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Givit makes video editing, sharing easier
Every year at Macworld/iWorld I see another great video application for iOS. Last year one of the Best of Show winners was Game Your Video, a nifty app for adding effects to video. While I enjoyed the app, it wasn't very straightforward, and editing wasn't a great experience. Givit, on the other hand, almost nails the simplicity of finding and adding those moments you capture to a cohesive timeline and gives you some worthwhile sharing options (in other words: Not just Facebook). In fact, the full name is Givit Video Highlighter. That's pretty much what it is, but there are some power tools lurking under the surface. First, you can take whatever video you want using your iDevice. Next, you bring in your clips and find the moments you want, and select what are called "highlights" -- which then pop into a small timeline (although the metaphor is not emphasized, as it is more familiar to video editors). I was impressed at how easy it was to find clips and add them to the timeline. There are a few video effects possible, like speeding up and slowing down video, and tricks like "instant replay" will loop a certain number of times while also adding slow-motion. I'm told there may be more effects later, but if you shoot family or sports videos, Givit is already a powerful option. Unlike Vine, there isn't really a specific time limit. A person at the booth said "they could be 30 minutes" but I didn't get a hard limit on the time. For now, Givit is a bit limited to streamlining editing, adding some effects if you wish, and putting some music into the video. I'm told they are adding titles and the ability to import images soon. The sharing and collaboration features are outstanding, however. While I didn't get a chance to try them out here at Macworld, the team behind Givit has some experience working on the Flip cameras which had sharing tools built in (after they were purchased and subsumed by Cisco). Of course you have your standard Facebook, YouTube and Twitter sharing. Givit supports cards on Twitter, which makes for a more pleasant experience. But Givit also provides a private sharing option. Just upload your video to Givit and you'll get an email which you can send to others. Anyone wanting to view the video will need to set up a free account, but it's not a bad option for sharing family videos. Even better, via the web interface you can connect Givit to your Dropbox or SkyDrive account. You can then drop video clips there, open them up in the app and edit the videos. This collaborative video editing on iOS is a wonderful idea, and I'm not aware of another app which does it this well. If you're shooting video at one location and need to quickly get it to your editor at another location, this may the easiest thing to use to get the job done. If you happen to upload more than 5 GB, Givit has a premium storage offering at just under US$30 a year. Like Flickr, if you are a power user this will be a great and relatively cheap option. Givit isn't perfect, as I found the UI could use just a bit more polish and style. But Givit has two great things going for it: It is one of the easiest video editing apps I've ever seen, and collaborative editing is a powerful tool for content creators. As a free app to try and use, I suggest giving it a spin.
Gravitas from Henge Docks is heavy magic
There's not much to say about a dock, is there? It's pretty simple: You put your iDevice on a dock and, depending on the functionality, you may charge, sync or blast some audio out. In the case of the Gravitas from Henge Docks, you can do all of those things plus there's some magic inside. That magic is a special alloy, 265 percent more dense than aluminum, that gives the Gravitas an astounding amount of heft. As a result, you can dock your iDevices into the smallish Gravitas, but remove them without holding the dock with your other hand. It's a beautiful thing, because the dock looks aluminum, but just stays then when you lift your device up. Besides weighing almost one kilogram, the Gravitas offers an audio line out, and a USB data / power connection. There are plastic inserts to accommodate iPads and iPhones. They'll have 30-pin and Lightning versions available at launch. The Gravitas should be shipping in March for US$69. Henge is here at Macworld, and you can reserve yours with no obligation to buy when it is released. Henge makes some useful, nicely designed gear (stay tuned for another item we spotted at CES and at Macworld), so if you're in the market for a stylish and useful dock, check into the Gravitas.
