Apple has updated its all-in-one iMac line, adding the latest Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors and improved graphics. 

Ladies and gentlemen, we have lift-off. Apple this morning has introduced new supercharged iMacs, an all-new Mac Pro, new displays and -- finally at last taken the wraps off of the much-expected 'Magic TrackPad'.

That's quite a morning.

To the iMac: This is a significant update. You're seeing these machines get the latest Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors and powerful new graphics.

Good prices too: starting at $1,199, the new iMac line is the fastest ever with dual-core processor speeds up to 3.6 GHz, quad-core speeds up to 2.93 GHz.

"We took the world's best all-in-one and made it even better," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With the latest processors, high-performance graphics and signature aluminum and glass design, customers are going to love the latest iMac."

The processors feature an integrated memory controller to access the system memory directly, allowing the new iMac to take full advantage of its faster 1333 MHz memory. New discrete ATI Radeon HD processors promise some of the best graphics performance yet seen on an iMac, with an accent on 3D notablein the press release (we sense more things ahead).

IPS technology means a wide 178 degree viewing angle. There's an SD card slot which now supports the SDXC format. Oh, and if you never want to endure a lengthy start-up again, you can order a 256GB solid state drive (SSD) as a primary or secondary drive on the 27-inch models. That supports up to 215 MB/s data transfer rates. Don't blink or you'll miss it.

The iMac meets stringent Energy Star 5.0 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status. Greener than ever, I'm pleased to note, as I kind of like this planet. The iMac features LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. iMac uses PVC-free components and cables, contains no brominated flame retardants, uses highly recyclable materials and features material-efficient system and packaging designs.

Hidden among the product releases, the new Apple Battery Charger ($29) will power up your Magic Trackpad, Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard and ships with six long life batteries.

Pricing and schizzle:

The new 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

• 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
• 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics with 256MB GDDR3 SDRAM;
• 500GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• slot-load 8x SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for audio and video output (adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• iSight® video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one SDXC SD card slot;
• one FireWire® 800 port;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
• Configure-to-order options include up to 8GB of RAM.

The new 21.5-inch 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

• 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
• 3.20 GHz Intel Core i3 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 5670 discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3;
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for audio and video output (adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• one SDXC SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
• Configure-to-order options include a faster 3.6 GHz Core i5 processor, 2TB hard drive and up to 8GB of RAM.

The new 27-inch 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,699 (US), includes:

• 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
• 3.20 GHz Intel Core i3 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 5670 discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3;
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for audio and video input and output (adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• one SDXC SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
• Configure-to-order options include a 3.6 GHz Core i5 processor, 2TB hard drive, 256GB solid state drive (SSD) and up to 16GB of RAM.

The new 27-inch 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

• 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
• 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 5750 discrete graphics with 1GB GDDR5;
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for audio and video input and output (adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• one SDXC SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
• Configure-to-order options include a 2.93 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor, a 2TB hard drive, 256GB solid state drive (SSD) and up to 16GB of RAM.

I've been looking for a computer with the muscle to handle hardcore NLE video editing while working on a couple of musical compositions, checking the email, running an IM session and handling the hassle of Flash crashing in the browser, and I think Apple deliverd this very machine this morning -- the new Mac Pro, a supercalifragilistic speed demon with up to 12 (yeah, count them) processing cores.

Apple promises the new Mac Pro will deliver 50 percent greater performance than the previous generation. You get: quad-core and 6-core Intel Xeon processors, all-new ATI graphics and the option for up to four 512GB solid state drives (SSD).

(Apple's getting pretty serious about SSD, right? Wonder what the chances are for a fully solid state iPod classic come September?)

"The new Mac Pro is the most powerful and configurable Mac we've ever made," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With up to 12 cores, the new Mac Pro outperforms our previous top-of-the-line system by up to 50 percent, and with over a billion possible configurations, our customers can create exactly the system they want."

These professional desktops are driven by next-gen quad-core and 6-core Intel Xeon processors running at speeds up to 3.33 GHz.

Apple has a few interesting details on these chips, explaining these multi-core processors use a single die design "so each core can share up to 12MB L3 cache to improve efficiency while increasing processing speed."

