Focal XS 2.1 Computer/iPod Speaker Review

I listen to a lot of music and I'll admit I'm a snob when it comes to audio equipment. I want speakers that sound great and look fantastic. The Focal XS 2.1 speaker system is a high-end ($600) entry into the iPod and Apple computer market that does both.

These speakers look superb. The cabinets are solid and the cables are cloth wrapped. They were obviously designed with the current crop of iMacs in mind. Each unit has just the right combination of silver bezel and black body to make you think it was designed in a hidden lab in Cupertino. Additionally, one of the satellites includes a standard iPod dock. Using this dock, you can either sync your iPod to your computer or play directly into the speakers. This is controlled by a toggle switch behind the right satellite speaker. Keeping them next to my desktop machine it was no trouble for me to depress the button. It also includes a simple remote that magnetically attaches to the satellite post. Neat.

There are two satellite speakers and a 6.5 inch subwoofer all driven by 130 Watts. In addition to providing excellent sound while you're sitting at your computer, the speakers have more than enough power to fill a room (or several rooms) when you walk away. The highs were sharp and clean and the lows (after tuning the subwoofer on the included rear dial) were solid without being too spongy.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is an outstanding speaker system. In terms of design aesthetic and shockingly good sound quality, you will be unlikely to find anything to match it next to your Mac. The real question is whether you can justify spending $600 on a set of computer speakers. While at first this price seemed outrageous, upon reflection it is not. A lot of people, myself included, spend more time in front of our computers than our televisions. When comparing this system to my existing JBLs, for which I paid $200, the improvement was immediately apparent. Every one who listened, including my seven-year-old, could tell the difference.

For a more fair comparison, I also spent some time with another $600 iPod speaker, the Bowers & Wilkins' Zeppelin. The Zeppelin looks, well, like a Zeppelin. The sound on these two systems was superb. At low volume the bass in the Zeppelin was slightly better but but the Focal’s bass sounded tighter at higher volumes. The higher trebles sounded universally better on the Focals. If I a had to choose, I would pick the Focals. These are both outstanding systems but I would give the edge to the Focals for sound. Furthermore, the Focals win big in terms of design. They are made to be next to a computer and compliment it where the Zeppelin is really just for playing an iPod.

In this age where we use our computers for lot more than word processing, using a quality speaker system makes sense. Frankly, the Focal system is better than my television audio rig and I now find myself looking for excuses to watch video on my iMac. Whether you want to spend $600 on speakers is entirely up to you. If you do, however, I don’t think you will go wrong with the Focal XS system. Fortunately, the Focal XS is now featured at your local Apple store. So if you are interested, head down and listen for yourself to the difference.

You can listen to this review on the MacReviewCast episode 206.

Limit Dropbox Sync with Multiple Accounts

While there are a lot of things I like about Dropbox, one problem is its inability to synchronize limited files.

For instance, at my office I have a PC computer for which I would like to share frequently used reference files. Because Dropbox has an "all or nothing" structure, activating my account on that PC computer would force the synchronization of everything, including personal items that have no business on my office PC. Furthermore, tech staff, work colleagues, and even the cleaning staff have access to the office PC when I'm not around. For these reasons, I do not want my entire Dropbox library on the office PC. This may be a unique problem resulting from my own paranoia but I think not.*

I toyed with a number of possible solutions to this problem. One option is a MobileMe synchronization but again that opens the PC to other files and requires manual steps. I want this to be automatic. Another solution is to set up a free account with a different service such as Syncplicity or SugarSync. Of course that would require operating two synchronization services on my Mac and I'm not thrilled about two seperate applications tracking and syncing files and burning clock cycles.

The best solution I found was simply to set up an additional free 2 GB Dropbox account on the PC under a different e-mail and "share" a folder from my Mac-based paid Dropbox account with the new account. This allows me to control access of what gets synchronized, limits the ability of someone on my PC to only obtain access to the shared files, and allows me to avoid running two synchronization applications on the Mac. Problem solved, for now.


* I'm aware I could set up a limited synchronization using Sugar Sync. The problem is that those require you to submit your account information and would allow a prospective evildoer simply log into your web account and have access to the whole enchilada. See what I mean about paranoia?

OmniGraph Sketcher for Presentation Charts

The Omni Group has quietly released the beta of its newest application, OmniGraphSketcher.

This is the first graphing application I've seen outside of a dedicated spreadsheet in many years. Have you ever been in the position of making a chart in Excel or Numbers and wanted to add some extra points or references? It really isn't very easy and often includes adding extra data points. It always seems to include pain.

This application fills a unique niche allowing you to create a graph from a set of data points (or scratch) and then take it to the next level. Omni has a video at the above link. If you use graphs in your work, check this one out.

