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WWDC Interview: blueHula Studios
I sat down to talk WWDC keynote reaction with the chief dude at blueHula Studios, Craig Vanderzwaag. BlueHula makes Beer Timer, an app to keep you from freezing your beer until it explodes. Pretty neat idea, and as Craig explains, they actually put research into it! TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC 2011 about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll bring you those videos here, MacTech.com and MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here.
WWDC Interview: AssistiveWare
We've covered AssistiveWare before on TUAW, but this time Neil with MacTech sat down with David Niemeijer of AssistiveWare to talk about Lion, iOS 5 and keynote revelations at WWDC 2011. Tune in to the video below to find out what's new in assistive software for those who use it. TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC 2011 about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll bring you those videos here, MacTech.com and MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here.
WWDC Interview: Bare Bones Software
In this interview, Neil Ticktin of MacTech talks to Bare Bones Software co-founder Rich Siegel about the WWDC keynote, and also potential issues with the Mac App Store going forward. Bare Bones produces BBEdit, TextWrangler and Yojimbo (see our coverage of Yojimbo here and BBEdit here). TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC 2011 about the keynote announcements and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. We'll bring you those videos here, MacTech.com and MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here.
WWDC Interview: Widget Revolt
TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC 2011 about the keynote announcements and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. We'll bring you those videos here, at MacTech.com and at MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here. Neil Ticktin of MacTech spoke to Widget Revolt about their apps, the keynote and WWDC 2011 in general. Widget Revolt has a game, a utility and a joke app on the store with more to come.
WWDC Interview: Push IO
TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC 2011 about the keynote announcements and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. We'll bring you those videos here, MacTech.com and MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here. Victor Agreda, Jr. (Editor-in-Chief, The Unofficial Apple Weblog) interviews Joe Pezzillo of Push IO at WWDC 2011. Joe was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on the announcements on WWDC, and how it will affect their plans moving forward.
WWDC Interview: 99Games
TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC 2011 about the keynote announcements and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. We'll bring you those videos here, MacTech.com and MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here. Neil Ticktin (Editor-in-Chief, MacTech Magazine and MacNews) interviews Rohith Bhat of 99Games at WWDC 2011. Rohith was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on the announcements on WWDC, and how it will affect their plans moving forward.
WWDC Interview: GroupLogic
This week TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll bring you those videos here, MacTech.com and MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here. Neil Ticktin of MacTech Magazine spoke to Brian Ulmer of GroupLogic while at WWDC 2011. Brian was kind enough to give us his take on the week's announcements and how they impact GroupLogic.
WWDC Interview: IGG Software
This week TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll bring you those videos here, MacTech.com and MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here. In this video, I interview James Gillespie of IGG Software, Inc. at WWDC 2011. James was kind enough to tell us about his thoughts on the announcements at WWDC, and how it will affect IGG's plans moving forward. IGG makes iBank (among other things), which is worth a look if you need a personal finance solution.
WWDC Interview: Boinx Software
This week TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll bring you those videos here, at MacTech.com and at MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here. In this video I have a chat with Oliver Breidenbach from Boinx Software, makers of FotoMagico, iStopMotion, PhotoPresenter, Mouseposé and one of the tools we use for our Macworld streaming setup: BoinxTV. This week at WWDC Boinx introduced Orientator for BoinxTV and LibOrientator for iOS devs. Most of the Boinx products are available in the Mac App Store as well, often in a "pro" and "home" version with pricing according to your needs. Oliver's team delivers a great suite of tools for animators, filmmakers, videographers and presenters. We spoke about their business and what the WWDC announcements mean to them.
WWDC Interview: Pangea Software
This week TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll bring you those videos here, MacTech.com and MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here. I spoke to Brian Greenstone of Pangea Software at WWDC, and he was kind enough to tell us about some new stuff Pangea is working on, plus the reason Cro-Mag Rally (US$2.99) was once featured in an iPhone ad. Check it out below. Pangea Software was an early entrant on the App Store and has had a string of successes. It's interesting to hear what the Mac App Store and Lion mean to their plans going forward, considering many of their apps predate OS X!
TUAW and MacTech Magazine at WWDC
This week TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll bring you those videos here, MacTech.com and MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here. Our first video features yours truly and the publisher of MacTech, Neil Ticktin talking about the keynote and what we've seen so far of Apple's next operating systems and iCloud. Enjoy!
Guy Kawasaki to keynote MacTech Conference 2011
Former chief evangelist for Apple (back in the days when the Macintosh first launched) Guy Kawasaki will keynote MacTech Conference 2011, happening November 2-4 in Los Angeles. We reviewed Guy's latest book, Enchantment earlier this year. I've read several of Guy's books and recommend them all. If you're looking for pieces of Apple history, check out The Macintosh Way (available as a free download) and Selling the Dream in particular. We also attended MacTech Conference last year and were very impressed with the event. There are two tracks, one for IT professionals and one for developers. For an additional fee attendees will be able to take Apple Certification exams. We'll attend the 2011 MacTech Conference as well and provide coverage and interviews with attendees, including Kawasaki.
