations, Apple’s originaliBook(which Like most New iBookvsold A white andvery very good. symbolic return totheworldofwhitegoods. The iBookis iBookcomputer,portable thetalented MrIve hasmadea home isanearlyIve.) With Apple’s newconsumer Mac All white now aitc pl’ vnadda G ie u otsothat port Apple’sealistic. even added anRGB Video Out thesize andweight esolution. The handlehasgone,but eadiness, 300-466MHzG3 processor, andultra-long lusa 800-x-600-pixel resolution. We olours at ou canmirror your worktoanexternal display orprojector. ou could always addaninexpensive USBhubtothe ke W should huge,but isn’t The 10GBhard diskcertainly iswelcome. While The additionofasecond USBport The newiBook’s 12.1-inchactive-matrix TFT screen Now, withtheall-newmodel,Applehasmaintained or itsmeagre RAM (expandable to wedid moanabout But

Sony’s range of Vaio slimnotebooks. Comparing like ih to go eight da tnad I at eiv htm oltat my toilet Ideal Standard. (Infact, Ibelieve that blueprinting baths, basinsand WCs for out started pple’s Britishwhiz-kid head designerJonathan Ive htsntt a httheiBookisaslight tosay that That’s not wa you’ll have tobuyanexternal, drive third-party ifyou in, but the sameasiBook’s. This time,the24xCD-ROM isbuilt- although itsmaximumresolution (1,024-x-768 pixels) is W nobuilt-in ethernet; 64MB RAM; 10GBhard drive; but on price. The £880 Vaio FX101 (600MHz Celeron processor; and extra weight. £270) (about means more cost in –you’ve guessedit,that battery charge life, you needtobuyaspare battery toswap oftheiBook. To reach theiBook’s half hours–that ROM (inc. VAT), the Vaio costs awhopping£1,699with16xCD- cost. and weight e RW CD- now, aCD-ROM isyour onlyoption.Ifyou want right all theotherstuff you have tocarryround withyou. ofthemachine,it’s theweight just as data. Portability isn’t suppliespoweraswell the6-pinconnector that Macs boast LaCie’s PocketDrive), you have toaddanextra power supply. c either theoriginalornewiBook. as Oddly, thekeyboard istoy-like, andnothinglike assmart metalpencilcase. looks like agiant although Ithinkit andmaybe lesslikequite smart, atoythan1999’s iBook– iBook. The caselooks borrowed elements ofApple’s first original iBook)and2.5-hourbattery life. (as heavy asthe Other failings includeits3kg weight c looks anditscarry-handle. Like theother ‘think different’ Me), whichhastaken anotefrom Apple’s originaliBookon (650MHz Celeron; 64MBRAM; 10GBhard drive; Windows a fifth more thantheiBook… weighs swapping batteries betweenrecharging. Oh,yes, it any optionof two hoursbehindtheiBook’s, without tmore cumbersomebyincludingexternal extras. And, it netr oi o attoaddexternal storage (like –soifyouonnectors want omparable PClaptops, thisisavailable withCD-ROM only. xternal, third-party drive – adding further poundstoboth drivexternal, third-party –addingfurther indows ME)even hasaslightly larger screen (13.3inches), nt V-O racmiaino oh o utbuyan , DVD-ROM oracombination ofboth,you must oyde aeacul flposta ettheiBook beat Sony doeshave acouple oflaptopsthat Where theeverything-built-in iBookcosts from £1,099 Also, Sony equipsits Vaios with4-pinFireWire Sony’s obviously consumer-targeted QR10has Sony’s otheroptionisitsquirky new£979QR10laptop

ny n t siae atr iei uttwo-and-a- only. Anditsestimated battery life isjust C D-RW orDVD. AndtheFX101’s battery life stilllags nyad h ifrnei egt u makes only addsthedifference inweight, but pca okn tto htnot special dockingstation that drive, you’ll needtobuya fyuwn aCD-ROM If you want the optical-mediadrive. ee,Sn a etout level, Sony hasleft t egtdowntothis its weight lighter thantheiBook. which ishalfakilo 1.7kg (or3.75lbs), 2000) weighsjust drive; and Windows RA However, tokeep Pe screen, 700MHz active-matrix Z600 (samesize tr with.The start M; 15GBhard n tium 3;64MB page 79 Star Rating: Price: small cache. Cons: smart looks. X; software, includingMacOS connections you need;free DV inexpensive; CD-RWand Pros: (DVD/CD-RW) iBook Star Rating: Price: online AppleStore only. small cache;available from Cons: looks. X;smart including MacOS y capability; alltheconnections inexpensive; CD-RW Pros: (CD-RW) iBook Star Rating: Price: small cache. Cons: looks. DV X; software, includingMacOS connections you need;free inexpensive; allthe Pros: (DVD-ROM) iBook Star Rating: Price: limited RAMandcache. Cons: smart looks. X; software, includingMacOS connections you need; free inexpensive; allthe Pros: www.apple.com/uk (0800 0391010) Manufacturer: (CD-ROM) iBook ou need;free software, D videocapability;allthe D videocapability;smart Macworld Small; lightweight; Small; lightweight; Small; lightweight; Small; lightweight; No speedmerchant; No speedmerchant; No speedmerchant; Slowest iBook; (inc. VAT) £1,599 (inc. VAT) £1,399 (inc. VAT) £1,299 (inc. VAT) £1,099 Consumer portable UY20 77 JULY 2001 ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ Apple /8.7 /8.7 /8.7 /8.6 56KbpsM 10/100 FireWire USB VGA Audio/Composite-Video Out (AV) odem ethernet

And don’t forget Apple’s AirPort (IEEE 802.11) technology that gets you fast wireless networking and Web browsing up to 150ft away from your phone line or ethernet hub or router. No compromise vs flexibility Like the PowerBook, the iBook comes fully loaded: ethernet; CD, DVD, CD-RW or CD- RW/DVD combo; USB; FireWire; modem; Video Out; AV, etc. Adding all this stuff takes the Windows equivalents way over the 2.2kg barrier. And the iBook costs a whole lot less. Of course, there’s something to be said for the PC laptops’ flexibility. If you don’t need an optical drive, Vaio Z600 users can leave it at home or in the office, and lug a lot less dead weight around. Apple doesn’t want to go down this route, as it believes that none of its machines should be “compromised”. In any case, for the money, Apple’s new iBook is as light as any of today’s fully specified laptops – and it’s not even Apple’s pro system. iBook vs PowerBook In fact, many Mac professionals will prefer the iBook to the PowerBook. The PowerBook is super-fast and features super video, but is it worth the weight? The iBook (with 64MB of RAM) took almost twice as long as Performance Creative pros should plump for the lump. the 128MB iBooks to complete the Internet Explorer part of The PowerBook’s extra half a pound is certainly worthwhile the Speedmark test. This isn’t down to the rather limited for the additional performance boost guaranteed by the G4 memory, as the older 64MB/466MHz iBook SE came in at processor. Macworld Lab tests point to the 400MHz just under the score of the new 128MB/500MHz iBook. PowerBook G4 being at least 22 per cent faster than the Our tests revealed that one reason for the slower speeds new iBook, and the 500MHz PBG4 as 37 per cent faster. See on the new CD-ROM drive is that it has a 128K buffer size Consumer rival the above table “Mac portable performance” for more. compared to the 512K buffer of the older drives. That all the Sony’s think-different QR10 Vaio The latest PowerBook’s AltiVec-optimized G4 processor new iBooks (and those that preceded it) score around the Windows notebook took lessons counts for much of this extra oomph, but one of the new from Apple’s first iBook, but also page 80 iBook models really fell to the floor during our speed tests. weighs as much at 3kg.

Macworld JULY 2001 79 Actual size: 28.5cm wide

Actual size: 3.4cm thick 23cm deep

CD-ROM, DVD or CD-RW same as 1999’s 350MHz iMac despite much faster G3 chips The PowerBook is skinnier, however: 2.6cm (1 inch) thin (all of which have been optimized for OS X) could go with Apple’s new iBooks – they’ve got the lot Your choice of optical-media drive is down to the simple matter of less cache. The older iMac compared to the iBook’s 3.4cm (1.35 inches). Due to the CD- the next-generation operating system fulltime if their comes down to what you want had 512K level-2 cache (for speedy storage of frequently RW drive requiring a tray-loading drive, the iBook cannot printer, scanner and other peripherals are also supported – Model Price PowerPC Base Max Hard USB Fire Ethernet 56Kbps Screen type inc. VAT processor RAM RAM disk ports Wire modem and size to use your iBook for… and price. used data, to save the system constantly trawling for that take advantage of the PowerBook’s thinner slot-loading check with the manufacturers before going all-out X. There are two DVD-ROM and data between hard disk, RAM and processor); the iBooks mechanism. (This is also the reason that Power Macs still Of course, the iBooks also ship with Apple’s easy-to-use iBook 500 CD-ROM £1,099 500MHz G3 64MB 576MB 10GB * 2 1 10/100 Yes 12.1” TFT DVD-Video options (one with have half that amount, at 256K. have the tray-loaded CD drive; so roll on slot-loading iMovie 2 digital video editor, which works alongside a iBook 500 DVD-ROM £1,299 500MHz G3 128MB 640MB 10GB * 2 1 10/100 Yes 12.1” TFT CD-RW as well), a CD-RW Clearly, the new iBook is no speed merchant, although rewriteable CD drives.) camcorder’s FireWire (also known as i.Link and IEEE 1394) iBook 500 CD-RW £1,399 500MHz G3 128MB 640MB 10GB * 2 1 10/100 Yes 12.1” TFT model, and the entry-level its performance should be ample for nearly all consumer Input/output The iBook boasts the same full-size connection. iTunes 1.1.1 is also free and bundled with the iBook 500 CD-RW/DVD £1,599 500MHz G3 128MB 640MB 10GB * 2 1 10/100 Yes 12.1” TFT system that has CD-ROM only. and education-oriented operations. But it is definitely not keyboard and trackpad as the PowerBook, so there’s no loss iBooks. This digital-music jukebox software lets you make * 20GB option available on online Apple Store, for an extra £169 (inc. VAT). Because there are recordable for graphics or video pros. iMovie performance is fine; Final of comfort due to the tiny footprint. Two magnets at the MP3 playlists, rip music from CDs, and (with a CD-RW drive) options, the drive is tray-mounted Cut Pro’s isn’t. leading edge of the keyboard (closest to the screen) ensure burn your own music CDs, as well as graphically visualize – which isn’t as attractive and Screen size While the iBook’s smaller screen size won’t the keyboard is nice and firm, so there’s none of that the music as it plays. AppleWorks 6 is a suite of business Looks Apple has whitewashed its fancy colour policy safe as the PowerBook’s slot- bother those who use Word and a Web browser as their spongy nonsense you often get from laptop keyboards. applications (word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, with this new system. Its milky-white case is interrupted loading drive, but is pretty mainstays, graphics and video professionals will greatly Above the keyboard, on either side, are built-in stereo database, graphics) that is also bundled, alongside Web only by a metallic-grey band that’s sandwiched between robust all the same. appreciate the PowerBook’s 15.2-inch widescreen display. speakers. The sound is pretty good, and you can always add browsers and email clients from Microsoft and Netscape. the near-featureless top and bottom casing. There are a few The iBook’s 1,024-x-768-pixel resolution is actually quite Harman Kardon’s £139 SoundSticks (with iSub) for the full Cro-Mag Rally, Bugdom, Nanosaur are the free fun features to the otherwise minimal round-edged case. Battery bonus spacious, but the PowerBook’s 1,152-x-768 supplies much- iTunes audio experience at home. games included alongside the more serious stuff. There’s a glowing crystal Apple logo that sits the right-way As with the original iBook, the needed space for those palette-crazy Like the PowerBook’s, the new iBook’s trackpad is a lot Cables Unlike the PowerBook G4, the iBook doesn’t up when facing away from you, and a pulsing light sleep battery is mounted in the bottom applications. more robust and responsive than the original iBook’s. The come with a FireWire cable. Buying one of these costs about light embedded in the central grey strap. of the unit. But, thankfully, the If the native 1,024-x-768-pixel addition of a built-in microphone is also a bonus, although £25. And the iBook requires a special £15 AV cable to The colour (or rather lack of it) is reminiscent of the new battery is smaller and a lot resolution of the screen makes icons and a separate USB-based mic is still the superior option. connect to your TV or VCR. now-discontinued Snow iMac. As a portable, it’s bound to easier to remove via a single coin text too small for you, note that all Sound The iBook’s stereo speakers are a big RAM If you buy the CD-ROM model, plan on buying at get scratched, but these don’t stand out as much as they screw instead of two. A series of lower resolutions have to be created improvement on the original’s, and are even noticeably least an extra 64MB of RAM (to take it to 128MB). This will would have on a coloured plastic case. LEDs tells you at a glance how via pixel interpolation – small pixels clearer than even the PowerBook G4’s. cost you £80 (inc. VAT) at the online Apple Store, but just The iBook also shares the same magnetic catch, and the much charge the iBook has left. emulating larger pixels – and the £28.50 from Crucial Technology (www.crucial.com/uk); rounded metal release button. results can be blocky and fuzzy. Optical media alternatively, call around the mail-order dealers at the back Video The AV port lets you show The new iBook comes as just one G3 speed: 500MHz. The of Macworld, making sure that you state that it’s for the Macworld’s buying advice your movies and presentations to options are all to do with memory (see above) and types of 500MHz iBook. The new iBook has real consumer best effect on a big-screen TV. If optical-media drives. Your drive choice will also affect speed The base RAM (either 64MB or 128MB) is soldered to the pulling power due to its lightweight, you have one of the DVD iBooks, (see above), but not by enough to worry you greatly. logic board, leaving one free DIMM slot for adding extra. cute case. And, unlike the old iBook, it you can watch your DVD movies The low-end model (£1,099 inc. VAT) has a CD-ROM This single free DIMM slot means you’re better off buying as can also pass as a pro laptop. With via the iBook as well. However, drive built-in. This should suit most users, but those who large a RAM DIMM as possible now rather than a 64MB one its fully ticked list of technical if you want to watch a lot of want to watch movies on long-haul flights or even longer- now and having to replace that later with a larger one. specifications, the iBook is perfect DVDs at home – on a long-haul flight is haul short British train journeys should splash out the extra Crucial is offering a 256MB DIMM (to add to the 64MB or for people who want to start another matter entirely – we’d recommend a £200 on the DVD-ROM model. As you’re likely to be on the 128MB) for £122. making digital home movies, separate DVD player and home-cinema system. move a lot, you may find yourself in need of removable playlist their own CDs and get The PowerBook’s S-Video output port is also superior to recordable media for those situations when email and FTP Design connected to the Internet – as the iBook’s AV port. S-Video separates information into two just won’t stretch. Here, Apple provides you with two Strength One of the strong points of the original iBook was well as move their computer signals: Chrominance (which separates colour options. There’s a CD-RW model for £1,399, and a £1,599 its robust casing, which had co-moulded rubber bumpers to around with them whenever information); and Luminance (brightness). This prevents CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo model that lets you watch (not save its exposed edges from the usual knocks and bumps they want. colour bleeding and dot crawl, and increases clarity and burn) DVD movies and record CD-RW and CD-R discs. consumers and students subject laptops to. Despite the lack And the RGB video sharpness. For most of us, though, the iBook’s AV port will If there’s any chance that you’ll require a DVD system, of rubber bumpers, Apple claims that this new iBook is output lets you mirror your easily be sufficient. then go for either of the DVD solutions now – as Apple’s twice as durable as the old iBook. work to a larger external Memory Heavy-duty applications require a stack of software doesn’t support movies on external DVD drives. The new case is made from “impact-resistant” display or projector, memory, as well as a G4 processor. The PowerBook comes You can buy the CD-ROM version and add an external CD- polycarbonate plastic. Inside, it’s further strengthened with when you based in your with at least 128MB of RAM, expandable to 1GB. The entry- RW (rather slow USB versions from around £200; better a magnesium frame, which adds sturdiness and reduces home, school, or office. level iBook comes with 64MB of RAM, which really requires FireWire versions from £269) easily enough. But internal is weight. To give the iBook even greater “bump tolerance”, Forget the hype an immediate upgrade to at least 128MB – especially if always best for true portability, so stump up for the built-in Apple rubber-mounts the hard drive. As with the original about cheaper, lighter you’re considering upgrading to Mac OS X in the near 8-speed CD-RW if you possibly can. iBook, there are no protruding latches or levers to snap off. Windows equivalents – future. (See “Extra value and extra costs” below). Sadly, the handle has gone – but it’s fairly easy to tuck under none can match Apple’s Size With its smaller screen, the iBook can be a lot Extra value and extra costs your arm when walking about, and now looks less like a iBook on features per pound (both in cost and littler than its pro sibling. In fact, the iBook is only slightly Free software Every iBook will ship with both Mac OS 9.1 plastic handbag. weight). Graphics pros (and serious lightweight metal larger than its (12.1-inch diagonal) screen. It’s 28.5cm wide and OS X (previously on sale separately for £99) installed. A primary hinge (see above) connects the top and heads) should still pay the extra for the speedier, larger- (compared to the PowerBook’s 34.1cm), and 23cm deep 9.1 will be the default operating system, but you can boot bottom of the case. The firm, thick hinge swings the screen screened titanium PowerBook, but the rest of us should (PB: 24.1cm). This makes the iBook even better than the in X whenever you want to. back and down, behind the computer’s back edge, which praise the fact that, after years of waiting, we all now have PB G4 for air travel work and play. Consumers who just use iMovie, iTunes and AppleWorks lowers its overall height when open. the option to go portable. MW