Omni Group leads hands-on talks leading up to OmniFocus 2 announcement
One of the biggest compliments that OmniFocus receives is its high degree of customization. However, one of the biggest criticisms of OmniFocus is the steep learning curve -- something I've fallen victim to repeatedly since I purchased it in 2007. I had a chance to sit down with Omni Group's Kris Rapp as part of the OmniFocus Setup, which takes a look at in-depth productivity using OmniFocus. There are a number of talks and panels led by OmniFocus power users such as Asian Efficiency's Thanh Phan and A Better Mess' Michael Schechter, above. The best part about the one-on-one sessions was the chance to work with a member of Omni Group to grasp OmniFocus. Rapp went step by step through explaining the basics of the program and setting up a basic workflow to jumpstart my productivity. There are a number of support materials on the OmniFocus site for new users, but the person-to-person interaction helps you to get started. A few of the best tips that Rapp shared: Spend about two hours to initially set up the program, then reserve some time at least once a week to update it. Make this a standing appointment. Try to generalize things as much as possible. Don't create a folder for every project. Group them into broad categories such as Home, Work and Personal, then create projects from there. Don't try to use all the advanced features at once. You'll most likely use them as your database grows bigger, but it's easy to overwhelm yourself. The talks are leading up to the debut of OmniFocus 2 later today. The launch starts at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET at the Cartoon Art Museum.
MacIT 2013 kicks off with admin overview, nostalgia
After a Wednesday pre-conference day filled with technical workshops, the MacIT 2013 event (colocated with Macworld/iWorld at Moscone West) kicked off with a panel discussion featuring John Welch, Nadyne Richmond, Ben Greisler, Arek Dreyer and more. The panel speakers provided quick overviews of the Mac and iOS enterprise landscape, including the promise and perils of BYOD, the role of the Mac mini Server in replacing Apple's legacy rackmounted Xserve, and the security risks facing the Mac platform in large companies. Following the panel, Chip Pearson from JAMF Software reviewed 20 years of Mac sysadmin history, including enthusiastic shout-outs to Paul Kent and his IDG team for facilitating MacIT; Neil Ticktin and MacTECH for their continuing coverage and events supporting Mac admins; and the rebel cloners of Power Computing, who "out-Apple'd Apple" in their enthusiasm for the Mac ecosystem. Pearson recalled how Power Computing's appearance at Macworld Expo in 1996 included a parking lot bungee cord jump, reserved for people who bought one of their machines at the show. He also noted that a company representative had a fix for the confusing interleaved memory DIMM requirements of the time, where slots had to be populated in pairs: "We told Apple, instead of slots A1 and A2, B1 and B2 -- just make it R2 and D2, C3 and P0 and everyone will just get it!" Pearson connected the three important ingredients of supporting the enterprise (great people, ideas and technology) with his exhortation to improve education through technology. He asked the audience to investigate and understand how technology can improve education, lead through sharing expertise and time, and accelerate achievement by both students and educators. "We will all benefit by those smart students coming out and solving the problems we all inherited, and some that we are creating today," he said. "If you know something, take the opportunity to teach it. That's why we come together here, and at the Penn State Mac Admins conference; to learn." The influx of traditional Windows sysadmins to the Mac administration field should be welcomed, according to Pearson. "If it's guys in ties, remember that some of the Mac users you're supporting also have to wear suits and ties to work." He also noted that enterprise is still trying to figure out what to do about the influx of iPads into big business, and he thinks 2013 is the year that we will start to figure out some best practices. "Let's figure out the best [use cases] for the iPad in business first, and then worry about some of the 2.0 stuff... The old models are imperfect; mobile management is not the same as computer management." Pearson ended his presentation with a tribute to Mac management publications, sites, products and technologies paired with the "Here's to the crazy ones" ad narration, and received an enthusiastic ovation from the ample MacIT crowd. MacIT continues through Saturday at Moscone West.
