Mac news and reviews, including MacBooks, iMacs, and more

Why go Pro when iMac goes faster?

Rob Griffiths — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:07:00 -0800

The new Core i7 iMac is a potent machine -- so potent, in fact, that it outpaces a couple of Mac Pro models in benchmarks. It's also an incredible bargain, offering tremendous power given its price.

The Macalope Weekly: Stupidium is an infinite resource

The Macalope — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

The Macalope does a do-see-do with his opposite number, sets fire to a a Droid strawman, and issues a quarantine for those afflicted by the ever dangerous tablet fever.

Review: The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 4

John Rizzo — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

Once you set it up, The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 4 will do the job for syncing a variety of types of data from a Windows Mobile 4 smartphone with your Mac.

Bugs & Fixes: Screensavers in Snow Leopard

Ted Landau — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:09:00 -0800

After a little wait, many third-party screensavers are now compatible with Snow Leopard. But there are glitches. Ted Landau has details.

Review: Mad Skills Motocross

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:05:00 -0800

Mad Skills Motocross is an addictive, fast-paced, and entertaining side-scrolling motocross racing game. 40 tracks spread across five levels provide tons of play time, and a track editor and time challenge mode make the fun last even longer.

Toggle sidebar visibility in all open Finder windows

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:42:00 -0800

Using an AppleScript, create a Service (in 10.6) that will let you toggle the visibility of the sidebar in all open Finder windows. This also works in 10.5, but it's not quite as useful there, as the script can't fully hide the sidebar.

Twitter turns on geolocation functionality

Juan Carlos Perez — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:25:00 -0800

Twitter has turned on its geotagging functionality for external applications.

Review: iScrapbook 2.1

Katherine Murray — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:15:00 -0800

Scrapbooking program offers high-quality design, easy layouts, and a seemingly unlimited supply of inspiration.

Review: Curio Professional 6

Stuart Gripman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0800

Curio is a single application for note taking, outlining, mind mapping, project management, charting, drawing, presenting, and more.

Review: 27-inch Core i5 iMac (with Core i7 option)

James Galbraith — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:00 -0800

The wait is over: The 27-inch Core i5 (and Core i7) iMacs have arrived. We've tested the new quad core iMacs, and it was worth the wait.

Google's Chrome OS stands to make waves

Dan Moren — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:57:00 -0800

Google's Chrome OS may be a year away from shipping, but the potent mixture of one of tech's most prominent companies and the mostly stagnant OS market is worth watching.

Hack brings 10.6.2 back to Atom processors

Jeff Porten — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:41:00 -0800

The latest Snow Leopard can now run on Atom processors, as long as you're willing to replace the kernel with an Internet download.

Use Tab key in Snow Leopard keyboard shortcuts

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:34:00 -0800

Learn how to include the Tab key in user-created keyboard shortcuts in Snow Leopard -- something that wasn't possible in previous OS X releases.

SubRosaSoft introduces FileSalvage 7

Ramu Nagappan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:23:00 -0800

FileSalvage offers Snow Leopard support and enables better recovery for flash-memory cards and Windows drives. The user interface has gotten a facelift as well.

Agile Web Solutions releases 1Password 3

Nicholas Bonsack — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

After two private betas and a public beta, the well-received Mac OS X password manager 1Password 3 has been officially released.

Camino 2.0 adds Tab Overview, improved annoyance blocking

Dan Moren — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

The Camino Project has released version 2 of the Camino browser, adding a number of new features such as Tab Overview and improved annoyance blocking.

Review: Bamboo Fun and Bamboo Pen & Touch

Harry McCracken — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:41:00 -0800

We review and compare two new Wacom consumer pen tablets.

Review: Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server

Jason Snell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:18:00 -0800

The new $999 Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server is a fantastic product for workgroups, small businesses, and even schools to use.

SneakPeek Pro enhances previews of graphics and publishing files

Dan Frakes — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:05:00 -0800

SneakPeek Pro enhances Mac OS X's Quick Look feature by adding support for a number of graphics and publishing files. It also provides much more information about those files within Quick Look previews.

EU Ombudsman faults EC's Intel antitrust ruling

Paul Meller — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:22:00 -0800

The European Ombudsman accused the European Commission on Thursday of "maladministration" during its antitrust investigation of Intel.

Review: Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

Chris Holt — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:33:00 -0800

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is one of the better MMORPGs we've played for the Mac.

Red Giant Software releases Holomatrix

Jackie Dove — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

New After Effects plug-in gives your footage that sci-fi look.

Macworld's complete Mac buying guide

Roman Loyola — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:31:00 -0800

In this buying guide, we'll cover all the Macintosh models available, tell you how they've changed over the previous model, and how well they did in our benchmark tests.

Mac hardware, tested and reviewed

Philip Michaels — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:35:00 -0800

We take a final, definitive look at Apple's fall hardware update and revisit the vagaries of Apple's App Store approval process.

Add, remove, and replace PDF pages

Pariah S. Burke — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Pariah Burke walks you through the process of adding, removing, and replacing pages in complex Acrobat Pro PDF files.