The tech specs are a wet dream to anyone who ever spent time trying to tweak power out of a G3 Power Mac, listen up: "These systems feature an integrated memory controller for faster memory bandwidth and reduced memory latency; Turbo Boost to dynamically boost processor speeds up to 3.6 GHz; and Hyper-Threading to create up to 24 virtual cores."

The Mac Pro now comes with the ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics processor with 1GB of memory and customers can configure-to-order the even faster ATI Radeon HD 5870 with 1GB of memory.

For the first time, Mac Pro customers have the option to order a 512GB SSD. Now, you can install up to four of these inside the internal drive bays. This means you can expect ultra high-speed disk bandwidth and random disk performance to deliver speeds twice as good as the average performance of a standard disk drive.

Display:  two Mini DisplayPorts and one dual-link DVI port. Wanna do video? Just connect up to two LED Cinema Displays without an additional graphics card or adapter. The dual-link DVI port supports legacy DVI-based displays up to a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels.

Like the iMac, the Mac Pro meets stringent Energy Star 5.0 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status.

Pricing & Availability

The new Mac Pro will be available in August through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The new quad-core Mac Pro, with a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

• one 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon W3530 processor with 8MB of fully-shared L3 cache;
• 3GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory, expandable up to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory;
• two Mini DisplayPorts and one DVI (dual-link) port (adapters sold separately);
• 1TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• 18x SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
• four PCI Express 2.0 slots;
• five USB 2.0 ports and four FireWire® 800 ports;
• AirPort Extreme® 802.11n;
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; and
• Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and Magic Mouse.
• The new 8-core Mac Pro, with a suggested retail price of $3,499 (US), includes:
• two 2.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon E5620 processors with 12MB of fully-shared L3 cache per processor;
• 6GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory, expandable up to 32GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory;
• two Mini DisplayPorts and one DVI (dual-link) port (adapters sold separately);
• 1TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
• four PCI Express 2.0 slots;
• five USB 2.0 ports and four FireWire 800 ports;
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n;
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; and
• Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and Magic Mouse.

Configure-to-order options include:

• one 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon W3565 processor for the quad-core Mac Pro;
• one 3.33 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon W3680 processor for the quad-core Mac Pro;
• two 2.66 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon X5650 processors (12-cores) for the 8-core Mac Pro;
• two 2.93 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon X5670 processors (12-cores) for the 8-core Mac Pro;
• two ATI Radeon HD 5770 cards with 1GB of GDDR5 memory;
• one ATI Radeon HD 5870 card with 1GB of GDDR5 memory;
• up to 16GB of DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory for the quad-core Mac Pro;
• up to 32GB of DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory for the 8-core Mac Pro;
• up to four 512GB solid state drives (SSD); or
• up to four 1TB or 2TB Serial ATA hard drives running at 7200 rpm;
• Mac Pro RAID card;
• dual-channel or quad-channel 4Gb Fibre Channel card; and
• up to two 18x SuperDrives with double-layer support.

It’s been a long, cruel wait for Mac Pro fans, but Apple has finally delivered for you Tuesday, with a new model packing up to 12 processing cores with Intel Xeon processors. The bad news is, they won’t physically arrive until next month -- but hey, that’s right around the corner, right?

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has finally refreshed the Mac Pro line after months of speculation and rumors. Even though the new high-end desktop hasn’t changed radically on the outside, internally the Mac Pro features the latest and greatest quad-core and six-core Intel Xeon processors, all-new ATI graphics and even an option for up to four 512GB solid state drives (SSD). Processor speeds are up to 50 percent faster, maxing out at 3.33GHz and feature a single die design which allows them to share up to 12MB L3 cache, which improves not only speed but efficiency as well.

"The new Mac Pro is the most powerful and configurable Mac we've ever made," boasted Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller. "With up to 12 cores, the new Mac Pro outperforms our previous top-of-the-line system by up to 50 percent, and with over a billion possible configurations, our customers can create exactly the system they want."

The new Mac Pros also sport two Mini DisplayPorts for the first time, in addition to one dual-link DVI port. The extra Mini DisplayPort allows users to connect two LED Cinema Displays without the need for an extra graphics card or adapter, while the dual-link DVI port supports legacy displays up to a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels.

The new quad-core Mac Pro carries a $2,499 price tag and features:

• one 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon W3530 processor with 8MB of fully-shared L3 cache;
• 3GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory, expandable up to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory;
• two Mini DisplayPorts and one DVI (dual-link) port (adapters sold separately);
• 1TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
• four PCI Express 2.0 slots;
• five USB 2.0 ports and four FireWire 800 ports;
• AirPort Extreme® 802.11n;
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; and
• Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and Magic Mouse.