Macworld 2013: Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad talk about playing Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
Actors Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad, who are playing Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in the upcoming movie jOBS, helped kick off Macworld | iWorld 2013 today, in a panel moderated by expo general manager Paul Kent. The two chatted with Kent about how they approached their roles in the film, what it was like visiting and recreating all of the locations and events from Apple's history, and how telling the story of the two Steves affected the actors. Gad and Kutcher first walked through their past experiences with Apple before the film. Gad said he was a Mac newbie until recently: His wife first brought an Apple computer home and he says it "completely changed my entire view of what technology could mean." Gad mostly experienced Apple, however, through post-Mac products like the iPod and the iMac, and says he was fascinated with learning the story of how that company came about as the movie went along. His entire knowledge of Wozniak, he said, "was Dancing with the Stars" before he jumped in and really researched what Woz was all about. Kutcher knew much more about Steve Jobs: He said he started out as a child with an Apple IIgs, went to school to study biochemical engineering with a Mac, and later in life has worked as an angel investor with technology companies. Kutcher said that Jobs is an "iconic hero" for him, and that when he first heard about the movie's screenplay and decided he wanted to get involved, he concluded that "if this story's going to get told, I want it to get told in a way that honors my hero." Gad said Kutcher's familiarity with Apple and technology was readily apparent during shooting: At one point, while the pair were filming in the actual garage where the Apple I was built, Kutcher saw a prop in the background dressing, and told the crew to remove it from the shot. "This wouldn't have been built for another year," Gad remembered Kutcher saying. "Get rid of that." Kent showed a short clip of the movie that had previously been seen online, and asked the actors how they approached accuracy in the film. Wozniak, in particular, has seen the clip and called out the film for some "totally wrong" storytelling. But Gad and Kutcher admitted that while the clothing or the dialogue may not have been exactly right, what they tried to do was recapture the feel of what was happening back then. "It's not a documentary," said Gad. "It's an interpretation of events." Kutcher said he talked to many people he'd met through his investing who lived and worked alongside Jobs, and that he tried, as best he could, to capture the feel of what Steve Jobs' early Apple days were like. "You have to ride the arc of the entertainment of the film," said Kutcher, as Gad added that "we went to great lengths to capture of the essence of his journey." Finally, Kent asked the duo what they'd gained from exploring and playing these two real-life characters. Gad said he found a lot of interest in Woz' playful side, and remembered a story from Woz' biography that talked about him working hard and then being distracted by whales outside his window. "It can't all about about work," Gad said he learned. "You can't lose the passion in the work." Kutcher talked emotionally about the three things he'd learned from portraying Steve Jobs. Focus was one: Kutcher said that he'd heard Jobs say that "there's no virtue in saying no to things that are easy to say 'No' to," and that statement has resonated with him a lot in his own daily life. He said he also was inspired by Jobs's "compassion for the consumer." Jobs, Kutcher said, realized that rather than tempting or ripping off customers, "care is the thing that will produce the profit margins and the successful company." Lastly, Kutcher teared up a bit as he said that "Steve believed it was possible to do something impossible." He said that studying Jobs and his life told him that we didn't have to just "settle for what life gives you. Make life better," entreated Kutcher, channeling what he'd learned from Steve Jobs. Gad joked that his whale answer wasn't quite as brilliant in comparison to Kutcher's impassioned speech. But Kent got the last laugh: He asked Kutcher, as an investor, if he were confronted by a younger Steve Jobs, "barefoot and maybe not smelling so great," if he would have invested in Jobs' ideas. That question threw Kutcher for a loop, as he shrugged noncommittally, and the audience gave a knowing laugh. But Kutcher said that in his investing, he's always looking for ideas that solve problems, and that he hoped "I'd be wise enough" to support Jobs' vision back in the day. Follow all our Macworld | iWorld coverage here.
Kanex's DualRole is a USB 3.0 hub and Ethernet adapter for modern MacBooks
The glitzy sheen of that Retina Display MacBook Pro or MacBook Air probably tarnished a little when you realized you'd need to sacrifice a USB or Thunderbolt if you wanted Ethernet connectivity. Just in time for Macworld, Kanex is shuttling out DualRole, a three-port USB 3.0 hub and Ethernet adapter that'll swell your connectivity options while on the road. Bus-powered, you can also add a 5v power adapter to juice your gadgets at the same time. It'll set you back $69 and is available from right about now.