80 Macworld JULY 2001 Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month. Macworld JULY 2001 81 PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKE LAYE Hi-res flats By David Fanning Flat-panel LCD monitorsassessedandrated. were ontheway However, out. soonafter traditional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) displays andthat displays madewouldbeLCDs – future seemedpossiblemost it so that W All prices inthis feature exclude VAT at 17.5per cent prices were infreefall –somuch r hen weran theLCD flat-panel ound-up acouple ofyears ago, are betterandmore affordable thanever. Big Ron wouldsay –becauseLCD displays c and soon,flat-panels were prohibitively feature, climbing, pricesagainstarted that ostly. Well, it’s déjàvuallover again–as hsi ra news for everyone barhard- This isgreat page 84 Macworld

UY20 83 JULY 2001

flat-panel monitors flat-panel centre: test score specs buying advice design of purchase. toyour choice any otherfactors relevant encapsulating theseindividualscores, plus StarRatingperformance. isanoverall score, of specificaspects 0-10, andreflect qualityscores runfrom Bar-chart Product scores 84 Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company y Studio Display. However, if the desktopdécorwitha plenty ofreasonstocomplete only £449.Cubeowners have affordable option–it’s now Studio Display isthemore Cinema Display-envy, this If you’re suffering from Apple 15-inchStudioDisplay not nearlyaspretty. get somethingcheaper–but edge design,thenyou can without thefrillsandleading- alue 15 inch ou want anLCD display Macworld

JULY 2001 ▲ ★★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 0800 0391010 www.apple.com/uk Apple £449 None ADC 1,024-x-768 pixels 15 inches Studio Display Apple ❚ ❚ 9 9 10 /9.1 choice for you. – somethingthatmakes the Display isnow £65cheaper is thattheAppleStudio mode. The onlyproblem ability topivot toportrait and speakers, aswell asthe include afour-port USBhub NEC cheapielacks.These it hasmany extras thatthe the cheapestavailable screen, misses outtoothers onbeing W Iiyama TXA3834MT Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company alue hile the15-inchIiyama just ra Unlike CRT monitors, LCD screens are digital Digital oranalogue? CR co of priceandperformance. blend successfullyproduce thebest most head-to-head todeterminewhich ones from 15 manufacturers. We testedthem F r uninitiated, becauseLCD displays are still an LCD monitorisatoughtaskfor the figure inprofessional workflowsituations. r there’swith goodhard-copy proofing, no angle affects thecolours displayed. However, on colour-critical workbecausetheviewing superior colour fidelity. LCDs canfall down elatively uncommon compared to CRTs. allwhy adecent-quality LCD can’t eason at rti etCentre, wesecured 26models or this Test ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 01438 745482 www.iiyama.co.uk Iiyama £515 speakers F VGA 1,024-x-768 pixels 15 inches TXA3834MT Iiyama ther thananalogue. Until recently, most re our-port USBhub; Ts F

grn htconstitutes qualityin iguring what

designers, whoare likely tostickwith c m htmay becauseoftheir ome what ❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ 7 7 7 /7.3 Search Macworld’s Reviews databaseonline( with manualadjustments. picture. This was achieved only f 530L –itsautoset-up function navigate, but–like theNokia mounted controls aresimpleto with notrouble. Itsfront- blend intomostsurroundings beauty competitions,butwill counterpart. Itwon’t winany the sameasitslarger this 15-inchBelineaismuch Plain, simpleandtothepoint, Maxdata Belinea1015 Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company Star Rating V Design/control Image quality ailed toproduce aperfect alue ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 01344 788900 www.maxdata.co.uk Maxdata £399 None VGA 1,024-x-768 pixels 15 inches Belinea 1015 Maxdata www.macworld.co.uk ❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ ❚ 9 6 7 /7.7 reeatwithLCD screens. Flat-panels irrelevant the capabilitiesofaCRT monitor –isentirely ex for LCDs thanfor CRTs. Forlittle different from thechaff isa thewheat out Sorting Flicker ofhope and analogueconnection. more screens thanever offer bothadigital with themajorityofcomputers. This year, c ananalogue digital, they usuallysport another level ofcomplication. adds it there are adaptorsavailable, but aninsurmountable problem, as This isn’t screens –except, ofcourse, Apple’s own. digital incompatible withmost in aformat Macs have acquired adigitaloutput,but to control CRT monitors.Now, desktop c neto ota they’re compatible sothat onnection omputers hadonlyanalogueoutput ample, refresh rate –agoodmeasure of While LCD screens are inherently ), updatedthroughout themonth. is closinginonvalue. with aCRT onprice.ButApple seen anLCD thatcancompete plain, butit’s thefirst timeI’ve the same.It’s designmay be quality andresolutionisjust f LG T at almosttwicetheprice. model andmany oftheothers between thisbargain£399 T NEC MultiSyncLCD 1530V Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company Star Rating V Design/control Image quality eatures, buttheirimage alue he Applemodelsandthe here’s nomajordifference

screen may have extra ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 0870 1201160 www.nec-monitors.com NEC £399 None VGA 1,024-x-768 pixels 15 inches Multisync 1530V NEC ❚❚❚ ❚❚ ❚ 9 7 8 /8.3 r a willalways lookbadifdisplayed at text work wellenoughwithpictures, but might translated into thenative resolution. This allbe resolutions, they must different and, althoughyou may beabletodisplay numberofpixels, panels. There are aset R Resolution ra r isascreen that has passedby. The result opposed tofading after thecathode ray remains –as illuminated onanLCD, it appearsinstantly. Onceapixel is it doeswithtraditional monitors.Instead, it scandownthescreen as image doesn’t suffer from flicker, becausethe don’t them. need alargerdesktohold and amonitor, butyou would could buybothatelevision money the150MBcosts,you y can watch during your lunchhour, you TV tuner. This meansthat, the extra outlay isitsbuilt-in display –butthereasonfor ov T Samsung SyncMaster150MB Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company slto htintthe native one.Ifyou isn’t esolution that miserlyrefresh emains flicker-free, even at esolution isalsohandleddifferently inflat alue ou eatyour lunch.Forthe he SyncMasterseems tes of60Hz. erpriced for a15-inchLCD Neighbours ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ co.uk, 0800521652 www.samsungelectronics. £880 video inputs speakers; remote control; V 1,024-x-768 pixels 15 inches SM150MB Samsung GA, S-video,RCA video; ❚❚❚ ❚❚ ❚ 7 9 8 /8.3 while page 86 yo close onspecsorstyling.If – butitdoesn’t even come Apple 17-inchStudioDisplay’s comparable withthatofthe 15-inch screen’s is T Sharp LL1510A that offer thesamespecs. there arecheaperscreens o ev is ano-brainer. The Sharpisn’t compatible Mac,thechoice Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company alue he priceofthisquality wners ofolderMacs,as en aclear-cut choicefor u’ ve

a StudioDisplay- I f though, meansthatthereisahigh v themselves withthedirection crystals areformed, they align with avelvet cloth,andwhenthe polymer onthesubstrateisrubbed liquid crystalsonthesubstrate.The L a principlecalledatomicbeam crystal moleculesinsideflat-panel LCDs, ailure-rate ofscreens. IBM strikeswhileionishot... ★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 0800 1388879 www.sharp.co.uk Sharp £699 Tw V 1,024-x-768 pixels 15 inches LL1510A Sharp elvet was rubbed.This method, CD-manufacture usesvelvet toalign GA x2 o-port USBhub T (liquid crystaldisplays). Traditional manufacturing process for LCDs BM hasuncovered acost-cutting he new techniqueinvolves aligning ❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ ❚❚ /6.4 6 7 8 down incost. the ViewSonic may well come “IBM strikes whileionishot”) price war widelyexpected (see consider isthat,withanLCD Display. However, onethingto more expensive thantheStudio NEC 15-inchmodel,andeven now it’s £200morethanthe high afew monthsago–but speakers wouldn’t have seemed screen thatincorporates T Vi Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company his costofthisplain,15-inch alue e wSonic ViewPanel VP150m ★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ com 0800833648 www.viewsoniceurope. Vi £599 Speakers; pivoted screen D 1,024-x-768 pixels 15 inches VP150m Vi VI, VGA e e wSonic wSonic ❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ /6.5 5 7 7 other manufacturers. is likely tolicensethetechnology lower too. rate willbelower, pricesshouldbe displays next year. Becausethefailure higher-quality, higher-resolution LCD surface carbonatoms. with ions,pushingasidemany ofthe layer ofcarbon,whichisbombarded substrate, themethodreliesonathin align thecrystals.Insteadofapolymer contact atomic-beambeingusedto alignment (ABA). This involves anon- IBM holdsthepatentfor ABA, but ABA meansIBMwillbeginmaking Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company unsuitable for everyday use. desirable, makingit screen morereflective thanis screen feature makes the quality isOK,butthetouch- we from ELO’s Web site–before needed anupdate–available installation. The software it idealfor interactive-booth touch-screen display, making others ontestbecauseit’s a T ELO TouchSystems 15.1 inch alue his modeldiffers from all

