Mac Roundtable, Episode 60

I joined Allison Sherridan and Bart Busschots for the Mac Roundtable #60 where we discussed iPhone 3.0, Twitter clients, and the fabled Apple netbook/tablet. Check it out.

Today Review

One of the best features of Microsoft Entourage is My Day, a little window that summarizes your appointments and tasks. While I’m not an Entourage user, I must admit a little envy at that simple little window. Apparently I’m not alone. Developer Second Gear Software wrote their own application, appropriately called “Today” that works with iCal data giving you the benefit of My Day without the overhead of Entourage

Using Today, in one narrow window I can get all of a particular day's events and tasks. Today reads works with the Leopard iCal calendar database so you have the same data without using the screen real estate. If you move an event in Today, it is also adjusted in iCal and all of your iCal connected devices. Switching to a different day is as simple as clicking on the date and selecting your new view from the drop down calendar. You can also move incrementally by clicking on obvious little triangles. Today recognizes the different colors of your iCal calendars and recreates them in its view.

Using Today you can do more than just view your calendar. You can also add events. The recent 1.6 update added natural language detectors for adding new events so setting a meeting for tomorrow, you can type the date or just “tomorrow.”

If you manage your tasks through the iCal and Apple Mail database, you also have full control of them in Today. If you check off a task in Today, it automatically updated in Mail and iCal. I tested this feature and it worked. I didn’t use it extensively however since my task list system is outside the iCal/Apple Mail database.

There are several useful settings allowing Today to be as visible (or subtle) as you please. For instance you can make the Today window always on top of your desktop or hide it in you menu bar.

Once you get comfortable with Today, you will find yourself opening iCal a lot less often. For laptop users, that is a good thing. A Today license is $15. Second Gear has a free trial period.

You can listen to this review on the MacReviewCast Episode #203.

Run SuperDuper on Drive Connect

Fire up your propeller beanie. Mac OS X hints has a very good article today about how to set up an applescript to automatically SuperDuper your drive upon connection of the backup external drive.

BusySync on Sale at MacZot

One of my favorite utilities is BusySync which allows all of my various family members to sync calendars. It also allows for seamless Google Cal synching. I reviewed it last year. Anyway, if you've been holding off because of the the price, today is your lucky day. Maczot has it for 40% off.

Curio Review

I have to admit I’m pretty plugged in when it comes to Mac applications. That is why it is always fun to discover a gem I’ve never heard of. That happened recently with an application from Zengobi software, called Curio.

Curio really doesn’t fit into any easy categories. I guess you could call it a project organization and data collection tool. I’ve come to think of it as a playground for my brain. It has several modules including outlines, notes, mind maps, "to do" lists, PDF annotation, images, and embedded web pages. I’ve used a lot of data collection applications and this one is truly unique. In a lot of ways it reminds me of a wall in my apartment I used in college. I’d tape on notecards, pictures, and ideas. It was very liberating being able to move things around and make new connections. Using Curio, I can now do this on my Mac. You can add and layout pages with whatever modules fit your needs. For instance on one project I have a page with a mind map, another page has a chronological outline, and a third page has images of relevant web pages. You really are limited only by your imagination.

My biggest problem with Curio was getting my arms around it. Everytime I thought I had it figured out, I’d push another button and find another useful tool. You can even add voice annotations and draw with a pen tablet. One of the most recent updates ties Curio to your Evernote database. Now I can see my entire Evernote library from inside Curio and drag Evernote assets straight into my Curio projects. This makes both applications much more useful.

Curio gives you the ability to combine nearly unlimited capture with nearly unlimited format. Put simply, you can throw just about anything at it and organize it according to your own personal wiring. It is definitely the most flexible data organization tool in my bag of tricks.

While Curio has a lot of tools, it does not match the functionality of exclusive use applications. For instance, OmniOutliner is a more powerful outliner than Curio’s. Likewise, the mind map function isn’t as robust as an exclusive mind mapper. I still use my more powerful single use tools for big jobs. However, the Curio tools are usually enough.

Curio comes in two flavors, a standard edition for $99 and a professional version for $149. The pro version includes a additional tools including a status shelf, pre-built templates, a presentation mode, a dossier feature that helps you start new projects, and encryption. For students, there is a $69 academic license. You can download a free trial from the Zengobi.com. This one that is definitely worth checking out.

You can listen to the above review on the Mac ReviewCast #202.

iPhone Software 3.0 - No Scoop, Just Dreams

Apple announced yesterday that on Tuesday they will be sharing the blueprint for iPhone software 3.0. In the Apple blogosphere this is nothing less than a class one rumor and speculation generating event. Indeed already websites are weighing in with their "inside knowledge" concerning MMS, tethering, and the long fabled cut and paste. I have no idea what the boys in Cupertino have up their sleeves. Nevertheless, I can hope. I can wish. I can dream. If you've been reading this blog for any time, you already know what I'm talking about. Bluetooth keyboard support. Enough said.

Hydra Bumps to 2.1

On the heels of my recent Hydra review, Creaceed released version 2.1 that includes several improvements including a dual histogram display, faster rendering of RAW images, and Aperture now supports 16 bit TIFF images. There is a complete listing at Creaceed.

Hydra 2 Review

It wasn't so long ago that I reviewed Creaceed's High Dynamic Range (HDR) application and Aperture plugin, Hydra. If you've never heard of HDR before, it is the process of taking multiple exposures of a subject and combining them into one picture that more closely resembles what you see with the human eye. When done right, it is wonderful. When overdone, it looks bizarre. Wikipedia explains it at length.

I was impressed with Hydra when I last reviewed it but recomended using the stand-alone application over the Aperture plug-in. At that time, the Aperture plug-in hadn't caught up with the stand alone application feature set. With version 2, it does now.