The new eight-core Mac Pro carries a $3,499 price tag and features:

• two 2.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon E5620 processors with 12MB of fully-shared L3 cache per processor;
• 6GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory, expandable up to 32GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory;
• two Mini DisplayPorts and one DVI (dual-link) port (adapters sold separately);
• 1TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
• four PCI Express 2.0 slots;
• five USB 2.0 ports and four FireWire 800 ports;
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n;
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; and
• Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and Magic Mouse.

If you prefer to configure your own Mac Pro, you’ll have a mind-boggling host of options to do so:

• one 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon W3565 processor for the quad-core Mac Pro;
• one 3.33 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon W3680 processor for the quad-core Mac Pro;
• two 2.66 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon X5650 processors (12-cores) for the 8-core Mac Pro;
• two 2.93 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon X5670 processors (12-cores) for the 8-core Mac Pro;
• two ATI Radeon HD 5770 cards with 1GB of GDDR5 memory;
• one ATI Radeon HD 5870 card with 1GB of GDDR5 memory;
• up to 16GB of DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory for the quad-core Mac Pro;
• up to 32GB of DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory for the 8-core Mac Pro;
• up to four 512GB solid state drives (SSD); or
• up to four 1TB or 2TB Serial ATA hard drives running at 7200 rpm;
• Mac Pro RAID card;
• dual-channel or quad-channel 4Gb Fibre Channel card; and
• up to two 18x SuperDrives with double-layer support.

The new Mac Pro models won’t be available until August, but you can get a peek at all of their yummy goodness right now on the Apple website.

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

Elgato Systems

Gallery: EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV App for iPhone

TUAWHands-on with Elgato EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV app for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 13 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you love your iPad but hate all of the Wi-Fi problems you’ve been experiencing, Apple is listening and will soon address the situation.

AppleInsider is reporting that iPad maker Apple Inc. has issued a new support document regarding Wi-Fi problems with the new device, even going so far as to promise that a forthcoming software update will fix the issues -- but doesn’t say when it will arrive.

“A very small number of iPad users have experienced issues with Wi-Fi connectivity,” the support document reads. “This article outlines workarounds for these issues. Apple will also address remaining Wi-Fi connectivity issues with a future iPad software update.”

Among the proposed solutions for now:

1. Verify your Wi-Fi router firmware is up to date.
2. If your router's security encryption is WEP, try WPA or WPA2, as WEP can cause intermittent disconnects with the iPad which requires retyping a password.
3. Make sure the iPad screen brightness is not at the lowest level.
4/ Obtain a new IP address by going into Settings, Wi-Fi, accessing the settings of the current network, and choosing "Renew Lease."
5. Finally, if these steps do not work, users are recommended to try turning Wi-Fi off and back on.

If these fixes don’t solve your problem, users should contact Apple support to help troubleshoot the issues.

iPad Wi-Fi problems first surfaced within days of the device first being available on April 3rd, but have been hard to pin down. The issues arise with a range of different routers, including Apple’s own AirPort Extreme, and manifest themselves in many ways, including a weak signal or the inability to connect to a network at all.

I use a MacBook Air for work, which keeps my backpack light. I’d like your recommendation for software that will let me access my iMac at home from the MacBook Air. I just want to access the iMac to retrieve a file, maybe an email, and that’s it. I know there’s LogMeIn and Back to My Mac (I’m a MobileMe subscriber), but I’d appreciate your expert opinion.

Thanks for the compliments, but we’re actually on the same wavelength. If you already subscribe to MobileMe and you’re not using Back to My Mac, you’re not getting your money’s worth, we’d say. It works well and it’s dead simple to use. Head to System Preferences > MobileMe, click to the Back to My Mac tab, and turn on the service on both your home iMac and your MacBook Air. While on that screen, click the Open Sharing button to open the Sharing pane of System Preferences, and turn on both File Sharing and Screen Sharing. To make sure only you can wield these powerful technological swords, use the Allow Access For menus to make yourself the only allowed user--click the plus sign to add a user, select Users And Groups in the left pane of the pop-up window, and choose your own username.

Turn it on, and it just works.

