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VisualHub - The universal video converter
VisualHub is a feature-packed and 'universal' video converter for Mac OS X from the maker of iSquint. From its website: "VisualHub bridges the gap between numerous complicated video formatting standards, and people that just want to get the job done - just what you would expect from the Mac." It boasts fast conversion from nearly every video format to iPod, PSP, DV, DVD, AVI, MP4, WMV, MPEG and Flash (what: no animated GIF?), and brags about ts three-step conversion process: click, drag, click.Fortunately, VisualHub also offers advanced features like bitrate control, frame cropping and audio quality. Xgrid is supported for those with multiple Macs on a network and CPU cycles to spare, while QuickTime Pro and other plugins need not apply.VisualHub's long list of features don't stop there, however, so check out Techspansion's product page for the full feature list and samples of its work. A demo is available, while a full license will cost you a mere $23.32 USD.[thanks Khaled!]
Support doc: MacBook may run warm because rear vent is blocked
First Engadget reported it, and now there's an official Apple Support document explaining the issue: some MacBooks (and Pros) are apparently making it out of the factory with a thin piece of clear plastic blocking covering the rear vent. The article states the obvious: that this plastic is used to protect the notebook from dust while in the factory.So if it looks like you're starting to get a tan from using your MacBook on your lap too often (which Apple doesn't recommend anyway), you might want to check that rear exhaust vent for any clear, plastic blockage.
Apple posts 'Mac at Work' site
So much for those "Apple isn't interested in the science/business/pro sector" theories. Behold, Mac at Work, a new promotional site from Apple with information, case studies, online seminars and real world event listings for just about every interest and sector besides consumers. Just look at the first section, Science, with a brief case example of UC Irvine's "HIPerWall", a 200-megapixel (yes, 200) display built from fifty 30-inch Apple Cinema Displays driven by twenty-five PowerMac G5s (I wonder if their interns sneak in at night to load up World of Warcraft). Other notable case studies include an OB-GYN whose office is 100% Mac OS X, a business learning to use podcasts and even a section just for the IT Pros (though I'm not sure if that section is entirely new).It's nice to see Apple pimping their products to people who are in the market for more than just an iPod. Here's hoping they deliver the Intel-based pro goods (Mac Pros, Xserves) in August to really get the ball rolling on this push into the professional world of computing.[thanks Kevin!]
1GB Pro Duo on the cheap
If you swing on over to online retailer Buy.com, you can acquire a 1GB Pro Duo for your PSP for the very reasonable sum of $24.95 U.S. after a mail-in rebate. Offer is only valid until the 4th of June, so if you've been holding off on shelling out some dough for a larger memory stick, now seems about as good a time as any to upgrade.
Apple's New "Pro" Site
Before I became a wage slave, I supported many hundreds of Macs used by a wide variety of professionals in New York City. There's simply no question that most artistic professionals use the Macintosh platform for their creative endeavors--film makers, musicians, graphic designers, newspapers, magazine publishers, schools, photographers, art studios. The list is long and varied. So it's no surprise to me that Apple continues to sell Macs to the "professional" marketspace. These are the people buying the towers and the Powerbooks, (and I was one of the people installing and configuring them).Apple is, of course, aware of who their userbase is. Any company as large as Apple regularly analyzes who is buying their product(s) and ways to increase sales to new customers or even to simply keep the customers they have. Yesterday, Apple released an updated "Apple Pro" page, dedicated to information about interesting, innovative, and successful professionals using Apple hardware and software to create.
Widget Watch: iStat pro and nano updated
Two of my favorite system monitor widgets have been updated: iStat pro 2.3 and iStat nano 1.5. The main new additions are drive filtering, as in: CDs, DVDs and .DMGs will no longer appear in the drive list, and support has been included for MacBook Pro batteries. Unfortunately, it looks like the temp and fan monitors don't support the MacBook Pros just yet.Both of these widgets are available from iSlayer.net, apparently for free, as I can't even find a donation link. Also: their download links do point to these new versions, so don't pay any attention to the versions listed on their site, as it seems they haven't updated it to reflect these new additions just yet.
PSA: read your MacBook user manual
Given all the recent MacBook Pro drama of late, what with overheating issues and all, it might be a good idea to peruse your MacBook/MacBookPro owner's manual one of these days to make sure you've covered the basics, even if most of Apple's care recommendations are obvious these days. Gearlog found a couple of interesting snippets in a MacBook Pro owner's manual that, again, might be obvious to some, but are still good for a refresher. The first is a warning about the use of magnets in the MagSafe power adapter. Apple warns that the end of the MagSafe power adapter and the port on the MacBook could be powerful enough to erase information from magnetic media such as credit cards and iPods, so it would be a good idea to keep these things away from each other.The second blurb from the owner's manual warns against using a MacBook Pro directly on any part of your uncovered body; these things can get pretty hot (obviously), but this is the first time I've heard of a laptop owner's manual directly warning: "Prolonged contact with your body could cause discomfort and potentially a burn". I wonder if there are any other obvious or possibly interesting snippets in these manuals that most of us have been passing over.This concludes the end of this public service announcement, thank you for your time.