MacTech Boot Camp revving up for Dallas, coming to Boston, LA and Chicago later this year
Our friends at the MacTech Boot Camp series of conferences for Mac consultants and IT techs are rolling right into 2011. They've got a session planned in Dallas for April 27, and then they're headed up to Boston for another event on May 18. We're told there's still room at the Dallas event, and the usual pricing has been lowered to $395, so you TUAW readers can follow this special discount link to see the show for just $295. Sessions include a packed schedule of panels and demos, lots and lots of networking, and included meals and refreshments -- if you've never been to one of these and do any consulting or IT work with Macs, they're definitely worth seeing. You can even get certified at the events -- Apple Certification Testing is taking place the day before each session, and there's also a proctor-moderated group study session included before that, so you can do some last-minute cramming with your fellow pupils. Testing for MacTech Boot Camp attendees is only $199, which is significantly cheaper than usual. Finally, early bird registration is still underway for the sessions later on this year -- the conference will be in Los Angeles on July 27, and in Chicago on August 31. If you're in either of those cities, definitely consider attending. TUAW is a media sponsor of the MacTech Boot Camp conferences.
MacTech Conference 2011 announced for November
MacTech Conference 2011 has been announced for November 2-4, 2011 in Los Angeles. Registration is now open with a limited number of early bird slots available. The event will again be at the Sheraton, which sold out some nights last year. We visited MacTech Conference in 2010 and were thoroughly impressed. The efficiency of the event, plus the depth of content for Mac IT folks or developers (there are two tracks) makes it worth the cost. Check out last year's lineup here. The conference lasts three days, with events during the day and the night. There are lots of opportunities for people to meet, learn from each other and discuss what was seen each day. MacTech acquired NSConference US and has a new Developer Sessions Chair, Steve "Scotty" Scott. Check out Scotty in action on iDeveloper.tv -- he knows what he's talking about! This also means expanded developer sessions from last year. MacTech Magazine is well-known to IT folks, and those sessions will no doubt be stellar again this year. Pricing for MacTech is $999 for three days, meals included, a MacTech Magazine subscription and sessions, plus all the evening entertainment. Early bird registration knocks that down to $799. There are a limited number of scholarships available as well, and you can find out more here. We'll be there again this year and report from the conference. Hope to see you at MacTech Conference 2011! TUAW is a media sponsor of MacTech Conference 2011.
MacTech Boot Camp 2011 coming to four more cities
If you missed MacTech Boot Camp before Macworld this year, you may have a chance to attend if you live in or around Dallas, Boston, Los Angeles or Chicago. In fact, there happen to be major airports in all of those towns, so if the cost of flying to San Francisco was out of reach, you're in luck! What is MacTech Boot Camp? A one-day session geared towards the home user, small business users and anyone who may assist those users (your family's computer guy, for example). We've been quite impressed with the MacTech events we've attended so far, and attendees at the San Francisco Boot Camp were quite enthusiastic with what they learned. Full press release on the next page, but we've listed the locations and dates of the upcoming events below. Dallas, Texas: April 27, 2011 - Sessions Chair: CV Rao, and Nathan Toups Boston, Massachusetts: May 18, 2011 - Sessions Chair: Andy Espo, and Leon Lincoln Los Angeles, California: July 27, 2011 - Sessions Chair: Sean Colins Chicago, Illinois: August 31, 2011 - Sessions Chair: Douglas Ward, and Ben Greiner
Get MacTech Magazine for postage, we'll pick up the subscription fees
Are you a Mac tech? You should really be reading MacTech Magazine, my friend. We've arranged with our pals at MacTech Magazine to give you a TUAW-sponsored subscription. Basically, we'll take care of your magazine subscription -- you just pay the postage. For US readers, this is $9.95 for six issues (MacTech Magazine normally sells on the newsstand for $8.95 for ONE issue, and this is for six). The TUAW-sponsored subscription deal is offered for one day only, and that day is today, February 8, 2011. The offer ends just before midnight on the West coast, and quantities are limited. Everyone is eligible, and active subscribers will get an extension on their current subscriptions. You'll also be able to take advantage of a special pre-order price for the next MacTech DVD shipping later this month. Get in on the TUAW/MacTech deal at this page. Not familiar with MacTech? MacTech Magazine is a monthly print magazine that tackles technical topics for Apple technologies. Each month, articles specifically target issues for network administrators to programmers, from solution providers to enterprise, and in general, anyone that's interested in the Macintosh beyond the user level. Established in 1984, MacTech is distributed in over 50 countries in print and is read by tens of thousands of Apple techs interested in system administration, networks, solving tech problems and implementing solutions as well as product reviews, opinions and more.