Now when you’re in the wild blue yonder, you can open a Finder window on your MacBook Air, expand the Shared section of the sidebar, and there’s your iMac, waiting patiently. (Well, provided it’s turned on back at your house and connected to the internet via your home network, and your MacBook Air has an internet connection too.) You can click on it to start the connection, log in with your iMac’s username and password, and then see all your iMac’s files, open ’em, move ’em around, drag them over to your MacBook Air, whatever. If you have a Time Capsule on your home network or an AirPort Extreme Base Station with an external hard drive attached, those files will be available to you too.

If you want to see your iMac’s screen, say to launch your email app and read messages, find your iMac in your MacBook Air’s Finder window, then click the little Screen Sharing button that appears, and you’ll get to see the iMac’s screen and control it as if you were a ghost or something.

LogMeIn is cool too (see “Trick Out Your Menubar with 10 Free Apps”), especially for non-MobileMe subscribers. If you just want to see and control your iMac from the MacBook Air, LogMeIn Free will work just fine. But if you want file transfers, you’ve got to upgrade, and LogMeIn Pro for Mac is in beta at press time ($12.20/month or $69.95/year per computer, logmein.com).

So we recommend trying Back to My Mac since you’re already paying for MobileMe (other readers, remember that MobileMe has a free 60-day trial), and if it doesn’t fit your needs somehow, try LogMeIn. But we think you’ll get a more seamless and Mac-like experience with Apple’s product--that Finder integration is something only Cupertino can provide.

A guest network is smart thinking--it's like letting someone into your house but making sure they can't rifle through your desk drawers.

Difficulty Level: Easy

What You Need:

>> A router (either AirPort Extreme 2009 or another dual-band brand)
>> Extra Ethernet cabling (if not using a dual-band wireless router)
>> An existing wireless or wired network

Increasingly, we depend on internet access to run our lives, and when we have guests over to our house, apartment, or workplace, normally we either have to open our wireless network or give the guest our network password. Either way, you open up your wireless network to security risks.

No worries--we’ll show you how to easily setup your own guest network using either an AirPort Extreme (early 2009 model) or another brand of router (we’ll use a Netgear). On newer routers that have two antennas and therefore support dual bands, the tools needed to create a guest network usually already exist in the provided software. However, you’ll need to check your particular router to see if this type of functionality is provided.

AirPort Extreme Base Station

1. Get Manual

Clicking Manual Setup lets you manually manage your AirPort Extreme.

On your Mac, navigate to and open the AirPort Utility, an application used to manage your base station, found in /Applications/Utilities. Click the Manual Setup button and enter your management password.

2. Roll Out the Welcome Mat

Want to let your guests' Macs talk to each other? It's more social that way.

Click the AirPort tab, and then the Guest Network tab. In this area, you’ll be able to configure your AirPort for guest access. Check the Enable Guest Network checkbox and type in an identifiable name for your guest network. Computers connecting to it will not have any access to your personal network and won’t be able to communicate with each other. However, if you check the box that says “Allow guest network clients to communicate with each other,” guests will be able to exchange files with and otherwise connect to one another.

3. Secure It

When encrypting your wireless network, we recommend using WPA encryption, because it’s more secure and less vulnerable to attacks.

In the Guest Network Security dropdown, you can select between different types of encryption. When you do this, you will be able to enter a password for your guest network. Don’t use the same password as you do for your main network, obviously, or this whole exercise will have been pointless.

4. Start It Up

After a short restart, guests will be able to connect to the wireless network that you just created.

Once you’ve entered all of the required fields, you can click Update. After your AirPort Extreme restarts, you should see an additional wireless network appear with the name you specified in Step 2. Guests can now log in to that network using the password you chose in Step 3 and access the internet. Again, guests won’t have access to your personal network and shared resources (network printers, disks, and so on).

Next Page: Netgear Router >>

NetGear Router

1. Open the Control Panel

After you have set up your network, you really gotta change your router's default password for security.

While connected to your Netgear dual-band wireless router, open your web browser and navigate to routerlogin.net (or http://192.168.0.1). You’ll be prompted for your username and password. By default, your username is “admin” and your password is “password.” Yup, not so tricky.

2. Decide What Guests Can Do

If you uncheck Enable SSID Broadcast, people will not be able to "see" the network on a regular Wi-Fi scan and will have to manually type the SSID.

