Keeping up with the iPhone comments? Jim Hamm sees to it that we are informed. NY Times’ David Pogue has this to say about the Verizon iPhone. And now Pogue outlines his idea of turning an iPod into a iPhone.
And what about paying at checkout with your iPhone or iPad, instead of your credit card? Info World tells us and also gives more initials to add to our growing repertoire: NFC means Near-Field Communications technology.
A Look at Macworld Expo
So, how was Macworld in San Francisco this year, you ask? Jim Hamm sends this link dated January 31, 2011 which gives an in-depth look at this year's show, describes some cool products and comments on what organizers should consider doing to keep the show relevant in the future.
A Movie-making Experience
He calls it "tinkering," but you'll see from his review that John Carter works and learns in a methodical way. He analyzes his experience with creating a movie with Final Cut Express 4 and iMovie '11. Always up for big challenges, John dove right in with 16 rather large .MOV files that he got using his new Canon EOS 60D camera. The final result was a one-hour 1080p HD movie.
100 How-To Tips
Reading the article in Macworld recommended by Art Gorski (below) the words "Helps & Tips" beckoned. Clicking on that tab at the top of the page brought up 100 how-to articles. Take a look and see what you might find to enhance your Mac experience.
Keyboard With Larger Print
The eagle eyes of Art Gorski spotted this from Macworld: A keyboard for nearsighted or vision impaired users was demoed at the Expo by Logickeyboard. They also offer keyboard skins in colors.
Here's the Latest Announcement
Maybe you saw the original posting on 12-31-10. It's updated today, Jan. 27, 2011:
De Prez Howard LaPittus sends us this announcement, "New Board Member To Be Appointed." He describes this opportunity which awaits one of our PMUG members.
"The PMUG Board will be appointing a New Board Member who will be in charge of Public Relations. This person will be responsible for newspaper announcements, brochure distribution, radio announcements, surveys, etc. No experience necessary. If you would like to volunteer for this great, new fun experience please let me know. I will support this person with guidance, details of responsibilities, goals and objectives. If you are interested please email Howard LaPittus."
Calling All Photography Enthusiasts
Attention all PMUG people who are into photography. John Carter to the rescue! Not only is he giving a free SIG on February 4 on Digital Photography (see it listed on your iCal), but he's found some must-see websites. Read on to see what John has to say:
"Barrie Smith (not a PMUG member) posted an interesting software review in Digital Photography School. The software is called Snapshot by LateNiteSoft. In their own words, 'Snapshot brings the power of a photo lab to your computer. Printing your digital images has never been easier.' Add humor to your photos with speech bubbles and flair with borders. Snapshot is fully integrated with iPhoto, Aperture, and Lightroom. See the full DPS software review here.
"Another review of a free iPhone/iPod touch/iPad app comes from Darren Rowse (not a PMUG member) in his post to Digital Photography School. The app is called Instagr.am (clicking on this link brings up iTunes and accesses the iTunes store). At first, Darren thought it might be just another social networking app, but he discovered that it’s a fun way to share photos - with the kicker that the people you share with have to be signed up with Instagr.am too. So in a sense, it’s another social networking tool.
John concludes, "For iPod Touch and iPad owners, you need to have access to a WiFi hotspot to share photos, but you can take photos anytime and share them later when you are connected to the Internet."
Apple Numbers Look Good
Keeping an eye out for our "favorite fruit company" -- Apple -- Jim Hamm found some interesting statistics on the product sales. "Looks like the iPod is leveling off, the iPad and iPhone sales continue to grow, and laptop sales have far exceeded desktop sales." Read about it here.
Decode Your Numbers
Art Gorski has found an interesting site. It says, "Appleserialnumberinfo enables you to lookup the information of any Mac, iPod, iPhone, AppleTV and many more Apple products. We support most devices dating back to 2000 and we can show you where your product was built, when it was built and even the build number. Besides detailed information about the hardware you can also see if there is a repair program available for your product, if the warranty is still valid and a list of important updates. Type your serial number in the search field to see what it can tell you about your Apple product!"
Info on Security Issues
The latest issue (February) issue of Popular Mechanics addresses "the war on privacy." Page 56 tells briefly about Super Cookies. Trying to track down specifics I looked at this PCWorld article, then an article from Adobe about these LSOs, Local Shared Objects, which are also known as flash cookies. Here's Adobe's seven page document outlining their policies on their legal rights and practices. Elaine's take on this, "The invasion of gadgets which spy on us is not a thought to be easily dismissed; we might well take time to consider how we are affected."
Updated . . . Announcement
See the January 27, 2011 entry for the latest!
A Potpourri of Latest Electronic News
With this explanation Jim Hamm sends over a website with 30 news items, illustrated by colorful photos. "A friend periodically puts together a potpourri of news from the electronic world. Here's his latest offering, and I thought you might enjoy reading it." Click on Prev and Next to bring up the whole enchilada, as we say.
Recover a Stolen Mac
This just in from Allen Laudenslager: "Travel with your Mac laptop and worried about someone stealing your laptop? Mac360 reports on this FREE app that will track your stolen Mac and can even use the built in iCamera to take a picture of the thief." He comments, "Free and cool if you travel with your laptop."
Great Deals Now
Today's call to action is, "Great Deals Right Now!" Jim Hamm doesn't want us to miss this announcement about the Mac App Store. The article says, "Leading by example, Apple cut the price of one of its own flagship professional applications, Aperture, from $199 to just $79.99." It goes on to tell of great deals for Apple Remote Desktop, Art Text 2, RapidWeaver, SketchBook Pro, and Pixelmator.
Electronic Pickpocket Warning
Here in Prescott Valley our Police Department Corporal Jennifer Miller has just sent her Block Watch Newsletter. She has a warning about electronic pickpockets taking advantage of the new RFID chips embedded in credit cards, and gives this link with suggestions on how to protect yourself.
iPhone News
Art Gorski doesn't want us to miss the latest news: Verizon Wireless held a press conference today and announced that they will be selling Apple's iPhone to new customers starting on February 10, 2011. Verizon is the only wireless provider that has a 3G data network in Prescott. They also have a company store in the area where you can walk in and order (and maybe take home!) your new iPhone. More details, including Frequently Asked Questions can be found on their website.
Jim Hamm jumps in here with this link to Apple. He comments, " A big step for both Verizon and Apple, and possibly a bag of hurt for AT&T."
Here's a helpful comparison from Macworld of the AT&T and Verizon plans.
The Best Weather Map
If you're relying on a Widget for a weather map you might want to select this instead. Jim Hamm wants us to take a look here at the NOAA map site.
The App Store Arrived
You've seen the news: the Mac App Store is here. To get quickly up-to-speed with terminology and benefits see this MacWorld article. Thanks, Jim Hamm for sending this.
How the Internet Works
An interesting infographic gives explanation of how the internet works. Thanks to Jim Hamm for forwarding this.
Can You Help?
De Prez Howard LaPittus, sends us this announcement, "New Chairperson To Be Added." He describes this opportunity which awaits one of our PMUG members.
"We are going to vote for a new Chairperson who will be in charge of Public Relations. This person will be responsible for newspaper announcements, application for membership brochure distribution, radio announcements, surveys, etc. No experience necessary. If you would like to be considered for this great, new fun experience please let me know. I will support this person with guidance, details of responsibilities, goals and objectives. If you are interested or know someone who'd be willing to serve as a Board member in this position please email Howard LaPittus."