Macworld/iWorld 2013: The calm before the storm
Many of the TUAW team is still en route to San Francisco at this late hour, but a few of us have arrived and picked up our press credentials for this year's Macworld/iWorld event. In between trying to find a place to do today's TUAW TV Live broadcast (my hotel room wasn't ready), grabbing a quick lunch at Chipotle (running into several TUAW fans in the process), and bumping into the other Apple bloggers I've gotten to know over the years, I managed to take a few photos. It's quiet right now, with just early sessions for the MacIT conference going on. Tomorrow, Moscone West will take on a whole new personality as thousands of the Apple faithful descend on the site to see what's new. The doors are still shut on the Expo Hall, where vendors are setting up their wares today. In this photo you can see the fairly empty registration area, and I was not surprised to see my good friend and well-known Apple podcaster Chuck Joiner (MacVoices, MacNotables, MacJury) doing what he does best -- interviewing people (he's down in the lower left of this image). The team from Polish Apple site MyApple.pl keeps getting larger every year! They've been here for four days already, visiting the "mothership" in Cupertino as well as the more natural Redwood Natural Park. The banners are hung by the ceiling with care, with hopes that tomorrow Ashton Kutcher will be there: Lantronix has a bunch of xPrintServer-attached printers scattered about Moscone West, just in case you want to print up some last minute brochures or business cards: And the big MacworldLive stage is ready to go: And to think that it will all be over way too soon, ending with a drum circle (eyeroll)...
TUAW @ Macworld/iWorld 2013: The blog gear diaries
A lot of the TUAW crew is packing for the trip to Macworld/iWorld 2013, and while we're usually pretty lax in terms of our show garb (Victor's bow ties being the exception), we pay strict attention to what gear comes with us. It's important for us to be able to share the sights and sounds of the show with you as realistically as possible, so many of us bring equipment to allow us to capture and edit the written word, audio and video efficiently. With that in mind, here's a sampling of what the TUAW blogging team is packing in terms of gear. Steve Sande iPhone 5 iPad (3rd generation) MacBook Air 11" Canon EOS Rebel T4i DSLR (18 Megapixel still photography/1080p video) on Joby UltraFit Sling Strap A bunch 16 GB SD cards and Transcend USB SD card reader iStabilizer tabMount/tabFlex tabletop tripod and iPad mount Fitbit Ultra (so I can see how many miles I walk each day) Tons of cables and chargers. I'm hoping that mophie ships a juice pack air for iPhone 5 at Macworld/iWorld, because I'm probably going to need it Logitech Broadcaster Wi-Fi Webcam Field Notes notebook, a gift from Dave Caolo in years gone by Ear plugs V-Moda Crossfade LP headphones for editing audio/video in the noisy press room Some generic 4-plug outlet thingy As usual, there will be equipment I wish I had remembered to bring with me that I won't have onsite, and there will be items in my packing list that I'll never use. I decided to leave my Manfrotto 679B Monopod/Tripod at home, simply because I got tired of carrying it around the past couple of years. Megan Lavey-Heaton This is my second Macworld/iWorld, and a lot of the gear I took with me last year has served me well. The one major addition to my kit is the Nikon DSLR and tripod, which replaced a prosumer Canon I took with me last year. The other is swapping out the late-2010 MacBook Air for a mid-2012 MacBook Pro. The hardware bump will make processing video less of a waiting game, like it was last year. iPhone 4S with mophie juice pack air and a Glif, in case I need to use it with either of my tripods (not shown, as the iPhone was used to take the photo). iPad mini with Belkin classic tab cover mid-2012 13-inch MacBook Pro Belkin mini surge protector with dual USB chargers Nikon D3100 (14.2 