The new Aperture interface is fantastic. If you can run iPhoto, you should have no trouble with Hydra. It has a live preview, sliders, and checkboxes which, with a little experimentation, can have you tuning your HDR photographs in no time without cracking the manual.

Hydra still does an excellent job of combining photographs and image matching. Creaceed has a lot of experience in this field from its other product, MorphAge, and it shows. Indeed the new version uses additional technologies to account for small distortions between your images. On or off the tripod, you can perform HDR using Hydra.

The new version also includes a loupe tool that previews your image at full quality allowing you to see the rendered image eliminating nasty surprises.

Tone mapping has also improved in the new version. Tone mapping is the part of the HDR workflow where the application takes all of the combined HDR data and makes it into a visually attractive picture. It makes the skies richly blue and the grass richly green. The new version includes a perceptive tone mapper which attempts to mimic human perception. I'm sure there is a lot of science behind this. I just think it makes the pictures look better.

More than anything, version 2 shows the maturity of an application on its second iteration. Slightly more polish, features, and more intuitive.

Whenever discussing HDR software, you can not ignore the 800 pound gorilla, Photomatix. I've owned Photomatix for some time. While there are several new tools to fine tune your image in Hydra, Photomatix still has more granular control than Hydra. However, Photomatix also is more expensive, comes with a steeper learning curve, and takes longer to use.

I am an amateur photographer. I've never sold an image to Life Magazine yet I get an unreasonable amount of pleasure from taking good pictures. Even though I own a license to Photomatix, I've done all of my HDR work in the past six months through Hydra. Without really thinking about it, I've discovered the speed, ease of use, and ability to perform the HDR function from within Aperture outweighs any benefits from the additional features in Photomatix. If you want to try your hand at HDR, give Hydra a chance. The pictures look stunning and there is no pain involved in operation.

Hydra is a Leopard only application and a license costs $79.95. You can download a trial from the developer at www.creaceed.com.

You can listen to this review on the MacReviewCast episode 201.

On Kindle, Apple, and Goring Oxen

The iPhone Kindle Reader

Last night the App store debuted Amazon's new Kindle Reader application for iPhone. As a generation 1 Kindle owner, I immediately jumped all over this. This free application accesses your Amazon Kindle account and allows you to selectively download books you have purchased to your iPhone or iPod Touch. I've loaded seven books on my iPhone (a few of which are quite long) with no noticeable hit on available RAM.

In between dealing with the onslaught of life, I've been reading Niel Stephensen's "Anathem." It is an excellent book, but I've not had much time lately for fiction. So the first time I loaded Anathem on my iPhone it started right where I left off on the Kindle. Amazon's Whispersync service works with the iPhone application. So I read the book off my phone for 20 minutes. The experience was not bad. You turn pages by flipping sideways which makes much more sense than scrolling up and down. This way you always pick up where you left off and this comports with an entire lifetime of turning pages in books. I then ran over to my Kindle. Sure enough, Kindle figured out what I'd read on the iPhone and sent me straight to the page I left off on the iPhone. Delicious.

All is not perfect however. I have several books, particularly reference and continuing educational materials, that I've converted to Kindle using Stanza for OS X. Sadly, I cannot get those materials into the iPhone Kindle Reader. Hopefully that will change. Also, while the reading experience is acceptable on the iPhone, I still think the form factor and digital ink on the Kindle is better.

So What Does this Mean?

With this move Amazon has taken a huge step toward e-book domination. I've always felt this market was Apple's for the taking. They were the only company with the existing infrastructure (iTunes) to make the e-book model work. That is no longer true. Amazon has a compelling model and all indications are that they are not so much interested in selling proprietary hardware as they are books. This is a good fit with Apple that (by most reports) makes its money on hardware. If Amazon has embraced the iPhone, can you imagine how nice it would be using WhisperSync service on the often rumored super-sized iPod Touch? Likewise, if Amazon is on the iPhone, don't you think an OS X version is already in the works? I can see Amazon looking at giving its customers as many ways possible to read their books. The Amazon experience is making it easy for readers to happily drop themselves into the Kindle ecosystem. Sound familiar?

The fact that Apple allowed this app on the iPhone would indicate Apple is okay with giving up the e-book. I think one assumption a lot of people have made (myself included) is that Apple ever had designs on the e-book market. In retrospect, this may have never been true. Steve Jobs said last year he had no interest in selling e-books. (Of course he also said at one point he had no interest in a video iPod.) Regardless, getting back to the idea that Apple makes its money on hardware, perhaps the Kindle and Amazon's strategy of readers everywhere is a good thing for Apple. Apple is in the unique position of making the only device that can combine your iTunes and Kindle libraries. The boys in Cupertino could sell a lot of hardware if they play this right.

The Goring of Oxen

So who are the losers if this trend continues. The obvious answer is other book reader formats. However I'm also thinking this can not make book publishers very happy. The nuts and bolts end of publishing (manufacturing and distributing) is supplanted by a successful Kindle store. If publishers are no longer getting authors into bookstores, how long will it be until authors find a way into the Kindle store without publishers? Like the record industry, it should be very interesting to see how this all develops. If at the end it means musicians and authors make more money and guys in suits make less, that will be a good thing.

When Kindle premiered I mocked it. Now that I've used one for a year, I'm thinking Amazon just might have "iTunesed" books.

MacSparky on Windows Virtualization

Today an article I wrote about using Windows on the Mac appeared on the American Bar Association's TechShow blog. Speaking of the TechShow, it's getting closer. If you are going to be in the Chicago area April 2-4 and want to learn about how to use technology in the practice of law, now is your chance.