Once logged in, select Guest Network from the list of options on the left. You’ll be presented with many options for configuring your guest network. By checking Enable Guest Network and specifying an SSID, you can be up and running in no time. However, you can also allow or disallow access to your local network by checking or unchecking the option for Allow Guest To Access My Local Network.

3. Security Blanket

Nice and secure.

Under the Security Options, you can choose from a plethora of security algorithms, including WEP and WPA2, and you can then specify your passphrase. This is the password you’ll give to guests, so don’t use the same password as you use to secure your router’s settings (Step 1) or the password you use on your own Wi-Fi network.

4. Voilà!

Looky there... a guest network that you created, and if you're using WPA2, it's pretty secure too.

After you type in your information and click Apply, your router will restart. Your guest network will then be created, and you’ll be able to view it from the wireless menu on your Mac or PC. Your guests will be able to get online without you having to give up your main network’s password, and they won’t be able to access your network’s computers or other equipment.

Next Page: "What if My Router Isn't a Dual-Band?" and WEP vs. WPA >>

What if My Router Isn't a Dual-Band?

As you can see, getting a guest network up and running is easy if you have a router that supports dual bands. If not, you can do this with virtually any spare router that you connect to your existing wired or wireless network for this purpose.

Apple's AirPort Extreme Base Station is an investment at $179, but it'll last a good long while, and it's incredibly easy to administer from a Mac.

Refer to your specific router’s documentation for port blocking to block all ports except port 80 (used for accessing HTTP content) and port 443 (used for accessing HTTPS content). This will limit that router’s internet access to only web traffic. You can then unblock additional ports as necessary for different services, such as POP (110) or IMAP (143), which will allow email. Commonly used port numbers can be found at support.apple.com/kb/TS1629. By blocking/unblocking these port numbers, you’re restricting/allowing access to the people that connect to the guest network.

Port blocking is easy to do, but just the name may scare some. If you are in the market for a new router and wish to have guest networking without a mess of cabling or having to deal with blocking and opening ports, you may want to consider getting a dual-band router. Some can be pricy, but the AirPort Extreme ($179, apple.com) and Netgear routers (netgear.com) usually last a long time.

Wireless Security: Which Should I Choose?

When putting together a wireless network, the most important piece of the puzzle is the wireless security. Unless you live in an extremely remote area, you need to enable some type of encryption. Most modern routers come with at least two types of encryption: WEP and WPA. While both do a good job, they were not created equal.

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) was one of the first styles of wireless encryption brought about and is inherently insecure--several tools are available online that allow anyone to hack into a WEP-encrypted Wi-Fi network.

WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) is a more modern and more secure way of encrypting your wireless network. A newer standard of WPA, called WPA2, increases the security by adding additional behind-the-scenes features. WPA also has the advantage of letting you specify your own passphrase instead of using hard-to-remember hexadecimal values. So yes, use WPA2 whenever possible.

Apple updated its MacBook Pro lineup today with the long anticipated Arrandale processors.  The 13-inch MacBook Pros keep the Core 2 Duos (with modest speed increases and 10 hours (!!) of battery life) while the  15-inch and 17-inch models step up to Intel Core i5 and i7 processors.  Apple now also offers a 512GB SSD as a $1300 build-to-order option as well.

Entry level prices for the 15-inch MacBook Pros have increased $100 (but got discrete graphics) though Apple has also brought its higher level configurations down in price.

Apple went with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics cards for the 15 and 17-inch models which appear to yield some pretty impressive results:

Apple's Press release follows...

Apple Updates MacBook Pro Line

Faster Processors, Next-Generation Graphics & Up to 10 Hours of Battery Life

CUPERTINO, California—April 13, 2010—Apple® today updated the MacBook® Pro line with faster processors, powerful next-generation NVIDIA graphics and even longer battery life. The popular 13-inch MacBook Pro features the new NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor for up to 80 percent faster graphics and a groundbreaking 10-hour built-in battery.* The new 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models feature Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and Apple’s new automatic graphics switching technology that toggles seamlessly between powerful NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and energy efficient Intel HD Graphics processors.

“The new MacBook Pro is as advanced on the inside as it is stunning on the outside,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With faster processors, amazing graphics and up to three more hours of battery life, the new MacBook Pro delivers both performance and efficiency.”