got itworking. Screen

Macworld ★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚ 01793 573344 www.elotouch.co.uk ELO £809 speakers T VGA 1,024-x-768 pixels 15.1 inches T ELO ▲ ouch-screen; ouchscreen UY20 85 JULY 2001 ❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ /6.9 7 7 6 score specs buying advice design 86 fe is thattheFL885’s autoset-up w tested itonavideoand there’s noTVsignal–butwe Centre isinabasementand tuner. The Macworld Test of theseisthebuilt-in TV additional features. The best It’s elegantandhasplentiful beautifully designedscreen. LG For thesecondtimethisyear, LG Flatron FL885 Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company 15.1 inch alue orked well. Onedownside ature was slightlyoff-mark. LG’s Flatron caneitherrest onthespike attheback, orwiththespike inastand.Eitherway, it looksfantastic. Spike lean

has surpriseduswitha

Macworld ▲ JULY 2001 ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 0870 6075544 www.lge.co.uk LG Electronics £899 TV tuner;remote control V D 1,024-x-768 pixels 15.1 inches Flatron FL885 LG Electronics ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ideo VI, VGA SCART and ❚❚❚ ❚❚ 7 10 8 /8.6 and Appleprices. now outofstepwiththeNEC built-in speakers –itsprice is attractive extras –suchas Although ithassome width andsharpnesscontrols. achieved by fiddlingwiththe perfect picture.This was only f although theauto-adjustment system iseasytonavigate, and neatlydesigned.Itsmenu T Nokia 530L Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company eature didfail toproduce a alue he Nokiaisnicelycompact ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 0800 833648 www.viewsoniceurope.com Vi £649 Speakers V 1,024-x-768 pixels 15.1 inches 530L Nokia GA digital e wsonic ❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ ❚❚ 6 7 8 /7.2 Search Macworld’s Reviews databaseonline( its priceseven further. it ano-contestuntilSony drops dropped even further–making 15-inch StudioDisplay has £300 from lastyear, butthe Display. The pricehasfallen alternative totheAppleStudio any angle,anditisaviable screen looksgoodfrom screen-image onitsultra-thin and ashigh-techever. The y Although theSDM-N50isa Sony SDM-N50 Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company Star Rating V Design/control Image quality alue ear old,itstilllooksasfresh ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 08705 424 www.sony-cp.com Sony £799 Speakers V 1,024-x-768 pixels 15.1 inches SDM-N50 Sony ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ GA x2 www.macworld.co.uk ❚❚❚❚ ❚ 6 10 9 /8.4 give you only thediagonalscreen- LCD displaysappearing onlyinsmallprint. viewable-areaon –withtheactual size themodelwillbesold of thetubeiswhat displays. With traditional displays, thesize panelsthanCRT understand withflat iseasierto Screen size isone thingthat Size does matter OS X. larger screen –orperhapstryout tiny icons, thengofor a up tolookingat r screen- thing todoispay for thebiggest r a problem, asOS X allows icons tobe early adopterofMacOS X, thenthisisnot your preference. If, however, you’resuit an v an LCD. Becausetraditional monitorshave on aCRT, you may beinfor ashockwith size aparticular are usedtoseeingicons at esolution you canafford. Ifyour eyes aren’t esized toyour requirements. The simplest ariable resolutions, you canchangethisto ), updatedthroughout themonth.

17.3 inch

video-cards. is slower thanthelatest3D drawback, astheProformance III card.This issomethingofa included FormacProformance is compatibleonlywiththe a multitudeofpalettes.It graphics appsthatinvolve f wide-screen format isgreat against thecompetition.Its in thetooth,itholdsupwell Although thismodelislong Silicon Graphics 1600SW Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company Star Rating V Design/control Image quality or displaying videoor alue ▲ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 020 85334040 www.formac.co.uk F £1,545 Proformance IIIcard Digital 1,600-x-1,024 pixels 17.3 inches SGI 1600SW SGI ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ormac ❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ ❚ 6 7 9 /7.5 sizes, besure tocompare theviewable areas. measured. When comparing LCD withCRT measurement, soonlytheviewable area is been toolstoaccurately calibrate LCD c Apple claimsitsscreens are finefor high-end Colour critical important. co manually. Consequently, goodadjustment it sometimes you candoabetterjobbydoing fe Many screenstext. have anauto-adjust ve W pixels. to line-uptheimagewithcorrect input, there willbesometweakinginvolved When adigitaldisplay hasananalogue A questionofcontrol lu ok u onlyrecently have there olour work,but Studio Display. the slightlysmaller17-inch save around £200by buying offers much.Butyou could It’s dull,butfor themoney, speakers, andvideoinput. resolution, afour-port hub, with 1,280-x-1,024 get afull17.4-inchscreen However, for theprice,you supermodel screensontest. compared tosomeofthe T Iiyama AS4431D Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company 17.4 inch a ithout this tweaking, greys andfine thistweaking, ithout nt r alue he Iiyama isdumpy

ture totake care ofthis, although tical-lines canbecome noisyanddistort

r ols – particularly forols –particularly thisfeature –are ▲ ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 01438 745482 www.iiyama.co.uk Iiyama £895 speakers; videoinputs F V 1,280-x-1,024 pixels 17.4 inches AS4431D Iiyama our-port USBhub; GA, DVI, video ❚❚❚ ❚❚ ❚ 9 7 8 /8.3 model isworth every penny. T desktop iconsbecomesmaller. high resolution,means drawback isthat,usingits compared tothe880.The only resolution, it’s abargain and, consideringitsidentical space. Itspriceislower too, the 880–butinasmaller pixels asitslargersibling– offers thesameamountof T T Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company axan CrystalVision 780 he £200saving onthebigger he 780’s 17.4-inchscreen alue is comparable. range darker thanwithanLCD, thecontrast because theblacks onaCRT screen are downto103candelas, but, electron went in brightness to108candelas. The LaCie Cinema Display was dramatically reduced LCD or CRT, andthe ofascreen, beit output to holdthiscalibrated state for three years. though Barco claimstobeable toaconservative 75candelas, of CRTs are set luminance of158candelas. The Barco range LaCie electron 22–whichoutputsawhite candelas, compared withaCRT –suchasthe the CinemaDisplay hasluminanceof180 much brighter. Anuncalibrated LCD suchas CR to CRTs for colour accuracy? monitors. So, howdoLCD screens compare Ts C LCDs are betterthan The theorythat

alibration bynecessitylowerstheraw ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 01344 484646 www.taxan.co.uk T £949 F V 1,280-x-1,024 pixels 17.4 inches 780TCO99 CrystalVision T f axan axan our-port USBhub rclu ioso h atta they’re that or colour pivots onthefact GA x2 ❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ ❚❚ 8 7 7 /7.6 Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company category. cost ofmodelsinthe18.1-inch favourab inch model,andcomparesvery one machine.This isa17.4- designers whoown morethan should prove popularwith Web switchable –somethingthat dual inputsthatareeasily looking light-grey case.Ithas screen thatsitsinaclean- w T Vi alue he ViewPanel offers simple, ell-designed controls ona e wSonic ViewPanel VG175 ly onpricewiththe page 88 ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ Vi ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 0800 833648 .com www.viewsoniceurope Vi £899 Pivot V 1,280-x-1,024 pixels 17.4 inches V GA x2 G175 e ew wSonic sonic ❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ ❚ 9 7 7 /7.9 Star Rating V Design/control Image quality Contact Price Extra features Connection Resolution Screen Model Company – afirst for LCD screens. maximum colour-control f BlueEye calibratoravailable soon beaversion ofthe models sport.There willalso reflection-hood thatitsCRT ev is anexcellent screen,and but itsLCD debut,thePhoton, insufficient for colourwork – the available LCD technology LaCie previously considered LaCie Photon18blue

18 inch or thePhoton,giving alue

en sportstheremovable Macworld ▲ ★★★★ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 020 78728000 www.lacie.com LaCie £1,499 calibrator tofollow. Hood; BlueEye colour V 1,280-x-1,024 pixels 18 inches Photon18blue LaCie GA, DVI-to-ADC UY20 87 JULY 2001 ❚❚❚ ❚❚❚ ❚ 7 7 9 /7.8 ▲ ▲ 18.1 inch 19.6 inch 22 inch ▲ design

Eizo FlexScan L675 Maxdata Belinea 10 18 10 NEC MultiSync LCD 1850DX Nokia 800 Pro+ Sharp LL-T1810SA Taxan CrystalVision 880 Eizo FlexScan L771 LG Electronics Flatron 22 This 18.1-inch screen offers Another light-grey cased Functionally, this model is At 18.1 inches, this screen is The T1810 is a luxuriously big The CrystalVision’s cabling is This is a big screen, offering The new 22-inch Flatron is the a much thinner border than screen that is simplicity itself. similar to the Eizo 18.1-inch the big brother of the 503L. It screen, yet looks “light on its hidden neatly at its rear, a whopping 19.5-inches of first flat-panel monitor to rival most of the other screens on However, this 18.1-inch screen model. It has dual inputs, looks the same as the 503L – footprint”. The styling is clean, adding to its sleekness – screen-space, and a 1,600-x- the Apple Cinema Display in test, making for a noticeably offers the same resolution as either of which can be used boasting a wheel-controlled if not head-turning, and it although packing them in to 1,200-pixel desktop. This is the size. It also sports matching smaller case. The swivel- the 17.4-inch models, so you in digital or analogue mode. menu for settings – and offers a built-in two-port hub. the tight allotted space was equivalent of a 22-inch CRT speakers that stand either side action screen can be twisted don’t get any extra screen real- It also shares the same narrow also incorporates a USB This adds to the clean lines, not plain sailing. The controls monitor. However, unlike a CRT of the deliciously designed for portrait viewing, and it estate. In light of this, the cost border, which makes for a hub and front-mounted by discreetly connecting your worked well and the dual-input of this size, there’s no blurring screen. If both the Cinema buying advice has dual digital-connections of that extra inch is quite high, smaller, neater screen, and has speakers. Although its price mouse. One thing that most will win it many Web-designer in the corners or convergence Display and the Flatron were that can double as analogue but not as high as most of the the ability to swivel. The only is reasonable compared to 18.1-inch screens include that friends who use two machines problems. As one of the few the same price then they connections. Add to this the other 18.1-inch models. If you real difference is that its most 18.1-inch screens with this model lacks is a digital on the same desk. The price screens that out-performs many would be neck and neck. fact that the auto-settings need the extra inch, this is a software support is a bit flaky. dual digital-inputs, a 17.4-inch interface. This would be a is good for a screen this size. CRTs on large, high-resolution But there’s a £1,000 price button works perfectly, and fair choice from the 18.1-inch Otherwise, it is an excellent screen still offers similar useful addition. The price is The USB hub makes it images, it’s a worthwhile – if difference – and no amount of you’ve got a top flat panel. category of flat-panels. and well-presented screen. specs at a much lower price. high, considering the features. convenient, as well as neat. expensive – purchase. fancy design can justify that.

Company Eizo Company Maxdata Company NEC Company Nokia Company Sharp Company Taxan Company Eizo Company LG Electronics Model L675 Model Belinea 10 18 10 Model Multisync 1850DX Model 800 Pro+ Model LL-T810SA Model Crystalvision 880 Model L771 Model Flatron 22 Screen 18.1 inches Screen 18.1 inches Screen 18.1 inches Screen 18.1 inches Screen 18.1 inches Screen 18.1 inches Screen 19.6 inches Screen 8 inches Resolution 1,280-x-1,024 pixels Resolution 1,280-x-1,024 pixels Resolution 1,280-x-1,024 pixels Resolution 1,280-x-1,024 pixels Resolution 1,280-x-1,024 pixels Resolution 1,280-x-1,024 pixels Resolution 1,600-x-1,200 pixels Resolution 1,600-x-1,024 pixels Connection DVI/VGA x2 Connection VGA, video Connection DVI/VGA x2 Connection VGA digital Connection VGA x2 Connection VGA x2 Connection DVI/VGA x2 Connection DVI, VGA and video specs Extra features Four-port USB hub; Extra features Speakers Extra features None Extra features USB hub; speakers Extra features Two-port USB hub Extra features Four-port USB hub Extra features Four-port USB hub; Extra features Speakers speakers; screen pivot. Price £1,099 Price £1,649 Price £1,749 Price £1,899 Price £1,149 speakers Price £2,799 Price £1,439 Contact Maxdata Contact NEC Contact Viewsonic Contact Sharp Contact Taxan Price £2,229 Contact LG Electronics Contact Eizo www.maxdata.co.uk www.nec-monitors.com www.viewsoniceurope.com www.sharp.co.uk www.taxan.co.uk Contact Eizo www.lge.co.uk www.eizo.co.uk 01344 788 900 0870 120 1160 0800 833 648 0800 138 8879 01344 484 646 www.eizo.co.uk 0870 607 5544 01483 719 500 01484 719 500

Image quality ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 9 Image quality ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 8 Image quality ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 8 Image quality ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 8 Image quality ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 8 Image quality ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 7 Image quality ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 9 Image quality ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 8 Design/control ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 8 Design/control ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 6 Design/control ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 7 Design/control ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 7 Design/control ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 7 Design/control ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 8 Design/control ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 7 Design/control ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 10 Value ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 7 Value ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 9 Value ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 7 Value ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 7 Value ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 6 Value ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 8 Value ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 7 Value ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 4 score Star Rating ★★★★/8.2 Star Rating ★★★★/7.8 Star Rating ★★★★/7.6 Star Rating ★★★★/7.5 Star Rating ★★★★/7.5 Star Rating ★★★★/7.9 Star Rating ★★★★/8.0 Star Rating ★★★★/7.3