megapixel DSLR with 1080p video) and a tripod Canon PowerShot SD 1300 IS (12.1 megapixel point-and-shoot) and Joby GorillaPod Original Tom Bihn Synapse as my mobile office with assorted organizer pouches and a 3D Clear Organizer Cube to hold everything in. Moleskine notebooks and pens (because you can't go wrong with basic pen and paper) Kindle Paperwhite Required cables and chargers for all of the above. Thankfully, the mophie juice pack and Kindle use the same charging plug, and I can charge my iPhone while it's in the juice pack. Sonic screwdriver (River Song's for the Whovians in the audience.) Please note that feline TUAW staffer Peekaboo will not be attending Macworld/iWorld 2013. Michael Rose I covered most of my show gear preferences in my packing list post prior to Macworld 2010, but here's this year's tally: iPhone 5, iPad 3rd gen MacBook Pro w/ Retina display Another Belkin mini surge protector like Megan's, plus a few $6 3-plug pigtail AC extension cords Twelve South Plugbug and a Griffin pass-through USB charger My modified MBP power supply cord, with the ground pin removed -- necessary for some power situations Mophie juice pack powerstation for extra ergs Canon S95 point and shoot for stills and quick movies Panasonic HDC-TM900 for longer videos Joby GorillaPod Video Felix tablet stand Logitech solar Bluetooth keyboard Livestream Broadcaster portable streaming unit, which I need to review Fitbit Ultra, like Steve Plenty of cables, adapters and other gack Comfy shoes A Remee lucid dreaming sleep mask A pack of Field Notes notebooks and a pencil Small stack of special gifts for my colleagues Victor Agreda, Jr. MacBook Air 11" iPhone 4S LifeCase for 4S Wedge iPhone 5 Sony MDR headphones Adonit Jot Pro Tylt bumper case for iPhone 5 AC charger for MBA Arkon iPad stand (folding) Smartklear carbon cleaner pad Purell hand sanitizer tenOne Pogo Connect Sharpie Red pen Pentel P225 Uniball Precise V5 2 GB USB flash drive Moleskine iPad 3 LTE 30-pin USB/card reader Verizon Mifi Fitbit, charging cable iLuv USB/ethernet hub elgato eyeTV (dyle) iPhone microphone for interviews 30-pin charging cable Lightning charging cable Olloclip for iPhone 5 micro USB charging cable mini USB data cable iPad charger Tylt battery (iPhone) charger HyperJuice battery, car adapter kit for MBA charging X-mini pop-up speaker 1 TB USB portable Seagate USB drive (Time Machine backups) iPhone charger Aluma-wallet Water bottle Randy Nelson This is my first Macworld as a member of the TUAW team, but it's far from my first expo. I've actually been covering the annual E3 video game trade show in Los Angeles since its inception -- two hot, sticky years in Atlanta included -- and the gear I'm bringing to Macworld has served me well for those. My bag (a no-name messenger design with an embroidered Gears of War 2 logo) contains my: 13" mid-2011 MacBook Pro 64 GB iPad 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular 32 GB iPhone 4 Canon DSLR camera Canon DSLR speed flash Glif mount for iPhone 4 (http://www.studioneat.com/products/glif) Gorillapod tripod for iPhone 4 and DSLR (http://joby.com/gorillapod/slrzoom) Griffin stylus for iPad and iPhone (http://store.griffintechnology.com/ipad/stylus-colors) Apple In-Ear Headphones (http://store.apple.com/us/product/MA850G/B/apple-in-ear-headphones-with-remote-and-mic) Retractable USB to mini-USB cable iPad / iPhone power supply Kelly Guimont It's kind of a long story, but I used to be a Boy Scout. As such, I am a firm believer in being prepared, so I have a wide variety of stuff here. 13" current MacBook Pro 128 GB iPad 3 Wi-Fi + VZW 16 GB iPhone 4S (not pictured, I needed it for the photo!) Mountain Hardwear backpack for 13" laptops Pouch style water container Scosche GoBatt II Altoids Hand Sanitizer Just Mobile Lazy Couch (laptop feet) Kindle (Kindle touch, with red leather lighted case) Belkin mini surge protector w/2 USB ports Blue encore 100 mic w/XLR to 1/8" cable (for iPhone recording) iPod Sharpies Video adapters of all