All 13-inch MacBook Pro models now include faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors, 4GB RAM, a 10-hour built-in battery and the new NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor. With 48 processing cores, the new NVIDIA GeForce 320M is the fastest integrated graphics processor on the market, ideal for graphics intensive applications or high performance games. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is available in two configurations: one with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 250GB hard drive priced at $1,199; and one with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 320GB hard drive priced at $1,499.

The new 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models are up to 50 percent faster than the previous systems.** Using Intel’s state-of-the-art 32 nanometer process, Intel Core i5 and i7 processors integrate the memory controller and Level 3 cache for faster access to system memory. Hyper-Threading technology improves data throughput by creating virtual processing cores, while Turbo Boost optimizes performance between the two processor cores, accelerating the system from 2.66 GHz to 3.06 GHz for intensive dual core tasks, and up to 3.33 GHz for single core tasks.

All 15-inch and 17-inch models include two graphics processors, the new NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M for peak performance and Intel HD Graphics for energy efficient operation. More than twice as fast as the GeForce 320M, the powerful new GeForce GT 330M provides incredibly smooth, crisp on-screen graphics for the most demanding 3D games, creative software and technical applications. Apple’s automatic graphics switching determines which graphics processor an application needs and switches instantly between processors to deliver peak performance and long battery life. Tightly integrated hardware and software allow the new 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro to deliver 8 to 9 hours on a single charge.

The new 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in three models: one with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and 320GB hard drive at $1,799; one with a 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and 500GB hard drive at $1,999; and one with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and 500GB hard drive at $2,199. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro features a 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and 500GB hard drive for $2,299.

The MacBook Pro glass Multi-Touch™ trackpad now supports inertial scrolling, an intuitive way to scroll through large photo libraries, lengthy documents and long web sites. All MacBook Pros feature bright, LED-backlit wide-angle displays with a broad color gamut. The 17-inch MacBook Pro includes a high resolution 1920 x 1200 display, and the 15-inch MacBook Pro is now available with an optional high resolution 1680 x 1050 display. Customers can also upgrade their MacBook Pro with new 128GB, 256GB and 512GB solid state drives.

As the industry’s greenest notebook lineup, every Mac® notebook achieves EPEAT Gold status and meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements, setting a new standard for environmentally friendly notebook design.*** Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Mac notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, are PVC-free and are constructed of recyclable materials.

Apple uses advanced chemistry, intelligent monitoring of the system and battery, and Adaptive Charging technology to create a notebook battery that delivers up to 10 hours of wireless productivity on a single charge and up to 1,000 recharges.**** The built-in battery design results in less waste and depleted batteries can be replaced for $129 or $179, which includes installation and disposal of your old battery in an environmentally responsible manner.

All Macs come with Mac OS® X Snow Leopard®, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife®, Apple’s innovative suite of applications for managing photos, making movies and creating and learning to play music. Snow Leopard builds on a decade of OS X innovation and success with hundreds of refinements, new core technologies and out of the box support for Microsoft Exchange. iLife features iPhoto®, to easily organize and manage photos; iMovie® with powerful easy-to-use new features such as Precision Editor, video stabilization and advanced drag and drop; and GarageBand® which introduces a whole new way to help you learn to play piano and guitar.

Pricing & Availability
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro, 15-inch MacBook Pro, and 17-inch MacBook Pro are now available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The 2.4 GHz, 13-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

• 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
• 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 1066 MHz front-side bus;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;
• 250GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 8X SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• iSight® video camera;
• two USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire® 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
• SD card slot;
• combined headphone/line in (analog/digital);
• glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
• built-in, 63.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
• 60 Watt MagSafe® Power Adapter.

The 2.66 GHz, 13-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

• 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
• 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 1066 MHz front-side bus;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;
• 320GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• iSight video camera;
• two USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
• SD card slot;
• combined headphone/line in (analog/digital);
• glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
• built-in, 63.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
• 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the 13-inch MacBook Pro include the ability to upgrade to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a 320GB 5400 rpm or a 500GB 5400 rpm hard drive, a 128GB, 256GB or 512GB solid state drive, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare® Protection Plan.