Contrast is pretty much the same, you’re in a small minority that takes colour Additional features Having a hub built into your monitor keeps though blacks are a little dusty on LCD seriously. If, like most people, you performed There are important features with LCD cable clutter to a minimum. screens. Colour accuracy tests show the an initial calibration with the Monitors screens that are not easily compared. For CRTs ahead on this score. Faithful colour- Control Panel – and do so once a year – then instance, the LG and the Samsung 15-inch Can your office justify the expense? reproduction is still something that CRTs the minor inaccuracies of an LCD screen will screens have built-in TV tuners. This is Although still pricier than CRTs, there are hold sway on. be no hardship for you. Lots of people seem fantastic if you want them, but useless if two good reasons why flat-panel displays Colour is also less uniform on LCD to want colour calibration, but relatively few you work in a basement with no TV signal. are a good idea for offices. Heat output screens than on CRTs, blighted by light use it. So, unless you actually use calibration Other more common bonus features include is one. A large CRT monitor can get pretty and dark patches. This is because LCDs must properly, don’t worry that LCD isn’t good speakers and USB hubs. Speakers are always warm, and an office full of them will end be lit with a light source, while CRTs create enough for you. handy, although sound quality is unlikely up feeling like a sauna, unless the air- the light and colour with the same light to match a pair of good external speakers, conditioning is cranked up. Flat-panel source. Quality on cheaper LCDs also suffers The price is right? such as harmon kardon’s SoundSticks. But displays use up to 60 per cent less energy, when viewing the screen from an angle, The price of LCD panels is as volatile as RAM compared to the Mac’s weedy internal making for a cooler office and considerably whereupon the colours change. It’s less of prices. Presently, prices are as low as they speaker, it’s likely to be an improvement. lower electricity bills. a problem with modern LCD displays, but have been – and analysts are widely A USB hub is a helpful feature. A two-port Space is another issue. A 22-inch CRT can still make a difference with colour- predicting a further flat-panel price war. hub is just enough to connect a keyboard will swamp most desks, but even a big LCD critical work. As with all volatile markets, you need luck and mouse. If the screen houses a four-port screen leaves plenty of elbow room. An Before you throw your hands up and when making a purchase: if you buy now, hub, you’ll be able to connect extra gadgets, office full of LCDs can mean being able to fit your flat panel out, there’s another matter prices may continue to fall through the floor; such as a Palm cradle or printer. Although a more people into the same space – thus to consider. Are you one of the elite that if you hesitate, they may go through the four-port hub costs only about £30, it does keeping the accountants happy. regularly calibrates your monitor? If so, then roof. mean having more gadgets on your desktop. page 90

88 Macworld JULY 2001 Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month. Macworld JULY 2001 89 22 inch ▲ editors’ choice ▲

Port-tastic Apple’s dual-USB ports Apple Cinema Display means peripherals can plug The daddy of all flat-panel straight into the display. displays. It does have some quirks – not least that it works only with Macs equipped with an Apple Display Connector Apple 17-inch Studio Display (ADC). Although this is good With its recent price cuts and a new 17-inch for excluding PC users from Studio Display, Apple has captured stealthily our lovely Apple designs, it the LCD market for Macs. The 15-inch Studio also excludes those with a Mac Display is great – and, although now cheap older than about a year. Its enough for most people to afford, is too price may have fallen, but it’s small for graphics pros. They are more likely still pricey. But nice things cost to go for the 22-inch Cinema Display – but money. at £1,799, hardly anyone else will. The new 17-inch Studio Display is a perfect halfway house, slotting neatly into a large market. It Company Apple Company Apple not only competes with most other 17-inch Model Cinema Display Model 17-inch Studio Display LCDs on price, but beats them hands down, Screen 22 inches Screen 17 inches being £200 cheaper than the nearest model. Resolution 1,600-x-1,024 pixels Resolution 1,280-x-1,024 pixels Even though it’s almost half an inch smaller Connection ADC Connection ADC than the 17.4-inch class, the difference is Extra features Two-port self-powered Extra features Two-port self-powered minimal – and certainly worth the £200 saving. USB hub USB hub On top of this, it’s cool looking – with all the Price £1,799 Price £699 class of the Cinema Display, but in a slightly Contact Apple Contact Apple smaller package. www.apple.com/uk www.apple.com/uk It has enough screen real estate to 0800 039 1010 0800 039 1010 accommodate most desktop furniture. In fact, the chances are that it offers more room than Image quality ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 10 Image quality ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 10 your current CRT display. Even if you have a Design/control ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 9 Design/control ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 9 22-inch CRT, a resolution of 1,280-x-1,024 Value ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 7 Value ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ 10 pixels isn’t always very crisp. On the 17-inch ★★★★★ ★★★★★ Studio Display, though, the same resolution is Star Rating /9.0 Star Rating /9.3 always crystal clear.

Macworld’s buying advice the 22-inch Apple Cinema Display. But this With so many excellent monitors, it’s hard isn’t a problem if you have a new Mac. to choose clear winners, though Apple has At the other end of the scale, the done well. We tested no bad screens as Cinema Display is still the best-looking such, although a few are overpriced. screen on the planet. The price has come Due to the latest round of price cuts down for this model too – now it’s a mere Apple is now the leader of the LCD pack. £1,799. A runner-up was the 19.6-inch The Studio Display has always been a thing Eizo, which has an even-higher resolution. of beauty, but now that its price has fallen However, even though it’s a great screen, it to the point where it’s in the same price just can’t compete on looks, and the price is band as its 15-inch competitors – meaning already out of step with the rest of the big they don’t stand a chance. It may still be screens. a bit more expensive, but if you can afford Mention should also be made of the two this, you’d be a fool to miss out. The only TV/LCD models – the LG and the Samsung. drawback with the Apple screens is their These are of an excellent quality and are ADC (Apple Display Connector) connection. extremely well designed. Their TV capability ADC carries both digital and analogue video will appeal to many. The bottom line, signals, USB and control signals, and power though, is that there are no bad flat-panel for the 17-inch Apple Studio Display, the displays – only bad prices. Comparative 15-inch flat-panel Apple Studio Display, or shopping will unearth a bargain. MW

90 Macworld JULY 2001 Inside the OS X extras

pple has provided not only a Address Book Get the scoop on five useful completely new operating system but For Apple to call Address Book an application A also a collection of new applications is somewhat misleading. This is not what used applications that come with and utilities to show it off. Like the MacPaint to be called, in pre-handheld days, a “personal and MacWrite programs on the earliest Macs, information manager,” or PIM. Address Book Apple’s new operating system. the new Mac OS X applications exist as much is not what you’ll use to address your holiday to demonstrate the promise (and polish) of newsletter or to keep track of birthdays. Rather, By James Bradbury, OS X as to do their primary jobs. Address Book is like a part of Apple’s Mail Take the Clock application. Despite its application (see Mail review, page 98) that has Brett Larson and John Rizzo location in the Utilities folder, its actual utility been split off into its own app – like Joanie is debatable. After all, if you want to know Loves Chachi was spun off from Happy Days. what time it is, you need only glance at the Every email program has some kind right side of the menu bar. But when you adjust of address book where you can keep the transparency of Clock’s analogue display a list of email addresses that you so that it floats faintly over a document frequently use. Address Book provides window without obscuring your work, the that functionality in stand-alone elegance of OS X’s Aqua interface is undeniably form. Its primary purpose at present is apparent. A similar claim can be made about to provide address-book functionality the updated Stickies application. No, the world to Mail, but there’s no reason it couldn’t hasn’t been clamouring for a better, prettier work with other email programs or interact Stickies app, but this one sure looks cool. directly with your handheld in the future. Given the resources Apple surely invested Address Book supports the vCard specification just to get the first version of OS X out for personal information – a standard endorsed the door, it’s a little surprising that apps by everyone from Microsoft to Palm. as non-utilitarian as Clock or as inessential Address Book lets you save individual as the Chess program were included at all. addresses as vCards, essentially electronic But most of Apple’s OS X applications serve business cards. They can be sent (by email more practical needs. Console, Process Viewer, or IR beam) as files and then imported into Terminal, and NetInfo Manager, for instance, applications such as Address Book by dragging help Unix and network geeks get their work and dropping. done. Internet Connect, Grab, QuickTime Putting it in contacts When you open Player, Image Capture, Calculator, and TextEdit Address Book, a window lists all of your take care of basic functions – often far more contacts. This view lets you see only each elegantly than their predecessors. Showing its contact’s name, phone number, and email commitment to open-source standards, Apple address. To view more information, you must includes Applet Launcher (for Java applets), too. open a contact’s record. Here’s a look at the most-important There are two easy ways to add contacts. applications that come with OS X. And to help One is to import them from a tab-delimited you get some OS X dirt under your nails while list. If you keep email addresses in a PIM such you wait for Carbon apps to appear later this as Palm Desktop, it’s easy to save your contacts year, we’ve also included some tips on using them. continues page 96

Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month. Macworld JULY 2001 95 in a text file and then use Address Book’s File: Terminal Grab Import command. If you want to import Before 1984, most Grab is a simple program that addresses from a different email program’s computers used what was performs an essential task: address book, things might get trickier. Check essentially a “terminal” capturing screen images as out the eMailman Web site (http://emailman interface. You may remember TIFF files. Apple no doubt had to .com/conversion/#addrmac) for tips on importing it well: the blinking orange create Grab so that the developers address books from various programs. cursor waiting for you to type working on OS X applications could The other approach is to use Address Book’s something such as C:// on a black screen. illustrate on-screen help and instructions. Add Sender Command (⌘-Y) to quickly add a The Mac changed all that, as the first personal The program is useful for the rest of us, too, bunch of email addresses. Say you have a folder computer to have a GUI (graphical user since it offers an easy way to quickly grab low- of saved messages from your friends. Select interface). So it may seem odd that Mac OS X resolution images off the screen. And Grab has them, and redirect them to yourself from includes Terminal, an application that lets you a couple of nifty features that far outstrip the within your email program. (Don’t forward access the Unix command line underneath the old keystroke combinations of early Mac OS them or they’ll be sent to you from yourself.) interface. iterations: for instance, you can choose the Send these messages; then quit your email Why would Apple catapult us back to the cursor you’d like to appear in your screenshot, program before it has a chance to check your early eighties? Well, even though you’ll be just take timed shots, or choose a portion rather mailbox. Log on to OS X’s Mail program to fine if you never venture beyond OS X’s Aquified than the entire screen. receive the messages that you just redirected programs, you can do much more with OS X by Grab is also one of the applications that to yourself. Select them, and press ⌘-Y. taking control of the command line. You can appears as a service in other applications. Address Book has a few other cool tricks, use OS X’s built-in suite of Unix commands to To see how this works, open the TextEdit Terminally beautiful as well. To put a vCard from Address Book onto perform a wide range of tasks, from finding application from the Applications folder. Get in touch with your inner geek – change Terminal’s look by using green Monaco text on a black background your desktop, click on the address’s head icon hidden files to deleting files you’re unable to Type in some text, and then choose Services: (think Apple II). and drag the vCard to where you want it (see put in the Trash. Grab: Selection from the TextEdit menu. After Desktop business cards “Desktop business cards”, left). But you don’t have to limit yourself to the you select a portion of the screen as directed, Want to put a vCard on your desktop? Simply grab the If you receive a vCard that you’d like to commands under OS X’s hood. The Internet Grab inserts it into your text window. Terminal window reaches 100, you have head icon next to the contact’s name (top), and drag it add to Address Book, double-click on the vCard, abounds with Unix applications that you can reached the end of the document. to the desired spot (bottom). and it will open in the Address Book application compile and run from the command line. For NetInfo Manager Getting into NetInfo Manager Except – with a button that allows you to add it. instance, you can use pine (a popular text- NetInfo Manager is a powerful administration for its Aqua interface, this NetInfo Manager Every vCard has a field for a picture. It’s based email client) and mmap (an application tool, but it’s not for the average user. If you’re is the same as the Mac OS X Server version. simple to add a photo to this field: you just that scans IP addresses for open ports, helping a system administrator, or if you’ve had The top half of its main window consists of a drag-&-drop a JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, or PDF you find security holes in your network). You experience managing Unix computers that Directory Browser that looks like the Finder’s file. Apple says you’ll get the best results using can also use the command line to create shell used the NetInfo Database or Mac OS X Server, column view. However, NetInfo directories a file that’s 64-x-64 pixels, but you can get scripts (similar to AppleScripts) that enable you’re a prime candidate for putting are not folders in the file system but subgroups acceptable results with photos nowhere your Mac to perform tasks such as copying this application to work. of the database. When you click on a NetInfo near that size or proportion, as the following a set of files to a removable disk and then You use NetInfo Manager directory, the bottom portion of the NetInfo example illustrates. compressing them. Using a script with primarily to perform Unix Manager window will display Property the Unix cron command – which lets you administration tasks. You fields and a corresponding value. 1 First, create a new contact record in Address Book. schedule system functions such as copying can use NetInfo Manager You can edit the field names and values or synchronizing files – you can even have to mount NFS directories, for or create new directories. To edit them, click 2 In the Name fields, enter Andy Ihnatko (Macworld your Mac run scripts in your absence. instance (Network File System on Users and then on a user name. This will let columnist and beloved industry figure). Hey, good looking Before you dive into is a Unix file-sharing standard you see and edit the user’s name, short name, using the command line, you may want for localnetworks). Since OS X stores password, password hint, and other attributes. 3 Enter Andy’s email address: [email protected]. to try customizing Terminal’s appearance. user and password information in the NetInfo Power troubleshooting If you need This step is essential, because without an email address, For example, you can change the size of the database, you can also use NetInfo Manager maximum control over a system so you can The key to change a record cannot contain a picture. Terminal window if you want to see more (instead of System Preferences) to make do low-level Unix troubleshooting, log in to You can use NetInfo Manager to make changes to Mac or longer lines of text than are visible in the changes to user accounts. If the database is NetInfo Manager as the root user. This will OS X user names, passwords, and hints; all are stored 4 Using Microsoft Internet Explorer, visit www.andyi.com. default setting, 80 by 24 characters. shared on a network, you can administer user give you access to every folder in OS X – even in the NetInfo database. Simply go to Terminal’s Preferences dialog accounts on multiple Macs and Unix machines. the invisible ones. (Unless you’re sure of what 5 Scroll down to the “unnaturally flattering” photo of Andy; box and click on General to get to the window- Are you ready for your Mystery App? you’re doing, though, skip this trick; it gives click and hold the mouse on it to download it. Save it to size options. Keep in mind, however, that if There’s nothing Mac-like about the NetInfo you so much control that you can endanger the desktop for easy access. you access a computer remotely, Terminal will database, and the NetInfo Manager utility your entire system.) use the standard 80-by-24-characters setting is only remotely Mac-like. Making changes To log in as the root user, click on the 6 Quit Internet Explorer. on the remote display. The result could look in this application – such as selecting padlock icon in the lower left portion of the rather odd. an item and pressing the delete key – NetInfo Manager window, and type in your 7 Drag the photo from the desktop to the Picture field on You can also go for a whole new look by can cause damage and even make OS X administrator password (the password you the address record you just created. Once Andy’s face customizing the font and background colours unusable on your Mac. Be sure you know chose when you installed OS X). Now go to appears in the field, you can click on Save. Andy Ihnatko’s of the Terminal window. You do this from how to use this program before opening it. the Domain menu, select Security, and choose name, email address, and photo should now appear in within the Colors and General panels in It’s not easy to obtain help in using Enable Root User from the submenu. Create your Address Book. the Preferences dialog box (see “Terminally NetInfo Manager. Don’t even bother looking a password for the root domain, and you’ll beautiful”). to the Help menu, which will tell you only, be able to log in as the user Root. Perhaps a more useful trick is making “Help isn’t available for NetInfo Manager.” Adding a photo to a record has one the Terminal window semi-transparent, so you Fortunately, you can access information More X in basket immediate benefit: every time you get a can see other applications while you’re using from the Unix command line. Open Terminal The extra applications that come on the Mac message in OS X’s Mail application from that Terminal. To adjust transparency, type defaults (Applications: Utilities), and type the command OS X installation disc are certainly not the email address, the person’s photo will appear in write com.apple .Terminal TerminalOpaqueness man netinfo in the Terminal window. This be-all and end-all of what we can do with this the upper right corner of the Address Book 0.4 in the command line: 0.4 is the level of will bring up a Unix manual (circa 1990) that new operating system. Instead, they simply window. transparency; the higher the number, the more defines the various aspects and parameters of whet our appetites for the feast that will be Of course, to test our example you’d have to opaque Terminal’s window. One limitation is the NetInfo database. In order to scroll through available in the Mac’s near future. get an email from Andy Ihnatko; fortunately, that all you’ll be able to see through it are your the manual, just press the return key. When the he’s a prolific correspondent. Carbon and Cocoa applications. percentage displayed at the bottom of the OS X’s Mail reviewed, page 98