kinds Retractable 30-pin, microUSB, and 1/8" cables USB Hub Cocoon GridIT to hold most of it down (Christmas gift. Thanks Mom!) ZAGGsmartbuds on a cassette tape cord winder Logitech UltraThin iPad Keyboard Cover And more! Enjoy the photo. Mike Schramm I'll have my standard convention gear, nothing too special: 13" MacBook iPhone 5 (used for checking the calendar, recording interviews, and playing games while waiting for meetings) iPad 2 PSP (for relaxing back in the room) A Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1 digital camera, for taking any pictures the iPhone can't handle (fewer and fewer these days) Cables and adapters for everything And of course, a notebook and a few pens. Never underestimate the value of old-fashioned pen and paper! Brett Terpstra I travel pretty light these days. All but one of the following are true: iPhone 5 iPad 3 13" MacBook Air Logitech Ultrathin iPad Keyboard Olloclip Jam Bluetooth wireless speaker Blue Snowball Assorted audio, video and charging cables Field Notes Fisher Bullet Pen lace up shoes to prevent blisters helmet cam for skydiving aerial shots of Moscone
On dreading the Apple Store
Does a trip to an Apple Store make you happy? Or, like writer and former TUAW blogger Scott McNulty, does it fill you with a sense of impending dread? Scott wrote a short post for Macworld in which he expounds on his current discomfort with visiting Apple Stores, noting with distaste that the stores are usually "packed to the gills with people" who are "camped out at the demo machines, doing everything from checking Facebook to filming, editing and posting videos of themselves rocking out to some sweet tunes." Although Scott doesn't want to be Apple's next retail chief (darn, I was hoping I'd have a secret source at the company), he has a few great ideas for making the stores a more pleasant place for curmudgeons to visit. For one, he thinks that having at least one place where there's a traditional cashier and cash register could make life easier. I feel Scott's pain: whenever I do a self-checkout using the Apple Store app, I feel like I'm shoplifting. Go check out Scott's post for yourself, and let us know in the comments how you feel about those trips to the Apple Store.
Macworld shows parents how to limit iOS time for kids
If you find your youngsters are spending a bit too much time on a WiFi-capable iOS device, Macworld might have the solution. In response to a reader searching for a way to curb his childrens' Apple habit, Macworld's Christopher Breen proposes a rather elegant remedy using WiFi access timers in AirPort. By setting up time windows in which the devices can connect to AirPort, access to the internet is restricted accordingly. It's certainly easier than physically collecting the offending iPod or iPad, and while the restriction might not be met with cheers, it seems preferable to most other options. Of course, if your offspring have an Angry Birds addiction, limiting their online time probably won't do much to help. But if social networking is their drug of choice, the system should work well. You can read more on just how to set up the wireless access windows on Macworld. [Via: The Loop]
jOBS actor Ashton Kutcher to headline Macworld/iWorld next week
Ashton Kutcher is portraying Steve Jobs in the indie -- and worst inter-capped name ever -- film jOBS later this year. Now Macworld has announced the Hollywood star and his costar Josh Gad, who is playing Steve Wozniak, will headline a session at Macworld|iWorld next week. The duo will talk about portraying Apple's iconic co-founders. The session, titled "Playing Steve & Woz," will take place on the main stage, room 2005 on Thursday, January 31 at 9:00 AM local time. And just as important as the two Hollywood stars, many of us from TUAW will also be at the event (perhaps doing our best Steve and Woz impressions), so be sure to stop by and say "Hi!" Macworld|iWorld 2013 runs from January 31 to February 2 at the Moscone Center in San Fransisco, Calif.