Review: SyncMate Expert 2.4

John Rizzo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0800

Sync your Mac to multiple devices, including Windows Mobile.

Photo Essentials 3 plug-in released for Photoshop Elements

Kelly Turner — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:22:00 -0800

The new suite adds easy-to-use tools for correcting images, removing backgrounds, and applying artistic effects to your photos.

Mac News Briefs: Better scanning in Snow Leopard

Dan Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:30:00 -0800

Scanner software from Fujitsu and Creaceed now support Mac OS X 10.6, and Mariner Software creates software-hardware bundles combining its Paperless software with Fujitsu ScanSnap scanners.

Open minimized windows in current space in Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:09:00 -0800

Learn a simple keyboard shortcut to release minimized windows into the active Space, instead of back into their original Space.

Adobe unveils public betas for Flash Player 10.1, AIR 2.0

Nicholas Bonsack — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:53:00 -0800

Adobe has released a public beta for Flash Player 10.1 and AIR 2.0 for developers.

Apple to offer big Black Friday discounts?

Ian Paul — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:15:00 -0800

According to rumors on the Internet, Apple might be getting ready to offer some steep discounts on Black Friday that could save you hundreds of dollars on iPods, Mac computers, and Apple software.

Runtime Revolution 4.0 offers new Web-authoring option

Tony Craine — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:52:00 -0800

The latest version of this cross-platform software-creation environment allows developers to deploy apps directly to the Web.

Apple beats Psystar: Is it a win for you?

Ian Paul — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:50:00 -0800

Apple won big in its case against clone-maker Psystar. But did consumers? PC World's Ian Paul share his thoughts.

Extracting content from PDF files

Pariah S. Burke — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:35:00 -0800

Contrary to popular belief, it's really easy to retrieve content from finished PDF documents.

Judge rules in Apple's favor in Psystar case

Philip Michaels — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:20:00 -0800

A U.S. District Court judge granted Apple's request for a summary judgment, ruling that clone-maker Psystar had violated the company's copyright when it sold PCs with Mac OS X pre-installed.

The Macalope Weekly: Business 101

The Macalope — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Windows inspired by the Mac? Microsoft seems conflicted about the answer. And while the App Store continues to get attention, you can't argue that Apple knows how to sell iPhones.

Google Voice acquires VoIP purveyor Gizmo5

Jeff Porten — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:40:00 -0800

Google Voice moves to provide full phone service with the acquisition of Internet phone provider Gizmo5.

Google aims to double Web speed

Mikael Ricknäs — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

The search giant is experimenting with a new networking protocol called SPDY, which could someday dramatically speed up Web browsing.

Enable global text replacements in Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:17:00 -0800

In Snow Leopard, text replacement must be enabled on a program by program basis. Use this hint to enable text replacements globally, at least in all programs that support them.

Bugs & Fixes: LaunchBar causes an unexpected surprise

Ted Landau — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:34:00 -0800

LaunchBar is an application (plus much more) par excellence. But a new feature in LaunchBar 5 has caused a headache for bug-finder Ted Landau.

Store photos outside of iPhoto's library

Derrick Story — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Hate the way iPhoto takes control of your pictures? You can free them by created a referenced library that other apps can access as well.

Flash flaw puts most sites, users at risk, say researchers

Gregg Keizer — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:49:00 -0800

Hackers can exploit a flaw in Adobe's Flash to compromise nearly every Web site that allows users to upload content, including Google's Gmail, then launch ilent attacks on visitors to those sites, according to security researchers.

Upsized Apple Stores coming soon

Aulia Masna — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:54:00 -0800

Apple is aiming to open up to 50 new stores next year with longer Genius Bars and larger stores. Most of the stores will be outside the United States.

SimplyDisk simplifies custom disk-image creation

Dan Frakes — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:40:00 -0800

SimplyDisk is an easy-to-use utility for creating custom disk images and discs for distributing software and other content.

Apple launches iTunes Preview

Nicholas Bonsack — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:10:00 -0800

Apple has just quietly launched a service that makes links to the iTunes Store a little more informative by displaying information about the product in a Web browser.

MacUpdate Desktop 5 adds smart scanning, drops price

Aayush Arya — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:02:00 -0800

A major update to MacUpdate Desktop brings a refined user interface and features such as smart scanning and one-click updating, in addition to a lower price.

B&W announces headphones, computer speakers

Dan Frakes — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:56:00 -0800

High-end audio vendor B&W has announced the company's first forays into the headphone and computer-speaker markets.

Looking at the changes to Snow Leopard's top command

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:26:00 -0800

Learn about some key changes to the Unix 'top' command in Snow Leopard

Report: Chrome for Mac Beta may appear in 'early December'

Dan Moren — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:25:00 -0800

More than a year after Google released its Web browser for Windows, a Mac version is still under development. But a beta version may see the light of day as early as next month.

AMD, Intel settle antitrust, IP cases

Marc Ferranti — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:08:00 -0800

Intel and Advanced Micro Devices Thursday announced that they have settled all antitrust litigation and patent cross license disputes between the companies.