96 Macworld JULY 2001 Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month. Macworld JULY 2001 97 Bundled OS X email program Mail Publisher: Apple (0870 600 6010) www.apple.com Pros: Nicely integrated with iTools; flexible mail-composition; many formatting options. Cons: Buggy; limited by Address Book; weak mail filtering; inadequate help files. Price: Free with Mac OS X Min specs: Mac OS X Star Rating: ★★/4.5

ac OS X’s commitment to the Internet is one of its M most appealing features, from the Apache Web server under the hood to the inclusion of iDisks in the Finder. Most people use the Internet primarily to send email, so Apple’s Mail 1.0, included with OS X, is welcome, especially as one of the few native Mac OS X (or Cocoa) applications available in these early days. Unfortunately, the first version Pretty on the outside of Mail has many drawbacks and Mail, which is free with OS X, looks great – thanks to the Aqua interface. However, it needs more depth and better stability. outright bugs, making it unsuitable for heavy use. The program includes and select the Use iTools can work around this by making Overall performance wasn’t especially most of the features Email Account option. another address record for each email snappy on a 400MHz Power Mac G4 you would expect address, but there’s no way to define with 256MB of RAM; like much of in a modern mail Making and an email address as the primary one OS X, Mail just feels slow, especially application. It supports reading mail for a person. Spelling mistakes are when opening mailboxes with many multiple email accounts, Mail lets you compose underlined as you type, and you can messages or resizing windows. of which any can be POP, email messages in one of fix errors simply by clicking on a If you need assistance, you IMAP, or Unix. You’ll also find two formats: plain text and contextual menu item. And of course, probably won’t find it in Mail’s a Rules feature, for filtering mail Rich Text. The first is text with no as a Cocoa program, Mail takes full abysmal help files. Far from based on criteria you select; support fancy formatting. Rich Text adds advantage of OS X’s gorgeous text comprising a good tutorial or for multiple signatures; and the ability formatting tags to text, allowing you styling and rendering, with the full reference, they supply only the to create and view messages with to add fonts, font styles, and inline palette of antialiased fonts, styles, smallest amount of information, images and Rich Text formatting. images. Rich Text is similar to HTML; and text colours available. and they fail to explain many of Converting from other mail programs however, Mail cannot create email in Mail displays incoming email that Mail’s features altogether. is easy; Apple has made a set of HTML format. Rich Text conforms to was created in plain text, Rich Text, Given the importance of unsupported AppleScripts, available the Internet mail-format for enriched or HTML formats. Unfortunately, email, you would expect Mail to on its Web site, that let you import text and can be read (with varying the HTML mail display is buggy; be practically bulletproof, or at messages from Microsoft Entourage degrees of accuracy) by programs sometimes inline images fail to least immune to simple crashes. and Outlook Express, Qualcomm such as Eudora and Outlook Express. display when you first view the email Unfortunately, this is not the case. Eudora, Netscape Communicator, Some older email programs can’t message. If you switch to another The program unexpectedly quit and Claris Emailer. handle Rich Text; those programs will message, then back to the first one, many times during my testing, and I As part of the initial registration show the formatting tags in the the images load properly. discovered a reliable way to crash it: of Mac OS X, you’re asked to enter message body and turn embedded simply double-clicking on a particular or create an iTools account, which images into attachments. Mail’s Rich Deficient in the details spot in the mailbox list. includes a mac.com email address. Text is not the same as Rich Text Good filtering is an essential feature (You can also choose to add other Format (RTF), a document interchange for email programs (especially to help Macworld buying advice mail accounts during setup). The format created by Microsoft (and also keep the flood of spam out of your That it’s free is one argument in installer conveniently sets up your the native format of OS X’s TextEdit). in-box), but here Mail falls short. favour of using Mail, but when mac.com account in Mail as part of Using Mail to compose messages The range of filtering criteria is too you consider Mail’s problems, this this process, so you’re ready to send is easy and enjoyable. Mail uses small, and you can filter only by argument may not prove strong and receive email as soon as you’re Apple’s Address Book application for one criterion per rule. Mail also enough. You can readily get free up and running with Mac OS X. addressing; addresses automatically lacks some useful features you versions of other, better mail If you skipped entering your iTools complete as you type them, or you can get in other programs, such as programs, and no one likes a program information during installation, can drag and drop addresses from Outlook Express’s Junk Mail Filter, that crashes. Until Apple fixes Mail’s Mail can still set up your mac.com Address Book into your new message or Eudora’s text-formatting plug-ins. bugs and addresses at least some account for you. Just open System form. One annoying drawback is that You’ll quickly run into some of of its shortcomings, you’re better Preferences, click on the iTools tab, if a contact has more than one email Mail’s limitations. For example, you off sticking with Qualcomm Eudora and enter your iTools user name and address listed in Address Book, Mail can search only one mailbox at a time, or Microsoft Outlook Express. password; then click on the Email tab can access only the first address. You and you can’t redirect incoming mail. Tom Negrino

98 Macworld JULY 2001 Search Macworld’s Reviews database online (www.macworld.co.uk), updated throughout the month. How to: web Flash 5 expert guide Use Flash 5 to add oomph to Web sites. By Philip Karmen

here’s no doubt that Macromedia In addition to being easier to learn, the Flash has helped create some of the new interface is also more efficient – thanks most memorable sites on the Web. in large part to the near elimination of Flash 4’s T No other program delivers such clunky modal dialog-boxes. The most-common attractive animation, engaging interactivity, and controls and settings are now housed in panels synchronized sound. So, it’s a shame that using – tabbed palettes that remain on screen. Flash can be so frustrating. Flash’s unintuitive While modal dialog-boxes had to be opened interface, click-intensive dialogs, and limited each time you needed to change an object’s scripting support have inspired a love-hate setting (a very click-intensive process) and relationship between the program and closed before anything else could be done, developers. Sure, you can do amazing panels let you inspect and modify several things in Flash – but it isn’t easy. objects at once. This will save you valuable Macromedia provoked a little more love, time on almost every task – from changing and a little less hate with the release of Flash 5 the font in several blocks of text, to modifying – a total overhaul of the program. Almost every the alpha level of everything on the stage. corner of the program sports changes – many Macromedia has also tweaked Flash 5’s of them significant – including a streamlined timeline, which users are likely to find more interface, new drawing tools, expanded site- intuitive than the old one. For example, you management features, and newly unleashed can now extend a layer simply by click-&- programming power. Here’s a look at how dragging its end. In the past you had to click Flash 5’s tools and refined features will once, wait for the cursor to change to a box, have you working smarter. and then click-&-drag. Realizing that the new Although you can use Flash to create timeline may frustrate Flash users accustomed beautiful and engaging Web interfaces, the to the old way of working, Macromedia program can be a nightmare to navigate. If provides a preference setting that lets you’ve ever looked for your library under the you view the timeline as in past versions. Libraries menu (it’s not there) or tried tinting Controlling fine lines Designers who several movie clips at once (you can’t), you cringed at Flash’s unusual drawing method know why Flash designers complain bitterly appreciate Flash 5’s new pen tool – a standard about the program’s interface. Flash’s face-lift feature in most vector-illustration programs. In adds dozens of subtle enhancements to previous versions of Flash, designers employed simplify and speed up even the most mundane a drawing method called vector clay – bending tasks. and extending shapes to mould illustrations. A familiar face One of the most striking This organic-drawing process made many changes in Flash 5 is its look. Macromedia professional designers who were familiar with retooled the program’s interface to make Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia FreeHand it more consistent with almost all Macromedia feel out of control – if not downright queasy. products. This makes it easy for new users The new pen tool lets designers draw and

ILLUSTRATION: LEE HASLER ILLUSTRATION: to apply knowledge across programs. continues page 132

Go to www.macworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 131 Set your style First Convert to symbol Select Define parameters Next you Put your clip to work You construct the text on which the block of text with the arrow need to specify which variables A can now drag instances of your Perfect your style 1 you’d like to base your style. 2 tool. Open the Insert menu 3 the authors will supply for the 4 Smart Clip anywhere in your In the Text Options panel, and select Convert To Symbol clip. Open the Library window movie. To populate the text, You can use Flash 5’s Smart Clips to impose select Dynamic Text from (or press F8). In the Symbol from the Windows menu, and open the Clip Parameters the first drop-down menu (A). Type a Properties window enter a name for your select the new clip. Then choose Define Clip panel – located in the Windows menu consistency on often-used movie elements, name, such as Title, into the Variable clip (A). Make sure the Behavior is set to Parameters from the Library’s Options menu under Panels. Enter the text of your field (B). If the text may not always fit Movie Clip. Click on OK. (A). In the Define Clip Parameters window, headline in the Value column (A). such as type styles. Once the clip is on one line, be sure to set the line type click on the plus-sign (+) button (B). to Multiline (C), and select the Word Wrap Under the Name column (C), select created, team members can simply enter option to accommodate the extra length. A varName (by double clicking on it), and replace it with the variable name you the text into the appropriate parameters created in step 1 (Title). In the Value column (D), you can add instructions – such as window without worrying about the font Enter Your Headline Here. Click on OK. B A or size. C D A Note: You won’t actually see your new C headline on the stage. To view the new text, open the Control Window and select Test B Movie.