Make text more legible on iPad mini
While the iPad mini is smaller, lighter and cuter than the regular 9.7-inch version, some people find text on the smaller screen to be hard to read. Some apps -- Kindle, Instapaper, iBooks and more -- have their own controls for making text larger, but what do you do for those built-in iOS apps? Macworld's Lex Friedman supplied an easy solution to the mini's small text problem today that we're passing along to you. Pick up that iPad mini, fire up the Settings app, then tap on General > Accessibility. You'll find a button that says "Large Text" on it. Tap it, and select a font size from one of the many that are displayed. Once this is accomplished, text in apps like Messages, Notes, Mail and Contacts are all much easier to read in the larger font size. Friedman warns that this doesn't work in all iOS apps, of course. For example, Apple's Calendar app still displays text in the usual tiny font, and many third-party apps ignore the accessibility settings anyway. There's one more thing you can do to read those tiny letters on your iPad mini screen -- use the handy reverse-pinch gesture to magnify the text. While that's only a temporary solution, it may make it possible to read that message from your girlfriend and figure out if it says "I'm leaving you" or "I'm loving you"...
Mountain Lion's dictate software compared to Dragon Dictation
Macworld has done an interesting comparison of two different dictation offerings available on your Mac: They've looked at the core dictation service available in the latest version of OS X, Mountain Lion, and compared it to Nuance's classic Dragon Dictation service, comparing the two in terms of ease of use and accuracy. And the results are basically what you might expect: Mountain Lion's dictation offering isn't bad, but if you really want to try depending on dictation for longer and more regular tasks, it's probably worth buying into Nuance's dedicated solution. Mountain Lion's dictation is fairly easy to try: Just hit the Function key (Fn) on your keyboard twice and start talking. As Macworld notes, it will work with your Mac's built-in mic, but if you really want to use it accurately, it's probably worth investing in a close-up mic that will pick up your voice more clearly and catch certain speech inflections. Unfortunately, the core dictation functionality will only work for about 30 seconds, so it's probably better to grab Dragon if you want to pull off longer texts. Though the sample size is relatively small, Macworld found that Dragon had fewer misses in accuracy, and was more able to pick up on special pronunciations and words than the core Mountain Lion software. Which makes sense -- Nuance has been doing this for years, and the Dragon software is designed to follow this focus. Plus, the Mountain Lion dictation app is built-in for free, and the Dragon software starts out at $149. You can pick it up on the company's website.
Macworld benchmarks Fusion Drive Mac mini
Macworld has benchmarked a BTO Mac mini with a 1 TB Fusion drive, 2.6GHz quad-core Core i7 processor and 16 GB of RAM. The extra RAM cost them a whopping $300. (Why has Apple RAM always been so expensive? Does it contain unicorn tears?) The benchmarks are thorough, but I think this sums up how the Mac performs: "The BTO Mac mini is $1449, but it adds up to one of the fastest Macs the Macworld Lab has ever tested."
Macworld lists six rare Macs
Benj Edwards of Macworld takes a walk down memory lane and lists six obscure Mac computers that saw limited production runs. All the unusual machines were produced in 1990s and include the JLPGA PowerBook 170, the Color Classic II, the Macintosh TV, Power Macintosh G3 All-in-One, Twentieth Anniversary Mac and PowerBook 550c. You can view an image of each model and read more about their history on Macworld's website. It's well worth the read!
Macworld goes hands-on with Apple's Lightning adapter
One of the more controversial design decisions on the iPhone 5 was the change to the Lightning connector. In order to smooth the transition from the 30-pin Dock connector that had been in existence since before the first iPhone, Apple developed two adapters -- the US$29 Lightning to 30-pin adapter and the $39 Lightning to 30-pin adapter (0.2m) cable version. Macworld's Dan Frakes had a chance to do a hands-on with the adapters and has found that they're mostly compatible with existing accessories, with a few notable caveats. Frakes notes that just about every audio dock or dock-cradle speaker he tested, whether old or brand new, worked with the adapter. Things weren't as clear-cut with some chargers due to the new pin arrangement, with some devices requiring a "kludge" arrangement that included a charging adapter from Scosche or CableJive. When it comes to microphones or audio-input devices, the post cites an interview that Macworld's Peter Kim had with pro-audio company Line 6 in which he was told that "audio products that operate using USB Host mode and follow Apple approved methods such as CoreAudio and CoreMIDI" should work with the new adapters. The adapters are now shipping to people who had ordered them, so we'll be able to get a much clearer picture of exactly what accessories work with the adapters and which do not. Until then, the Macworld post is a good way to get a feel for what items definitely won't work with your Lightning-equipped iPhone 5 and the newest iPod touch and nano models.