Reflections on the ABA 2009 Techshow

I’ve spent the last several days attending and participating in the American Bar Association’s 2009 “Techshow” in Chicago. I thought I would record a few of my observations for readers who were unable to attend.

1. Tech Minded Attorneys Really Should Attend.

This was my first time at the ABA Techshow. I’ve attended other attorney technology trade shows but none of them were this good. This show bills itself as “for lawyers, by lawyers” and the name is appropriate. The sessions were not about giving vendors a chance to shill their products but all about giving legal professionals useful information. I didn’t attend a single session I didn’t learn something useful in (including my own).

2. There Are a Lot of Mac Lawyers

I was always under the impression there are more iPods in at the Gates residence than there are attorneys practicing law on Macs. Turns out I was wrong. Granted only the highest order law geeks would attend something called the ABA Techshow but there were a lot of attorneys driving Macs. That being said, many of them really aren’t using their Macs to their full potential. There certainly is an opportunity here to teach. I'm already thinking about the best ways to do that.

3. The Future is Online Applications

For the last year I’ve speculated that operating systems are becoming increasingly irrelevant. With software now being sold as an online service, the web browser (not your operating system) becomes the gateway to your software. Frankly, I always thought the legal industry would be the very last to adopt this. Nevertheless, a stroll through the exhibit hall demonstrated that online software applications for lawyers are already entrenched. Of particular note are the law practice manaement applications. I was most impressed by Rocket Matter which looks perfect for a small or solo firm. I still have questions regarding security and ethics but I have no doubt online applications are the future, even for attorneys.

4. Legal Professionals Are Still Great People

While I still bump into the occaisional knucklehead, the vast majority of attorneys and legal professionals I meet are fascinating, creative people. I made several new friends at this year’s Techshow and look forward to continuing these relationships in the future. This alone was worth the four-hour flight. One of my highlights was hosting a dinner with another Mac blogger, Ben Stevens of TheMacLawyer.com where we shared some great food and better company with a group of Mac attorneys and prospective Mac attorneys at Chicago’s Rosebud Steakhouse.

I had a fantastic time and look forward to attending again in the future. I highly recommend it for all legal professional who want to get more out of their technology.

A Different Way to Write E-Mail

Lifehacker summarized an excellent article by Jason Bean suggesting we write email in the reverse order our software masters want.

Specifically:

1. Place your attachments;
2. Write the body;
3. Write the subject;
4. Fill in the recipient.

I've always written the subject of my e-mails last. I'm trying to build a habit of making the subject line relevant and avoiding subject lines that say, "re: re: re: re: ..." I'm getting there but I think trying out Jason's method for awhile may help. It certainly makes more logical sense.

Why I Use a Mac

I’ve been preparing for my ABA TechShow presentation on practicing law with a Mac and reading about Microsoft’s most recent advertising blitz explaining Laura is not “cool enough” for a Mac. It got me thinking about why I use Apple computers.

First, My Short History

I’m part of the original computer generation. I got my start programming basic on a Radio Shack (before “Tandy”) Color Computer with a whopping 4k of memory. I didn’t actually own one. I just rode my Schwinn 10-speed to the Radio Shack a few days a week where the sales guys were kind enough to leave me alone so long as I agreed to save my programs (to cassette tape of course) so they could show customers the great stuff you could do with it.

I eventually got my hands on an Atari 400. I loved it. It had this spectacularly crappy plastic keyboard that made you stop and press each "key" or your code was a mess. It didn’t matter. I had it hooked up to a recycled 13” color TV and was in bliss.

I was in High School when the Macintosh made its debut and while I certainly lusted after one, there was no way I could afford it. It wasn’t until college that I started spending serious time on Macs and it quickly became my platform of choice. When I got to law school, I was told (very gently) there was no point in using Macs since they were completely absent from the practice of law. So I bought a PC clone and learned to use Windows 3. The first time I opened Windows, I was astonished at how bad it was. It crashed. It fought me every step. I didn't really have a choice, so I adapted and learned to tiptoe the Windows minefield. Over a period of years, Windows evolved and I grew used to its quirks. In short, the software trained me and I grew accustomed to its limits. I became a Windows power user and was able to get get through that minefield pretty quickly without getting any limbs blown off, very often.

The universe then combined to bring me back to Apple. Looking back, I can identify exactly how this happened:

1. I Watched Al Gore’s Movie.

I do a lot of presentation work and was blown away by Al’s presentation. I was a PowerPoint ninja and had no clue how he was doing those transitions or making those fonts render so nicely. A little research disclosed that he did it on a Mac. That got me thinking.