shape objects in a very controlled manner, a FreeHand file, you can selectively map pages approachable for novices, experienced unnoticed. For example, you can make a using bézier handles. Macromedia not only into separate keyframes (for images to appear programmers felt hampered. Even running movie clip appear to float across the added a pen tool, but also integrated it, making sequentially) or into separate scenes (to use the programming simple tasks, such as exchange- screen by using the enterFrame event to push it completely compatible with the vector-clay graphics in distinct sections of your movie). You rate calculation, required complex and funky a movie clip one pixel to the right each time a drawing style of Flash. Shapes drawn with the can also choose to distribute FreeHand’s layers workarounds. new frame loads. pen tool can be modified with precise bézier to individual Flash layers or to keyframes (see Looking smart If you aren’t quite ready to handles, or by simply bending shapes and “A helping hand”). These options allow you to Program possibilities become a programmer, Flash 5 also offers ways extending points. Likewise, you can modify retain more attributes of the original FreeHand Flash 5 puts power back in the hands of to insulate yourself from code, while still taking anything you draw with the paintbrush or file. This is a giant step toward seamless programmers, letting them turn off structured advantage of powerful interactivity features. pencil tool, using the pen tool’s Subselect integration of Flash and FreeHand. guidance by selecting Expert mode in the The best example of this is Flash 5’s Smart Clips option. Despite its significant interface changes, Actions panel, and then typing code directly – prefabricated, sophisticated code snippets Flash 5 isn’t all about looks. Aiming to please into a window. (The guided method of writing that can be shared and recycled. One sample Basic drawing one of its most demanding groups of scripts is still available in Normal mode.) Smart Clip that ships with Flash lets you While many designers will welcome the customers – programmers – Macromedia also The ActionScript has been extended to a automatically create pop-up menus. All you addition of the pen tool, Flash 5 still has a took a hammer and monkey wrench to the true object-oriented programming language. have to do is select the Menu Smart Clip, and long way to go before it matches the powerful inner workings of Flash, adding a level of What’s better, the retooled ActionScript is enter the menu items in the Clip Parameters drawing features of professional illustration flexibility and power previously missing from now based on the same standard as JavaScript. window. You never need to get your hands programs. Earlier versions of Flash attempted the program. Sure, you could create amazing Although ActionScript contains a few unique dirty in the code. to bridge this gap by allowing users to import Web sites in Flash 4 – but that’s like saying attributes specific to Flash – for example, Only a few Smart Clips ship with Flash 5. native Adobe Illustrator 6 files – a limiting you could build a house out of toothpicks. It’s what Flash calls (on (roll over) JavaScript calls What makes the Smart Clips feature truly option, considering that Illustrator is currently possible, but not easy. Pushing Flash 4’s limited onMouseOver – the syntax and structure of powerful is that you can create your own, at version 9. In Flash 5, Macromedia has scripting capabilities beyond the simplest of the code are the same. greatly simplifying the construction of Flash focused its efforts on improving integration tasks required a resourceful nature, and a host Now that they have a true programming files. Programmers can create custom Smart with its own illustration program, FreeHand. of complicated workarounds. Flash 5 addresses language at their disposal, Flash users can Clips for reuse by others. Say you have a Movie You can now import native FreeHand – version this problem – its scripting tools and improved control their code. Functions, such as the Clip of a bouncing-ball animation, you can turn 7 or later – documents into Flash 5. This means text controls provide enough power and currency-exchange calculator, that used to it into a Smart Clip that lets the author specify that an artist on your team can create complex flexibility to make even the most control- require three or four lines of complex code, how many times it plays – or bounces. A Flash graphics in FreeHand, and simply send you hungry users smile with glee. can now be accomplished in one. And, because designer can then drag this custom Smart Clip the finished files for direct import into Flash. Getting up to code The most profound no one writes perfect code, Flash 5 even onto the stage, and set it to bounce five times. (If you use Illustrator, you’ll need to export technical change in Flash 5 came in the includes the Debugger feature, which displays Later, he could drag out another instance, your document as a .swf file – a feature form of an entirely overhauled programming code while your movie is playing to help you and make it bounce only twice. The same built into Illustrator 9, and available to earlier language. Introduced in Flash 4, the original identify and weed out programming errors. code is used in each instance, but with different versions with the help of the free Flash Writer ActionScript was something experienced Broadening horizons The improvements parameters. And since the code is centralized, plug-in from Macromedia.) programmers called a “language” only to ActionScript in Flash 5 give experienced Smart Clips are easy to maintain. If you find while snickering. Key components of any programmers the power to create sophisticated a problem, you have to fix it in only one place. Web conversion programming language are functions – and programming tasks that were previously This flexibility makes customized Smart Clips The FreeHand Import controls make it easier to Flash 4 had only a handful. Worse, there was impossible. In the past, you could apply scripts great for creating repetitive and graphically repurpose print content for the Web – leaving no way to create your own. Instead of writing only to frames and buttons (making your movie consistent elements for your Web site – you with fewer files to maintain. For example, lines of code, you simply selected preset loop or jump to a new URL, say). But in Flash 5, such as type styles (see “Perfect your style”). Flash in a haystack you can lay out a multipage brochure using Actions (such as Go to) and filled in parameters you can place scripts on Movie Clip instances – Dynamic text Not all of Flash 5’s geek- Movie Explorer maps out every asset in a Flash movie, FreeHand, and then open the file in Flash. (such as Go to frame 1) from a pop-up menu. so you can write scripts that respond to pleasing enhancements involve helping you decipher even the largest Flash sites. Flash doesn’t have “pages”, so after importing Though Flash 4’s ActionScript was very events (called Clip Events) that formerly went continues page 134

132 Macworld JULY 2001 Go to www.macworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 133 Sharing the load Sharing the wealth More and more, designers and programmers are collaborating to build large Flash projects. Maintaining consistency throughout large and complex Flash projects is easy, This team effort can produce a unique set of problems. Working in teams requires that if you have a shared library. This public repository lets you share common movie everyone be able to work simultaneously, and, if need be, take over other parts of the project assets, and ensures that everyone is working with the latest version of elements. at a moment’s notice. However, working simultaneously is impossible if there’s just one master file. And making sense out of team Set image-library linkage members’ Flash files can be more difficult than Start with a document that finding where they keep the silverware in their 1 contains the library you want A kitchens. Luckily, Flash 5 now addresses many to share. Select a library item, of these productivity issues. and choose Linkage from the Getting noticed Large and complex Flash library’s Options menu (A). This will force files tend to get unwieldy. If you’ve ever had to Flash to export the item. update a large file you programmed a long time ago, you probably found it easier to just start over. And forget about trying to edit someone else’s work! You’d have an easier time hacking into the MI5’s computer system. Flash 5’s new Movie Explorer can help navigate complex projects by creating a visual map of the whole file – including fonts, Name your assets Give each graphics, and scripts (see “Flash in a haystack”). item a unique identifier name Its hierarchical view lets you sort, print, and 2 in the Identifier field (B). If you even jump to any part of your movie; it’s a want to replace the shared great tool for making small tweaks to large B item later, you’ll need to make movies. You can use the Movie Explorer to sure your replacement uses the same quickly find and change every instance of identifier. Repeat this process for every item a particular font – a huge time-saver. you want to include in your shared library. Learning to share Working with multiple designers often means working with multiple design styles. But, without strong graphic- Export the file Save the Flash file under the name Shared. Then open the consistency, a Web site can wind up looking Control menu, and select Test Movie to export the file. This will create a file sloppy and unprofessional. Imposing a standard 3 called Shared.swf. Anyone can now select Open As Shared Library from the style requires keen attention to detail; making File menu in his or her Flash file, to link to and use the shared Library. sure every member of a group has the correct and updated versions of fonts, images, and other movie assets is a challenge. To keep all team members on the same programming. Macromedia has also added a page, Flash 5 allows groups to access a shared surge of power to the program’s text-handling repository of elements. This shared library can features. Flash 5 now offers basic HTML (1.0) include images, movie clips, fonts, and even text formatting, in addition to traditional Smart Clips. And just as regular Flash libraries antialiased display type. This makes it easy to store the media once, no matter how many reuse text from an existing Web page, without times you recycle an item, team members need reformatting it. But, the true power of HTML to download the contents of a shared library text comes into play with dynamically updated only once, which keeps files compact. If a Flash sites. Regular Flash display type becomes shared library item is edited, the change is locked once the movie is exported. But with automatically reflected in every file linked to HTML-formatted files, it’s easy to make Flash that library. For example, if you add rounded content automatically update, or change corners to a button in the shared library, you’ll formatting, while a user visits your site. see that change everywhere the button is used. And, now you can put a link right inside This ensures consistency even as the design your dynamic text, instead of carefully changes. (To learn how to create a shared positioning an invisible button over the word. library, see “Sharing the wealth”.) Missing the Flash It’s worth noting that Flash 5 is built for productivity and power. Flash 5 is not entirely backward-compatible. Its new features and enhancements make While you can use Flash 5 to create a movie it more efficient, more flexible, and easier that works in the Flash 4 player (which has a to maintain. Flash 5 won’t start making Web huge install base), you won’t be able to use sites for you, but it will definitely make the many of the newest and best scripting features, job much easier. Although Flash veterans such as Smart Clips. To help you remember may at first have been put off by some of the which scripts are off limits, Flash 5 highlights changes, once they get over the initial shock the scripts in the Actions panel when they’re and adapt to these ways of working, they’re A helping hand unavailable in the format to which you’re sure to find plenty to keep them satisfied. FreeHand’s import options let you control how your layers publishing. This is an improvement over Flash 4, And, every minute invested in learning a new and pages are distributed to Flash. in which you could deliver to Flash 3, but you approach will be paid back in hours of saved had to know which features were off limits. time. MW

134 Macworld JULY 2001 How to: graphics

Chart the data Rod began by plotting the numerical data in SPSS’s graphing program 1 DeltaGraph Professional (£199; 01483 719 201; www.spss.com). Rather than using pie or bar graphs, Charting he opted for single-line (A) and double-line (B) charts: these are best for visually comparing trends over time. success A 250

Bring dull data to life. 200 By Cathy Abes 150 hen you think of a chart, artistic expression doesn’t usually jump to mind: you may picture simple jagged 100 lines on horizontal and vertical axes, or coloured pie slices. But, Rod Little’s informational graphics, which W 50 liven up the pages of US News & World Report, present statistical data in a new light. Rod looks for unusual ways to weave images around static numbers, transforming them into visually arresting 0 tableaux. 1977 '87 To illustrate two related line graphs, comparing the US economy 150 bil. with Japan’s, Rod conjured up stylized sumo-wrestlers to symbolize 100 bil. Japan. One wrestler supports a huge cargo box that shows the B value of the Japanese yen against the US dollar over 20 years. In 50 bil. the second graph – which charts Japan’s trade surplus – another

Japanese wrestler swims confidently above the waterline while 0 bil. Uncle Sam struggles below the surface, attempting to rise above the US trade deficit. Double fever lines define the strokes of both -50 bil. swimmers. Although Rod’s illustrations are clever and imaginative, they -100 bil. never overpower or obscure the facts. This helps them communicate complicated data in a clear, powerful style that’s appealing to the -150 bil. mind and the eye. -200 bil. 1980 '82 '84 '86 '88 '90 '92 '94 '96

Sketch the design To add illustration elements, C Rod pasted the finished graphs into Macromedia 2 FreeHand, printed them out, and covered them with tissue paper. He then began sketching the figures and other elements around them (C). Once he had a design he liked, Rod scanned the sketch and used it as a foundation for building his infographic – he outlined the shapes with the pen tool on one layer, and filled each shape with colours, gradients, or blends on successive layers.

continues page 138

Go toMacworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 137 Add blends To emphasize the wrestler’s girth, Rod added 3 a shadow to his belly (D). He began by framing the blend with two lines (E), using the beige tone for the inner line and a medium brown for the outer. He then created a 150- step blend between the two (F). The result was a fin-like shape that blended from a dark, hard edge to a light, diffused one (G).

E

F

G

D

Create transparency To H I J make Uncle Sam appear to 4 be underwater (H), Rod used transparency. First he added subtle tints of blue and black to several areas of the ocean’s blue-green colour (I). He then selected both the ocean and the Uncle Sam figure. After choosing the Transparency command (Modify: Combine), Rod reduced the opacity to 83 per cent; the figure’s submerged portion took on a translucent variation of the ocean’s colour (J).