Macworld | iWorld Asia event begins in Beijing
The second annual Macworld | iWorld Asia event has begun in Beijing this week. IDG has hosted the conference twice now to serve the growing number of Mac, iPhone, and iPad users in China. It sounds a lot like San Francisco's version of Macworld | iWorld, with dev conferences, a big keynote event, and an open exhibition floor, with exhibitors like LaCie, Macally, and Logitech showing their wares. One thing San Francisco doesn't have that Macworld | iWorld Asia does is a "Macworld Girl" beauty contest, which apparently is a common happening at conferences in China and that area. But other than that, the event sounds just about as popular as the one in San Francisco, with about the same stuff to see. Macworld | iWorld Asia, in case you're there or want to go over there (good luck with that), continues through August 5. [via TNW]
How to copy content onto an Android device with a Mac
Until Apple jumps in with its hypothetical offering, the Google Nexus 7 may be the best small-sized tablet on the market. With a US$200 starting price tag, some Mac users may be tempted to pick one up just to see what all the fuss is about. Android devices, though, don't easily sync to a Mac like the iPad or the iPhone. To help new Android owners manage their device, Macworld has a short, informational video that steps you through the process of transferring items to and from your device. (Hint: you use the Android File transfer app.) You can check out the video by Christopher Breen on Macworld's website. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
iPhone 5th anniversary flashback: Welcome to 2006 and the height of Apple Phone predictions
Happy 5th birthday, iPhone. Looking back, 2006 was an awesome time to be rolling in predictions. The drumroll for the iPhone was steady, furious, and demanding. As the tempo grew as Macworld 2007 grew near, everyone was hoping for something amazing, and Apple delivered. Five years after the device finally debuted, and customers got their hands on this amazing device, we raise a toast to the iPhone. Cheers! Recent Apple patents for phone, PDA, new cube? Here we go with the Apple patent game again, and this time around it looks like we have blasts from the past and the future. Engadget first tracked down a patent filed by Apple yesterday (pictured... More Apple tablet rumors Here's the rumor that won't go away. United States Patent Application #20060026536 (which features the signature of Jonathan Ive) concerns "...Methods and systems for processing touch inputs are... Taiwan manufacturer gets order for Apple "iPhone" handset Hon Hai, aka Foxconn Electronics, won't comment or confirm, but the cat seems to really be out of the bag now. This latest batch of iPhone reports feels like less of a rumor than previous... Also of interest: Rumor: Apple iPhone could be sold unlocked? Rumors: Google and Apple sitting in a tree? iPhone not going to be called iPhone? Concept-iPhone Compendium Would you buy an iPhone? More 'evidence' of a looming iPhone uncovered TUAW predictions for Macworld 07
TUAW TV Live at 5 PM EDT: Tripping down memory lane
I've been using Apple products for longer than many of our readers have been alive. Back in the "old days" before the Internet, it was commonplace to get our Mac news once a month in the form of a magazine. During a recent attempt at de-cluttering my basement, I found a pristine stack of old Macworld and MacUser magazines that I found fascinating. On today's show, I'll be taking you through some of the articles and ads in these magazines that date from 1985 through 1990. It's not only fun to see how expensive some things were back then (tiny hard drives for US$1000), but the ads are a blast as well. As usual, I'll be starting the show at 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT / 10 PM BST) sharp, and we'll take a few minutes to chat before the demos start. To join in on the chat and watch the live streaming video, drop by TUAW about five minutes before the start time to get your instructions on how to participate. If you're unable to join us for the show, remember that you can always subscribe to the video podcast and watch the show at your leisure in iTunes or any other favorite podcatching app. The past shows are also available on the TUAW YouTube channel. The chat is on IRC: join us on server chat1.ustream.tv, chat room #tuaw-tv.