2. Steve Moved the Mac to Intel.

This really was the watershed event. When Macs started shipping with Intel chips, I *knew* it wouldn't be long before I could run any necessary Windows applications on them. I was right.

3. Epiphany.

The final straw was my new Dell. It was three months old and I was already having issues with it. The hardware was fine. The trouble was the rubber band and scotch tape hodge podge that is Windows. It occurred to me that even 15 years after the “switch”, the process of using a Windows computer was still more tedious than the Mac 512 I used “back in the day.” I spent more time taking care of the computer than the computer did taking care of me. I had enough. I quit. I sold the relatively new Dell at a small loss and went to the Apple Store.

Why I Use a Mac

I’m sure part of my infatuation with Macs is reverting to the computers I loved growing up but there are also a few practical reasons:

My Mac Saves Time

From the first time I booted up my Intel Mac, I immediately became more productive on my computer. It was like someone finally turned off that white noise that started the first time I booted Windows 3. No longer does the computer require me to adapt to it. The user experience is designed to serve me, not the opposite.

I’m sure there are lots of reasons why this is true. One company, with the Steve Jobs’ "no compromise" mentality part of its culture, controlling every component from the hardware to operating system to software development environment is one reason. A group of dedicated developers (with a sense of taste and style) is another. Perhaps the most underestimated part of the Mac experience is the massively supportive user base. Today I was sitting in an airport working on this post on my MacBook Air when a complete stranger walks up to me and points at my Mac and says, “So did you buy the new MacHeist?” There is no other computer where you get that experience. The only discussions about other computers usually involve some sort of pain. “So, how DID you get all that crapware off your new Dell?”

I’m sure there are more reasons. The bottom line is I got a noticeable bump in productivity when I switched. I also found my self-trained limits on what I could do with my prior PC’s needed to be thrown out. Suddenly I found myself able to make movies (good movies), produce music, manage photography, diagram and manage work projects better, faster, and easier than ever before.

The Mac is My Edge

I’m a strange duck as an attorney. About half of my work is transactional. This is where I make deals for clients, write contracts, wills, trusts and help people purchase, form, and sell companies. This is what I call “win-win” work. If I do my job right, everybody benefits from these transactional matters. The other half of my work is litigation. That is where there are two groups at odds. These matters are usually resolved by a guy in a black robe and nearly always involve a winner and a loser. The rub is, I hate to lose.

A computer does not allow you to magically win lawsuits, but technology is certainly a factor. I have always used technology in my practice. I am in a small firm and often find myself against attorneys from very large firms with many more assets, attorneys, and support staff behind them. The smart use of technology is how I even the playing field. I have been hauling projectors to the courthouse since before anyone even knew what a “Powerpoint” was. Switching to the Mac was my next step in staying ahead of the technology curve. It worked. My Keynote presentations are fantastic. Likewise, everything from planning strategies through generating trial graphics and editing deposition video that I do on my Mac is, frankly, better than anything I’ve ever seen my PC opponents put together. My technology is so much better, that I’ve even been accused of being “slick” at trial because the other guy simply doesn’t know what else to say when the jury looks at my animated Keynote against his random scriblings on a chalkboard.

The Mac is Fun

Using a computer should not be compared to getting teeth drilled. Nonetheless, that was my Windows experience. In contrast, the Mac has been a joy. I had no idea when I switched how much better I would get at photography or that I would rekindle a 20-year dormant hobby of writing music simply by switching computer hardware.

I don’t think owning a Mac has as much to do with being “cool” as it does with demanding that the technology serve you and not the opposite.

Useful Attorney iPhone Applications

Several iPhone attorneys, myself included, put together a posting about our favorite iPhone applications. It ran today on the MacLawyer website and iPhone J.D. It is worth reading, even for non-pointy headed lawyer types.

Macworld Moves to February

Today IDG announced 2010 Macworld moved from January to February 9 - 13, 2010. The location will remain at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. I spoke with several developers, exhibitors, and attendees at this year's Macworld and the one point everyone agreed to was that having the event the week after New Years and the same time as CES was madness. I think the move to February was a good thing and should make it easier for attendees and exhibitors alike.

Free Expo Hall registration for Macworld 2010 will remain open, for a limited time, so if you are thinking about it, go register. I've been to several Macworld expos and for me the experience has always been defined by the community, not the Apple booth, so start making your plans now.

iMovie Update - The True Story

Tidbits had an excellent piece on what actually changed with the recent iMoive 09 update.

ABA Techshow Countdown

This week I'll be packing my bags and heading to the ABA Techshow in Chicago. I've nearly got the Keynote and travel arrangements are complete. It looks like there will be several interesting speakers and I encourage any Legal Tech types in the Chicago area to check it out.