138 Macworld JULY 2001 Go toMacworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Missing manual

Word 2001: Table talk Getting to grips with Office 2001. Part One. By Nan Barber & David Reynolds

ow do you use Word to create a résumé, agenda, program booklet, list, multiple- Hchoice test, Web page, or other document where numbers, words, and phrases must be aligned across the page? In the bad old days, people did it by pressing the Tab key to line up columns. This method is a recipe for disaster. (Unfortunately, thousands of people still use this method—or, worse, they still try to line up columns by pressing the Space bar lots.) Using Word’s table feature is light-years easier and more flexible. Each row of a table expands infinitely to contain whatever you put into it; everything else on its row remains aligned. Tables also have a few simple spreadsheet features. Creating tables There are two ways to insert a table: you can let Word build the table to your specifications, or you can draw it more or less freehand. Inserting a table The quickest way to insert a table is to use the Insert Table pop-up button on the Standard toolbar (see “Insert certainties”). If the toolbar isn’t visible, choose Table➔Insert➔Table. The Insert Table dialog box opens, also shown overleaf. After you choose the number of rows and columns you wish to start with (you can always add more later), click an AutoFit radio button to tell Word how to size the columns across your table. If you know how wide in inches you’d like each column to be, click “Initial column width” toolbar opens and the cursor turns into a Tables are top and set a measurement in the size box. “AutoFit pencil. Top: If you use tabs to set up a table, things may look to contents” creates skinny columns that When you drag the pencil horizontally good at first – as long as every line fits within its space expand as you type into them, and “AutoFit or vertically, it draws lines; when you drag and you never plan to insert any additional text. to window” spaces the selected number of diagonally, it draws boxes. Using these Middle: Here’s what’s wrong with the tab approach. columns evenly across the page. The table techniques, you can design even the most When you insert the word Understudy into one of the appears in your document at the insertion eccentric, asymmetrical table on earth. columns, it pushes too far to the right, causing an ugly point when you click OK. “Size well be” shows The tidiest way to begin drawing a table is ripple effect that will take you a long time to straighten a small 3-x-3 table. to drag diagonally to create the outer boundary, out. Drawing a table Word’s Draw Table tool as shown at the left in “Table draw”, then drag Bottom: If you use a table, you never have this kind gives you free rein to form the table of your horizontal and vertical lines to create the rows of problem. You can type as much text as you like into dreams – the trick is learning to control it. and columns. Drawing your own table is the a “cell”; that row of the table simply expands to contain To summon this toolbar, click the Tables and best option when you want a variety of widths it. (The light grey gridlines don’t print unless you want Borders button on the Standard toolbar, choose in your rows and columns, rather than evenly them to.) View➔Toolbar➔Tables and Borders, or choose spaced ones. Table➔DrawTable. The Tables and Borders continues page 142

Go to www.macworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 141 At any time, you can resize the table using and choose Table➔Delete➔Cells, then choose Table Move handle End-of-cell mark the mouse; you’ll override and cancel the a radio button to delete the entire row or previous AutoFit setting. When you have the column. Click OK to confirm the deletion. column widths right where you want them, ■ Deleting the whole table. Click in the table choose AutoFit➔Fixed Column Width. and choose Table➔Delete➔Table. ■ Numeric precision. To set row and column Row sizes using exact measurements, select the Formatting tables rows or columns in question and then choose When you click inside a table, the ever- Table➔Table Properties. responsive Formatting Palette sprouts a new Resize box The resulting dialog box (see “Property set of formatting tools – a section called Table Column Cell properly”) contains size boxes where you Cells. In conjunction with the existing Borders can enter exact measurements. and Shading section, you have all the Property properly Size will be For columns, you can also specify a formatting controls you need. To use them, When using the Table Properties dialog box, you can The light grey markings shown here appear when you percentage of the table width instead of a begin by highlighting the cells, rows, or select a group of rows and columns and size them all click the Show ¶ button on the Standard toolbar or measurement in inches. For rows, you have columns that you want to work on. Then you’re at once, or you can use the Previous and Next buttons Formatting Palette. To select an entire column, click the option of setting an exact measurement, all set to format any of these table elements: to work on each row or column one at a time. near the top of it – the cursor turns into a tiny arrow. or an “At least” measurement. When “At least” ■ Table border or gridlines. The Borders tools To resize a row or column, drag the horizontal or Table draw is chosen, the cells in that row will stretch let you choose a line style (solid, dashed, and vertical lines when the cursor turns into a double Top: Drag diagonally to create the outer border of downwards to wrap text as you type – even so on), colour, and weight (thickness in points). arrow. The resize box at lower right keeps all rows your table. Bottom: The Draw Table tool lets you if you’ve turned off “Wrap Text” on the Cell tab. Clicking the Type button gives you a menu and columns in proportion as it expands or shrinks create rows and columns of any size and shape ■ The whole table. To resize the table as a where you can choose which sides of the table the entire table. just by drawing them. whole, drag the lower-right corner. The rows you want borders to appear on. For instance, and columns remain evenly spaced or in the you may want only vertical lines inside the proportions you’ve chosen. table and no outside border. Or you may want a To remove a cell or line you’ve just drawn, from cells in a table, you must first select it, Adding rows and columns If you run out heavier top border on the top row of cells only. hold down the Shift key (or click the eraser tool as with any other Word text. Because it’s a of room and need more rows at the bottom ■ Background shading in cells. Shading in a on the Tables and Borders toolbar) and drag table, however, you have a variety of options: of your table, it’s easy to add more: click the table is similar to a fill, except that you don’t it across a line. The line promptly disappears. ■ Drag with the mouse, down, across, or lower-right cell and press Tab. A new row use the Fill palette; you use the Shading palette When you’re done designing your table’s diagonally over the cells you want. appears. in the Formatting Palette (or Tables and Border framework, dismiss the Tables and Borders ■ Click at the top of a column – the cursor To add a new row or column anywhere toolbar). toolbar. The insertion point is now blinking changes into a downward-pointing arrow – to in your table, click in the table and then use AutoFormatting tables With creative You can also eliminate certain table lines in your new table, ready to begin typing. select an entire column. Likewise, click at the the Table➔Insert submenu. Choose one of the combinations of borders, lines, and shading, TIP entirely. Just click the eraser tool on the Typing into tables To type into a table cell, left of a row – the cursor changes into a right- options from the menu that appears: “Insert you can make a table look right for anything top row of the Tables and Borders toolbar and drag click in that cell. You can use the up or down slanting arrow – to select an entire row, or the Columns to the Left,” for example. (These from a bank’s annual report to Teletubbies; but along each line you want to disappear from the Insert certainties arrow keys to change rows; press Tab and Shift- thin, invisible selection bar at the left edge commands are also available in the Insert when you’re in a hurry, you can choose a Table table. Left: The Insert Table button on the Standard Toolbar is Tab to jump forward or backward through the of a cell to highlight that cell. (Double-click Table pop-up button on the Tables and Borders AutoFormat for instant good looks. a quick way to make a small table. As you drag through cells. (There’s not much call for tabs within cells this selection bar to highlight a whole row.) toolbar.) Click anywhere in your table and choose the grid, you’re specifying the table size you want. – after all, you’ve already lined up text the way ■ Click, press Shift, and click with the Adding multiple rows or columns at either Table➔Table AutoFormat. There’s a long list (You can drag beyond the boundaries shown here, you like it. But if you need a Tab character, press mouse to extend the selection one cell, end of your table, or anywhere within it, is of potential formats in the list box at the left by the way, to specify – for example – a 9-x-9 table; Option-Tab.) row, or column at a time. a two-step process: First, highlight the same of the Table AutoFormat dialog box. the pop-up grid grows as necessary.) Pressing Return or Enter doesn’t take you to ■ Option-click anywhere in a column number of rows or columns as the ones you Click on each to see a preview. If you want Right: If you often use the same kind of table, you the next cell; it puts a line break in the current to select the entire column. want to insert; to add two rows, select two to use some of the features in the format but can turn on “Set as default for new tables” to make cell. Get in the habit of pressing Tab to move on ■ Triple-click the cursor at the beginning existing rows. not others (font, colour, and so on), then just your favourite settings the new defaults. They will to the next cell. You can also navigate like this: of any row to select the entire table. Next, choose Table➔Insert, and one of turn on the boxes for the ones you wish to use. appear in this dialog box each time you choose ■ Use the Shift key with any of the the submenu options (Insert➔Rows Below, for Many of the formats have a different Table➔Insert➔Table. To move to: Press these keys: navigation keystrokes described previously. example). Word instantly creates the requested typeface or shading applied to the top First cell in the row Control-Home Sizing rows and columns You can make number of new, empty rows or columns. (heading) row, first column, last column, Last cell in the row Control-End a row taller or shorter, or a column wider or Inserting individual cells works much the and so on. Cell margins and spacing Top cell in the column Control-Page Up narrower, much the way you adjust Word’s text same way. You can insert one cell at a time by The checkboxes in the “Apply special To make your text look good in a table, you can adjust Bottom cell in the column Control-Page Down boxes or margins; point to any line or boundary choosing Table➔Insert➔Cells, or by using the formats to” section control whether you gap between the characters and the borderlines. You Highlight whole table Option-Clear of a table without clicking; when the cursor Insert Table menu on the Tables and Borders take those features along with the rest of can also put a little space around the outside of each turns into a double-sided arrow, drag. toolbar. To insert multiple cells, select the the format. For instance, if you’re not using cell – an especially attractive effect on Web pages. As you type, text wraps within the cell, You can also rely on Word’s own automatic equivalent number of existing cells at the the last row of your table for totals, don’t turn Just select one or more cells and choose Table➔ forcing the row to grow taller as necessary. table features to help you design the table: desired location in your table before choosing on the “Last row” box. Table Properties➔Cell tab. Click Options, and set To make the cell get wider as you type, choose ■ Balanced columns. If you want a from the menu. Text formatting within cells Like text measurements in the size boxes for the distance Table➔AutoFit➔AutoFit to Contents. (Even symmetrical, balanced look, select the rows Of course, you may find it more fun simply anywhere in Word, you can change the between the text and the top, bottom, left, and right then, the cell will get wider only until the table and columns that you want to balance, then to click the Draw Table tool on the Tables and direction and alignment of selected text edges of the cell. The “Same as the whole table” reaches the edge of the page – then the text choose Table➔AutoFit➔Distribute Rows Evenly Borders toolbar and draw the extra columns in a table using the Format Text Direction box changes the margins of the selected cell to will start to wrap down.) or Distribute Columns Evenly. and rows onto your table. command – a great effect for row or column match the default cell margins for the table. To set Of course, this automatic wrapping ■ Automatic sizing. Often, you want the Deleting table parts It’s easy to dismantle labels. In the resulting dialog box, choose the default margins for all cells in the table at once, is the principal charm of tables. But if you columns to stretch and shrink depending on a table in various ways: the text orientation – horizontal, vertical, choose Table➔Table Properties➔Table tab; click find yourself wishing Word would not wrap what you type into them. Or maybe you don’t ■ Deleting cells. You can get rid of one or more or bottom-to-top – and click OK. Options and enter measurements in the “Default text in this way, select the cells in which you know what size you want or need the columns cells by selecting them and choosing Table➔ You can also make the text in selected cells cell margins” boxes. want wrapping turned off, and then choose to be. In such cases, choose Table➔AutoFit➔ Delete➔Cells. Word asks if you want to move hug the left or right side of its cell, or centre To put more spacing around the outside of cells, ➔ ➔ ➔ There’s more on Word tables, and a whopping seven Table Table Properties Cell tab. Click Options AutoFit to Contents. As you work, the columns the remaining cells up or leftward to fill the it right in the middle. To do that, choose click anywhere in the table and choose Table Table whole chapters on Word 2001 from ‘Basic Word Processing’ and uncheck the Wrap Text box. You can still will stretch to just the width necessary to show void; choose one and click OK (or press Return). Table➔Table Properties➔Cell tab, and choose Properties➔Table tab. Click Options and turn on to ‘Word Meets Web’ in Nan Barber & David Reynolds’ enter as much text in a cell as you like, but the the contents. For maximum room, Table➔ ■ Deleting rows and columns. Select them (as the icon for right, centre, or left. “Allow spacing between cells”; enter a setting in the Office 2001 for Macintosh: The Missing Manual (Pogue cell won’t expand downwards to show it – it AutoFit➔AutoFit to Window stretches your shown in “Size well be”) and choose Table➔ To use the same alignment for the entire size box. When you click OK, that amount of white Press/O’Reilly; ISBN: 0-596-00081-2). This article is the ➔ first of a series of Macworld extracts from the book, which will just disappear beyond the cell boundary. columns, however many of them there are, Delete Rows (or Columns). You may find it table, choose the alignment using the buttons space will surround each cell, simulating the effect costs £17.50 from all good booksellers.Next month: Excel. Selecting cells To cut, copy, or drag material to fill the page from margin to margin. faster to click anywhere in the row or column on the Table tab instead. MW of thicker cell walls.

142 Macworld JULY 2001 Go to www.macworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 143 Your tip of the month wins an hp deskjet 990c m We reward the tip of the month with an hp deskjet 990c m, worth £279. This graphite colour-printer offers amazing image quality and speed, and Q&A/tips is bursting with gadgetry and cool extras.

• Wired wireless • Keyboard coaster • iTunes burning Q&A/tips Handy Mac tips and readers’ questions answered. By Christopher Breen

Picture pasting have an AirPort card. I know someone’s going to suggest it, but no, I don’t Can I paste pictures into a table cell in care to wait for a period of inactivity Microsoft Word 98? (It’s just a matter of to terminate the connection. Q following the normal cut-&-paste commands Happily, the solution is easier with Word 2001.) to explain than the problem. Chong Chee Nian Damien Barrett recommended The simple, though costly, answer to this Larry Rosenstein’s free AirPort Modem problem is to upgrade to Word 2001, which Utility, which allows you to initiate or A pastes graphics into a cell as you’d expect. terminate a dial-up connection simply Performing this trick in Word 98 takes a bit more by clicking on the utility’s Connect or effort: With a picture ready to paste, click inside a Disconnect button. And its small cell and choose Paste Special from Word 98’s Edit window displays the Base Station’s menu. In the dialog box that appears, select Picture IP address and connection status. and deselect the Float Over Text option. Click on OK, and the picture appears within the cell. Segmenting sources

Wired wireless network How do I segment a very large file across several Zip disks Recently I asked for information on Q on the cheap? using an AirPort-less Mac to access Mac Maniac TIP the Internet over an AirPort network Although Aladdin Systems’ StuffIt – but my problem wasn’t so much getting on to the Deluxe (£65; Softline, 01883 745 111; Web (Macs on an ethernet network can access the A www.aladdinsys.com) – and its Web via an AirPort Base Station). Rather, I wanted accompanying drag-&-drop application, to know how to easily terminate my connection DropSegment – is my segmenting software of from that AirPort-less Mac. choice, as a die-hard penny-pincher, I respect this Picture perfect For those of you who’ve read the previous maniac’s desire to use something less expensive. See Picture pasting for tips on importing pictures into paragraph six times, and still have no idea what That something is also available from Aladdin Word 98 tables. I’m talking about, here’s a little insight. To connect Systems – StuffIt Lite. This $30 application (from an ethernet-networked Mac through an AirPort Base www.aladdinsys.com), allows you to chunk your Station to the Web, you wire your network this way: files into any size you like by choosing Segmenting Using a standard Cat 5 ethernet cable, connect an from the Translate menu. You can try it yourself AirPort Base Station and the non-AirPort-equipped after downloading the demo version from Aladdin’s Mac to an ethernet hub. Run a phone line from the Web site. Base Station’s modem port to a phone jack. In the But, if you’re a real cheapskate, you’ll Network window of the AirPort Admin Utility opt for Apple’s free Disk Copy Scripts application, configure AirPort to share a single IP (http://asu.info.apple.com/). This collection of add- address using DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration on AppleScripts contains the Segment Image script Protocol), and select both of these bridging options: that lets you divide image files into bite-size bits. Enable DHCP Server On Ethernet, and Enable AirPort To use it, simply place the Segment Image script To Ethernet Bridging (see “AirPort connection”). into the Scripts folder inside the folder on your With this setup, any time you check your email or Mac containing Disk Copy (by default, Disk Copy fire up a browser on your Mac, you’ll initiate a dial- is in the Utilities folder). Now drag the file you up connection through the Base Station. That’s all want to segment into a new folder. Launch Disk well and good, but there’s a catch: you can’t easily Copy, and then create an image file for the new AirPort connection break the dial-up connection from the Mac. That’s folder that contains your original file, by selecting You can share an AirPort connection over an ethernet because you can’t run the AirPort software, which Create Image From Folder in the Image menu. network by selecting the Enable AirPort To Ethernet supplies a disconnect button, if your Mac doesn’t page 147 Bridging option in the AirPort Admin Utility application.