The 2.4 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), includes:

• 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
• 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
• integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 256MB of VRAM;
• 320GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• iSight video camera;
• two USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• audio line in (analog/digital);
• audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
• glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
• built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
• 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.53 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

• 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
• 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
• integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 256MB of VRAM;
• 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• iSight video camera;
• two USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• audio line in (analog/digital);
• audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
• glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
• built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
• 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.66 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,199 (US), includes:

• 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
• 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 with 4MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
• integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 512MB of VRAM;
• 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• iSight video camera;
• two USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• audio line in (analog/digital);
• audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
• glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
• built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
• 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the 15-inch MacBook Pro include the ability to upgrade to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a high resolution 15-inch 1680 x 1050 display in glossy and antiglare, a 500GB 5400 rpm or 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB, 256GB or 512GB solid state drive, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

The 2.53 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,299 (US), includes:

• 17-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1920 x 1200, glossy display;
• 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
• integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 512MB of VRAM;
• 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• iSight video camera;
• three USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
• ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
• audio line in (analog/digital);
• audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
• glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
• built-in, 95WHr lithium polymer battery; and
• 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the 17-inch MacBook Pro include a 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB, 256GB or 512GB solid state drive, antiglare display, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

*Testing conducted by Apple in March 2010 using preproduction 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo–based 13-inch MacBook Pro units with NVIDIA GeForce 320M and production 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo-based 13-inch MacBook Pro units with NVIDIA GeForce 9400M.

**Testing conducted by Apple in March 2010 using preproduction 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7–based 15-inch MacBook Pro units with NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and production 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo-based 15-inch MacBook Pro units with NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT.

***EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. Products meeting all of the 23 required criteria and at least 75 percent of the optional criteria are recognized as EPEAT Gold products. The EPEAT program was conceived by the US EPA and is based on IEEE 1680 standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products. For more information visit www.epeat.net.

****A properly maintained MacBook Pro battery is designed to retain 80 percent or more of its original capacity during a lifespan of up to 1,000 recharge cycles. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings. For more information visit www.apple.com/macbookpro/battery.

TUAWTUAW review: LaCie Network Space 2 low-cost NAS originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With all the sound and fury over Apple's latest creation, the iPhone may have begun to seem like the Jan Brady to the iPad's Marcia. But Apple deftly followed up on the excitement over the iPad's release by teasing a sneak peek at the fourth revision of the iPhone OS on 8 April.

Wi-Fi woes striking early iPad adopters are currently being reported at Apple's Using iPad Discussion Forum. Users are discussing problems ranging from weak Wi-Fi reception to Wi-Fi connectivity problems. 

The worst problem being reported is the weak Wi-Fi, and that discussion has been viewed nearly 9,800 times amongst 113 posts. This problem isn't new to us since we have also experienced problems with Wi-Fi reception on our new 64GB iPad. In one case, we had an iPhone with full Wi-Fi signal strength right next to it and the iPad flipped back and forth between one and two bars. The iPhone remained steady the entire time.

The other problem, which doesn't seem to be as bad as the first one, is a complaint about the Wi-Fi not connecting, and that discussion has been viewed over 1,249 times amongst 29 posts. We have not yet experienced this problem with our iPad -- so far.

Apple has posted one technical bulletin about iPad Wi-Fi in iPad: Does not automatically rejoin known Wi-Fi networks, which mentions dual banded networks (i.e. Airport Extreme) and some issues in that environment that may cause problems for the iPad. We suggest you take a look at this bulletin if you are experiencing Wi-Fi problems and are running this kind of network.

Ironically, this isn't the first complaint we've heard about Wi-Fi on an Apple handheld device. The original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS and the iPod Touch all experienced similar problems initially. Hopefully, the problem can be resolved with a firmware update. 

It just so happens I opened my AirPort Utility mere moments ago to make a tweak to my wireless network, only to discover an exclusive invitation to update to AirPort Utility 5.5.1. Apple released the update for Mac and Windows on Wednesday, along with new firmware for the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule.

TUAWApple releases software updates for Time Capsule, Airport originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAWAsk TUAW: Mac mini as Time Machine server, baby monitoring with a Mac, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Provides: Virtual space for running alternate operating systems
Format: Download and DVD
Developer: VMWare
Minimum System Requirements: Intel Mac, 1GB RAM, 700MB free disk space for VMWare Fusion, at least 5GB disk space for each virtual machine, Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later, registered operating system software
Review Machine: 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro, Mac OS X v10.6.2, 4GB DDR3 RAM
Processor Compatibility: Intel only
Price: $79.99 ($99.99 for 12 months of free updates)
Availability: Now

If you’re looking for a way to run Windows (or Linux, etc) on your Mac, you have a few options. VMWare Fusion—like Parallels and VirtualBox—is one such of these options aimed to give you the best possible experience of Windows on your Mac. While I haven’t used Parallels, I can say that in terms of features, usability, and stability, VMWare Fusion 3 is certainly great in all regards.

