Mac Buyers Guide

It's no fun buying the current model of a product one week and then the next week seeing the new model get released. Fortunately for Mac fans the cycles are more predictable. By simply tracking the average release time of new models and the number of days since the last release, most of the time you can get a pretty good idea if it's a good time to buy or not.

If you are like me you have better things to do with your time than track these details. Fortunately, someone else has done it for use. You can check all the details out here.

As a snapshot of things at this moment, it's a good time to buy (new models just released):
iPods, iPhone, Mac Mini, iMac

It's an ok time to buy (new models have been out a few months):
MacBook, MacBook Pro

You should definitely wait to buy (new models will probably be released soon):
XServe

For up to date details go here >

iWeb 08' Review

I am at the end of a two day immersion into iWeb 08'. There has been a lot of chatter on the internet about problems with the latest iWeb. Most of the complaints have come from users migrating sites from previous versions. Since I have never used the previous versions, I thought I would give a few notes from a first time user's experience.

My first impression of iWeb 08' was that it is amazing. I know of no other software package that can put together as high of quality sites as easy as iWeb. The templates can no doubt allow amateurs to make professional looking sites.

Things I loved:
1. Overall ease of use
2. HTML code widget (provides unlimited possibilities)
3. Podcasting and Blogging integration
4. Quality of templates

Things that I want changed:
1. Allow full customization of the navigation bar.
At a minimal, the designer should be able to change the font size, the font type, and have the option to center the text horizontally.

2. Add some more widgets in addition to Google Maps and AdSense.
This is a big area that Apple could expand iWeb in the future (and I imagine they will).

3. Browser Compatibility.
Generally, I did not have any major problems, although I have an issue with the navigation bar not loading on an AOL browser that I need to look into. What was amiss is the fonts. iWeb default fonts look great on the Mac, but on the PC the text looked aweful.

4. Easier publishing to non iMac sites.
Sites can be published to .Mac with on click, but have to be exported to a folder and then ftp-ed separately for other servers.

Last.fm Rules

Since I'm on the theme of music, I'll carry this one more step and talk about Last.fm. This is a program I've been using a little over a year and really enjoy.

The basics of Last.fm is that you install a program or plugin on your computer that tracks all the songs you play. You can enable/disable this tracking, which Last.fm refers to as scrobbling, whenever you want. So while you're secretly listening to "Hit me baby one more time" by Brittney Spears, you can turn off the scrobbling so that no one knows. Or turn it on if you want everyone to know... whatever floats your boat.

The collection of songs Last.fm scrobbles can then be used by the service in a variety of cool ways. First, you can create widgets to put on your Facebook or Myspace page that will display your top ten tracks or music you are most recently listening to. It will get updated automatically when you listen to new music.

But the feature I've enjoyed most lately (and am using at this moment), is the ability to create a radio stream based on my previous listening habits. I've got one set up on my Facebook page now, and it streams songs that are similar to what my scrobbling habits have shown I like. It does this surprisingly well, and I usually really like most of the songs it plays.

Enough from me... check out these features and more here:

Last.fm Homepage >
App for Facebook >

Free Postcasts

I envision a day coming soon when I will bid my car radio goodbye, and exclusively listen to Podcasts through my iPod. Why listen to programs that happen to be on the air when I can choose the programs I want? ... And listening to a Podcast let's me pause the program or song when I get out of the car so I don't miss a word.

One of the great offerings that is nudging me towards Podcasts over radio broadcasts is some of the great radio programs that are now available as Podcasts free for download. Many of the programs I'm downloading now are also commercial free for now as well.

Here are a few of the programs I've been listening to lately:

Clark Howard - This is a consumer advice show. His slogan is to teach people to "safe more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off." I like it because I hear about new web sites and ways to safe money. It can also be a good source of advise on everything from mortgages to investing.

NPR Programs: Most NPR programs are now on Podcasts. This includes This American Life, Car Talk, Fresh Air, and Wait,Wait, Don't Tell Me.

Bands Under the Radar: This is a monthly Podcast I've been listening to a while that introduces a number of Indie bands each month. Its a good way to learn about new music.

Facebook Tool: Upload Pictures from iPhoto

I've been impressed with how much Facebook has improved in the last year. Despite adding a ton of new applications that customize the site, it continues to maintain a clean interface and remains overall very reliable.

If you access Facebook using a Mac, then you may appreciate this tool that makes labeling, tagging, and uploading of photos from iPhoto to Facebook a breeze. These are the type of tools that make non-Mac users jealous.

Check it out here >

Quicksilver, for the mac power user

Years ago I kept the terminal window tucked into the bottom right corner of my Mac desktop. My vision was to integrate the use of the terminal window to speed up some commonly used functions and tasks on the computer. I never did the work necessary to make it that much of a gain, but fortunately someone else now has.

The software application (for Mac OS/X only, Sorry Windows users), is called Quicksilver. I've only spent a few hours with it, but its not hard to see the quality and potential of this application. In short it allows control of virtual every component, application, and file through quick keyboard actions. You can browse your iTunes library, put the computer to sleep, look up a word in the dictionary, or pull up a favorite Firefox page in a fraction of the time it would take with the mouse.

This tool is more for techies than the common user. So if you didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned "Terminal Window" above, you might find it has a small learning curve.

Link to Quicksilver >

Creating a Life Poster w/ iPhoto

Having all your photos digitally on you computer can open up a lot of new options to do with them. One of my favorite ideas is making a life poster.

Essentially, you select 98 photos you like, tweak a few settings in iPhoto, and upload it to a service to be printed and delivered to your door. For about 30 minutes of your time and $30 of your cash you can have a great poster to display some of your favorite photos. And if you are diligent you can probably find a cheaper price for printing the poster.

Here's a site that provide the step by step instructions...

http://www.mikematas.com/2005/01/how-to-make-life-poster.html