MacTech Boot Camp San Francisco 2011, five days left to save
We attended the MacTech Conference in 2010 and we can tell you: they put on a great conference. The MacTech Boot Camp is designed for a different audience. Instead of the hardcore IT pro, the Boot Camp experience is more for the folks who support small businesses and home users. The event is close to selling out, but you can still take advantage of pre-registration pricing ($100 off) until Monday, January 17. As a bonus, if you're interested in becoming Apple Certified, there's a study session and exam the day prior. You can check out more info on the exam and study session here. MacTech Boot Camp is a one-day program, to be held on January 26 from 9 AM to 6 PM at the Parc55 Hotel in San Francisco. You can check out the registration page here and register now for $395 (it goes up to $495 after Monday). Check out the full schedule here, or the list of topics covered at Boot Camp here. It'll be a jam-packed day, and we'll be sure to have some coverage while we're there. Educational pricing is also available. See you in San Francisco!
Special Black Friday offer: Free MacTech subscriptions for 100 TUAW readers
If you feel like extending your Mac savvy with solid reporting and top technical insight, we gladly recommend the work of our friends over at MacTech magazine. Neil Ticktin and his team focus on the interests and concerns of expert Mac users and administrators, developers and IT professionals. We are happy to be among the media sponsors for the recent MacTech Conference and the upcoming MacTech Boot Camp; now we have a great offer from MacTech to share on this shopper's weekend. Follow this link to sign up, and the first 100 registrants get a free six month subscription to MacTech. Don't worry if you aren't among the early birds; subsequent entries merit a free single copy of MacTech. Supplies are limited, and the offer is only good through this Sunday night. The fine print: Offer only available while supply is available and cannot be combined with other offers. Supplies are limited, and offer may terminate early if supplies are exhausted. Offer only valid for U.S. delivery addresses, and not valid for current subscribers. MacTech are not responsible for typographical errors. MacTech is a registered trademark of Xplain Corporation. This offer is wholly controlled by MacTech and TUAW/Aol Weblogs is not responsible for fulfillment or management in any way.
MacTech Boot Camp gives Mac mavens pre-Macworld day of workshops
Hopefully, if you're headed out to Macworld Expo next year, you've already made some hotel and air travel plans, as reservations in San Francisco are already filling up if not filled up completely. But just in case you're still planning out the trip, make sure to try and include an extra day at the beginning. MacTech is going to be hosting a one-day boot camp for Mac folks who support the home, SOHO, and SMB (small to medium business) users. I just attended the MacTech conference a few weeks ago here in LA, and while it was definitely centered around the IT and developer side of things (or at least people who want to know more about those fields), it was also an excellent networking opportunity, offering up lots of contact with all kinds of the best folks in the industry. The Boot Camp is taking place January 26, 2011, the day before Macworld, in San Francisco. It includes a networking lunch, along with sessions on all kinds of topics. It's probably not for everybody, but if you have an interest in the subjects covered, it'll be a really nice way to start Macworld week off right. Just be sure to get those reservations in soon -- you'll need your hotel and air covered ASAP, obviously, and reserving for the boot camp by December 15th will save you $200 (registration will be $295 instead of $495). If you're going, we'll be sure to see you there.
Office 2011 puts pedal to the metal with demonstrable speed bumps
As we've been diving into the Microsoft Office 2011 application suite, we've been focusing on the new features going from 2008 to 2011, and the relative value versus alternative tools like Apple's iWork suite. One thing we haven't really nailed down, though, is speed. Although it's easy to see in the first few moments of using it that Office 2011 is bringing a lot of performance optimizations to the table, exactly how much faster is it? Enter our friends over at MacTech magazine, who have polished their stopwatches and lined up a slew of test machines to get at the raw numbers and compare Office 2011 to both Office 2008 and 2004 across the entire suite. The whole article is worth a read, but the gist is that Office 2011 is quite a lot faster everywhere you care about speed: application launches, file open/save (noted as faster with the XML formats than with the legacy .doc, .xls etc. files), key operations, and more. In particular, Excel has gotten a serious turbo injection, with operations like fill range and charting timing out as "orders of magnitude" faster than in the previous version. MacTech suggests that Excel users who lean heavily on the charting capabilities "run, don't walk, to get the upgrade." On the Mac Mojo blog, Microsoft's own Erik Schwiebert posted an interesting look inside the development process and philosophy that drives the speed optimizations seen in Office 2011. From the user perspective, you might not think that squeezing a few milliseconds out of a particular function would lead to worthwhile improvements, but Schwiebert lays it out well and explains the cognitive science behind perceived application performance -- worth a read. His video demo of Excel's launch speed improvements is in the 2nd half of this post.