Go to www.macworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 145 Keyboard coaster

What do you do after pouring sugary Unfortunately, you’ll probably have to buy Nescafé into your keyboard? I turned my a new keyboard. There are plenty of USB Q iMac’s keyboard upside down, and let it A mice available for Macs, but fewer drain. Later that morning my friendly local geek keyboards because of the ⌘ key. Apple’s new suggested that I use my hairdryer on the Pro Keyboard costs £45 (inc. VAT), and there are problem, which has left me with a crunchy also some enhanced keyboards from Macally, keypad. Now what? such as its iKey Extended Keyboard (Mac Ellen Gilbert Accessory Centre, 0191 296 1500).

Next, choose Segment Image from the Scripts For exact instructions, go to the btinternet menu and indicate whether you’d like to segment by home page (www.btinternet.com), click “0800 size or number of parts. In the resulting Open dialog number withdrawal” and look at the various box, select the image file you just created, click on options. Every one has a “Mac setup” button, so OK, and choose a location for the segmented files in click one and follow the instructions. No problem. the Save dialog box that appears. Now stand back Of course, the Windows crew couldn’t manage while Disk Copy verifies and segments your file. that – they have to have a script to do it for them, hence the DOS file. Eudora order Graham Willis

To change the order in which Sorted SoundJam Eudora sorts – from A-Z to Z-A TIP or most-recent to least-recent, If you want to batch edit ID3 tags for example – Option-click on a column heading in Casady & Greene’s SoundJam, in a mailbox’s window. TIP just drag a folder full of MP3s to a playlist, highlight the playlist, and press ⌘-I. A Alert PowerBook dialog box – in which you can edit attributes such as artist, album, and year for the entire collection The titanium PowerBook G4, like of MP3s – then appears. You can perform the same some of Apple’s other portables, trick in Apple’s iTunes by selecting a group of MP3s TIP sometimes fails to make sound (sorry, the folder trick won’t work) in a playlist and after it’s been woken from sleep. To make your Mac pressing ⌘-I. more audibly expressive, try this: Richard Hayes0 Flip open the Control Strip, click on the Sound Strip control strip module – the one that features Missing Web a microphone and CD icon – and select Built In Mic (yes, even if that option is already selected). If, while running OS X, your Mac Now click on the Speaker Volume control strip tells you that it’s unable to connect module, and move the slider. When you do so, TIP to the Internet with Software your Mac should once again produce sound. Update, Sherlock, or Mac Help, try going to www.apple.com, and then running one of the Conserving colours affected applications. Apple says that this problem crops up when DNS servers provide Software It’s awfully wasteful to replace an Update with an unexpected response. Connecting TIP entire colour inkjet cartridge simply to Apple’s site first works around this problem. TIP because one has consumed a single hue. However, you can contact a company, such Outlook Express rules as Prink (www.prink.co.uk), to inquire about its refillable ink cartridges. Designed to work with If you’ve imported a fair chunk today’s most popular ink-jet printers, these of email into Outlook Express cartridges cost a fraction of the price of those sold TIP from another program, and would by printer manufacturers. They can be refilled with like to separate the wheat from the chaff (meaning ink, and despite implied threats to the contrary, you’d like to see how much of that imported mail using them shouldn’t void your printer’s warranty. is useless junk), try this trick: Once the mail is imported and in a separate BT blunder folder, Control-click on that folder and select Apply Junk Mail Filter from the contextual menu. James Churchill’s letter in When you do, Outlook Express will rifle through Macworld, May 2001 complaining that mail and mark any messages it deems spam. TIP about BT Anytime having “no To collect all marked mail, just select Rules auto-dial Mac version” is wrong. from the Tools menu, click the New button to Multi all Stop BT-bashing. The only thing you have to create a new rule, give it a descriptive name like When you have multiple documents open in Microsoft do manually is open the control panel for “remote “Suspected Junk”, select Is Junk Mail from the Word, you can save or close them all in one fell swoop. access”, click “setup” and tap in the new telephone If pop-up menu, and select Move Message from To do this, hold down the Shift key and select Save All number and a couple of other settings. the Then pop-up menu. In the Folder pop-up menu or Close All from the File menu.

Go to www.macworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. Macworld JULY 2001 147 “quote” (without the quotes), followed by a space, Tip of the month: Speedy iTunes burns and then the stock symbol – quote aapl, for example. Doing so produces the price of the stock, along with such information as yesterday’s closing Dragging a playlist from iTunes – any version – to the Toast 4.x price and the stock’s 52-week high and low. or later window produces an audio CD in a quarter of the time Disk Burner TIP can. Simply create your playlist in iTunes, select it (A), and drag it accross Dock’s dropped icons to Toast. Then, in Toast, hit record (B). Chris Webb If OS X’s Dock displays generic folder-icons when it should be TIP showing application icons, try this: Drag the LSApplications, LSClaimedTypes, and A LSSchemes files to the trash. These files can be found inside the Preferences folder inside the Library folder inside the affected user’s folder (if Johnny is signed on, for example, and the icons are generic, these files will be inside Johnny’s user folder) inside the Users folder at the root level of the OS X disk. Now, log out of OS X and log back in as the affected user.

Double updates

If you are running Mac OS X, remember to use Software Update TIP in both OS X and in OS 9.1, as different downloads will be selected for each operating system.

Burned burner

If you have a Power Mac G4 or iMac with a CD-RW drive, and you’ve used your Software Restore B TIP disc to restore your software in place, you might lose the ability to burn a CD from the Finder. In order for the Burn Disc command to appear in the Finder’s Special menu, you need Finder version 9.1.1 – a version that may not be on your Software Restore that appears to the right of the Move Message disc. menu, select New Folder. In the resulting dialog If you find yourself in such a pickle, simply box, give the folder a descriptive name (how reinstall Disc Burner. Doing so installs this newer about “Suspected Junk” again?) and click OK. version of the Finder and returns the Burn Disc Now open the folder of imported mail, click command to the Finder. once in the message pane, and press ⌘-A to select all of the messages. Finally – I swear, we’re almost SoundJam conflict done – Control-click in this pane and select the Suspected Junk rule from the Apply Rules submenu. If Casady & Greene’s SoundJam Outlook Express will now move all those tagged can’t seem to remember title messages to a different folder where you can TIP information you’ve obtained via peruse them at your leisure. CDDB lookups, turn off QuickTime 4’s AutoPlay option. To do so, select QuickTime Settings from Opt+double-clicking the title bar of PowerBook connections the Control Panels submenu, and in the resulting TIP a window will collapse all the open window select AutoPlay from the pop-up menu. windows being used by that application. If you want to make a direct Finally, disable the Enable Audio CD AutoPlay ethernet connection between two option and close the control panel. TIP Macs, you normally have to either Macworld’s chief sub-editor Woody Phillips connect the Macs via an ethernet hub, or use Sticky-business cards and contributing editor Christopher Breen a special ethernet crossover cable. This is not answer readers’ questions and select reader- the case with the Titanium PowerBook. These Some companies are producing submitted tips for this column. Send your PowerBooks allow you to make direct computer- a CD business card – which is question or tip (include your address and to-computer connections with a standard ethernet business-card size, but incorporates phone number) to Q&A, Macworld, 99 TIP cable. a CD so that you can view company details on your Gray’s Inn Road, London, WC1X 8UT. You PC. Although this idea works fine on a CD tray with can also send an email, marked Q&A in the subject line, to [email protected]. Stock answer a centre spindle, if you insert it into a new Mac with We pay £25 for each tip published here. a slot loading CD/DVD drive, it will jam and the We cannot make personal replies, To get a quick quote on a favourite CD/DVD will need to be taken apart to remove so please do not include a stamped – or, perhaps, disappointing – the disk. This is not only expensive, but renders addressed envelope. TIP stock, do the following: the CD/DVD useless until its removed. Launch Netscape, and in the address field, type David Carling

148 Macworld JULY 2001 Go to www.macworld.co.uk for the latest daily news, hot reviews, buyers’ guide and special offers. The Palm is great, but Apple needs Andy Ihnatko to get back in the handheld-game

Palming off Apple

new pocket computing device is coming from and appointments, has the best library of mobile Apple. If the company isn’t planning to release apps and games, and has the most elegant operating one soon, then it already has some prototypes system. My Compaq iPaq runs PocketPC, which is the A built and working as proof-of-concepts. Or it’s first version of Windows CE that inspires me to write aggressively white-boarding basic ideas on what sort about it – calmly instead of causing me to jump up of handheld it hopes to make someday. If you don’t and down and shriek incoherently. And for the most believe that, maybe this one will work for you: a year important function of my Newton, I’m back to using or two ago when Steve Jobs modified the tic-tac-toe a pocket sketchbook. No other pen-based handheld “Folks are still diagram he uses to represent Apple’s hardware computer is worth a shaved elk hoof if you need to hot for Apple strategy, he left a square tantalizingly blank, so jot down notes longer than a sentence or two. there’s every reason to – Oh, who the hell am I The Newton was ahead of its time. We’re just to reinterpret fooling? now at the leading edge of the major cultural shift the personal For all we know, Jobs could have intentionally it anticipated: year after year, we’re getting closer to left that space blank for tax purposes. At the the day when the majority of the adult population is digital moment, the most realistic analysis is that made up of people who grew up with computers. The assistant Apple’s next handheld will be a flop, because the handheld computer is merely a thriving market space hyperintelligent supermonkeys who will probably today, but before long those things are gonna be as for this rule the planet by then will lack the opposable common as underpants. millennium thumbs. For now, Apple’s sole presence in that enormous Yet, folks are still hot for Apple to reinterpret market space is, well, Palm’s support for Mac OS. It’s – perhaps the personal digital assistant for this millennium – just wrong. If Palm is fulfilling every Macintosh user’s against all perhaps against all logic. But, Palm owns the category. expectations of a Mac handheld, why do cities burn It’s got a great product that’s only getting greater. every time there’s a new rumour of an Apple logic.” Palm seems to grasp that the development Handheld? We all want Apple to get back into the of computer hardware and software is a creative handheld world, and not just because we’re Apple endeavour – no less than a great movie, or album is – freaks. We want it because it’s an opportunity and that the price of market analysis is mediocrity. for Apple to do what it’s great at: presenting Maybe the folks at Apple took that principle to truly fresh damn-the-torpedoes ideas. the extreme with the Newton. If they had done a Imagine Apple creating connectivity software that little more analysis before building ’em, perhaps they allowed the Mac to work more intimately with a Palm would have discovered that the only way users can fit device than any Windows machine could, for starters. Newton into convenient pockets is if they first borrow After five or six pints, it may occur to you that old tracksuits from their dads. But the Newton OS the iPaq uses the StrongARM processor – the same remains the gold standard in handheld operating one powering the next-generation Palms – and systems. The Palm OS is at first forgivably clunky, that both handhelds will have flashable ROMs, and then endearingly so. But when you put a Palm so their original operating systems can be wiped next to the manifestly elegant and powerful aura and replaced with something better, written by a of a Newton, you’re left wondering why no one’s company that’s good at spotting and eliminating making anything that can approach it… even today. the most cumbersome aspects of the status quo. You think I’m kidding? Years after the Newton If you keep drinking until your friends, ignoring was discontinued – and after I finally determined your incoherent mumblings, trick you out of your that I was expending more calories keeping my car keys and put you to bed on the nearest sofa, you Newton working with incompatible hardware and might drift off to sleep remembering that, hey, you software than its developers had spent designing it – know, Apple still owns the Newton OS. And wasn’t it still takes no fewer than three items to replace it. it written for the StrongARM processor? What if. . .

ILLUSTRATION BY HENK DAWSON ILLUSTRATION My Palm is the best thing for managing contacts grrzzzzzzzzz. MW

194 Macworld JULY 2001 Read more Macworld opinions online (www.macworld.co.uk), and join in the debate.