Has the 12" PowerBook simply disappeared?
It appears as though Apple has completed their portable lineup's transition to Intel chips - and the 12" PowerBook was the clear odd-man-out (sure, the 14" iBook disappeared too, but everyone knew it had to). I noticed last night that apple.com/powerbook simply redirects to apple.com/macbook, with a page title of "Meet the family. Now complete."If this is true, and Apple (for now) doesn't have any other tricks up their sleeve in the portable department (the much-rumored tablet, perhaps?), I think we should all observe a moment of silence for our fallen comrade - the 12" PowerBook (my first.Mac.evar).
If MacBook Pros are ready, why aren't the Pro apps?
In Victor's post about sitting in on a TWiT recording, he mentions a 10 year old kid who asked the TWiT gang a blatantly obvious question most of us have so far missed: if the MacBook Pro books are truly ready, where are the pro apps? Quark has a beta available - for all three of their customers. Where are the big dogs like Adobe? Heck, why isn't Apple's own Final Cut Studio available?With questions about the general oddness of this year's keynote mounting, I think this is a huge one that needs to get added to the top of the pile. Some would say it's very un-Apple to release a new (pro) product like this without much of anything "pro" available to run on it. I would say at the least that it's just plain dumb to pull a stunt like this. So what gives?
MacBook Pro will support 34mm PC Cards
As the dust settles a bit around MacWorld, it seems a few details about the new MacBook Pro's are becoming clearer. First on many PowerBook users' minds: will my EVDO card work without PCMCIA?It turns out a little naming confusion is the key to this mystery. On the "What's Inside" page for the MacBook Pro, under the Expansion category, you may notice this entry: ExpressCard/34 slot It turns out that ExpressCard is just another name for the ever-confusing standard known as PCMCIA. The good news is, yes, Virginia, there is a Stevie Claus, you will be able to have your EVDO card. The bad news is that this ExpressCard is a 34 millimeter slot. So, if you are rocking the usual 54 millimeter PCMCIA cards, you're going to have to buy some new gear (think Hammerfall PCMCIA for you audiophiles, wifi cards for you wardriving mac geeks, and EVDO cards for the roaming journos). One card that will fit in the MacBook Pro's slot is this 4-in-1 media card reader.[more info about EVDO usb dongles and other ungainly hardware patches for existing PCMCIA cards on the MacBook Pro]
iTunes 6.0.2 does automatic video conversion without Quicktime Pro
Even more newness in that almost 19MB update to iTunes 6.0.2 this week: automatic conversion of your videos to play on your iPod. Now you don't need any third party machinations or a license for Quicktime Pro to convert media for your happy little video playing iPod!The conversion is fairly slow (about the same rate as Quicktime Pro) but is really quite handy. Simply open up the Videos section in iTunes, right click on the video you want to convert in your video playlist, and choose "Convert Selection for iPod". If the video is already compatible with your iPod, iTunes will tell you that it doesn't need to be converted.Now if only I could do direct DVD to iPod inside iTunes. A girl can dream right?
Getting started with Folder Actions
I'm finding myself spending more and more time at Apple.com/pro, as there are some truly useful tips for getting things done in OS X. Take this tip for example, that C.K. just sent my way: Adding Automation Through Folder Actions. Y'know those Enable/Configure Folder Actions options that show up any time you right-click (ctrl-click) a folder? Well, this tutorial will help explain what those are about by getting you started with setting up a simple action that notifies you when a file has been placed in a folder. Handy for a workplace environment where coworkers are placing items in your shared Drop Box. If I remember right, you can also attach applescripts and even Automator Actions you create or download as folder actions as well, which can really open up the doors for simple folder-based automation. Check out the brief tutorial to get your feet wet with the (geeky) goodness of automating OS X.
Soundtrack Pro v1.0.2 Update
I saw this news over at Accelerate your Mac. There's a v1.0.2 update to Soundtrack Pro that weighs in at 42.2 MB and "addresses certain reliability and performance issues of Soundtrack Pro 1.0 and 1.0.1."I have Soundtrack Pro, so I was wondering why none of these pro updates are showing up via Software Update anymore. When I went to download the update I figured out why: it takes you to a page where you have to enter your Apple ID and serial number to the program before grabbing it. Must be pirate patrol. Aggravating to law-abiding types like me, but I guess it makes sense.
Quicktime 7 full screen controls are draggable
Stop me if you've heard this one, but I think a new feature of Quicktime 7 Pro is that the player control palette in a movie played at full screen is draggable. I think I remember trying this on previous Quicktime players, including Quicktime 6 Pro, with no luck. It's a trivial thing, but it's kind of handy to get these controls out of the way which - in my opinion - they should be anyways. I appreciate movie player controls that can get out of the way of the movie I'm watching.Since both of my machines now run Tiger and Quicktime 7 Pro, can anyone else confirm whether or not this is a Quicktime 7 or Pro-only thing?