When you first launch VMWare Fusion, you are presented with the screen you see below. As you can see, you have four options to initially get you up and running with a virtual machine on your Mac. You can: 1) use a Boot Camp partition, 2) install an OS with an install disc, .iso image, or virtual machine image, 3) convert your existing Windows machine to a virtual machine, or 4) download a trial machine. While I didn’t attempt options one, three, or four, I did thoroughly test option two. During my use of the application, I successfully installed a Windows XP virtual machine and upgraded it to Windows 7 Professional using discs, installed Ubuntu Linux using the .iso image, and installed Chrome OS using a Virtual Machine image (thanks, gdgt!). In all three cases, the install was both seamless and quick.

One of the interesting parts about installing Windows is that the application has a neat feature that allows you to put the license code in at the beginning and then have it import it for you when that step comes. Other than that, installing these various operating systems is exactly as it would be on any other machine.

Once you have your virtual machine installed, you are presented with a surplus of features to change about it. The settings (which can be seen below) can only be altered while the virtual machine is powered off. For instance, some of the most common stuff you will find yourself changing include the amount of RAM and processing power you allow for the virtual machine, as well as how large you want the virtual hard drive to be for it. However, you are also able to change information about the printers, sound, USB devices, network, and sharing between the your Mac and virtual machine. The settings pane acts very much like the Preferences.app that comes standard on all Macs.

VMWare Fusion 3 is great in that it takes advantage of all of the connections and hardware on your machine and automatically integrates them into your virtual machine. For example, you can install a package known as VMWare Tools on your Windows virtual machines that includes all of the drivers you’ll need to share your internet connection, optical drive, printers, etc between Mac OS X and the virtual machine (a small toolbar on the bottom of the virtual machine window allows you to manage these connections, too). Once I had this installed, the internet on the virtual machine just worked and I was even able to print to the same exact printers as on my Mac without needing to download the drivers for Windows. One of these printers was even set up with an Apple Airport Express wirelessly. In terms of time spent to get up and running, it was very short indeed.

In terms of ease of installation, this experience was second to none. In fact, it was almost even easier than installing the operating system on its own computer and then having to search for drivers when some of them don’t work. It was very Apple-esque and done in the background.

As I said earlier, I chose to install Windows 7 Professional as one of my virtual machines. This version of Windows came as an upgrade install disc from Windows XP, and I was able to successfully do this upgrade through my virtual machine using the discs. The Windows install went just like it would on any other computer. Once it’s installed, you start the virtual machine via the library window (you can also choose to have it run when you launch VMWare Fusion). Once it’s running, you can work with it just as if it’s a browser window open on your Mac, except it contains a whole operating system rather than just the internet. The application handles switching the mouse between the two really well (an issue I had with VirtualBox), and you can usually just move in and out of the window. However, if the moue doesn’t seem to be leaving the virtual machine, a simple Ctrl+Command removes it.

Furthermore, the library window (which contains all of your virtual machines) shows a live preview of the virtual machine inside of it, which is nice if you have more than one running and want a quick glance of what each of them are doing. This window is also where you can access the settings for each machine, as well as suspend (save the state of) them, change the name of them, or add comments about them.

While the majority of the work on the virtual machine is done from inside of it, you can also use Mac OS X to interact with it. The “Virtual Machine” menu option for the VMWare Fusion application itself allows you to swap what operating system is using the various hardware items, such as the optical drive. For instance, only Mac OS X or Windows can be using your optical drive at a time. It also lets you send the shut down or restart signal to the machine. What’s nice about that, though, is that if you hold Option, you can force a shut down of the machine much like holding the power button, if need be. Furthermore, you can choose to simply suspend the machine; that is, to save the state of the machine so that next time you restart it, it is just like you left it.

As in the image above, it’s obvious you can run Windows (or any other OS) in its own window, but you can also choose to use Unity view. Unity view can best be described as turning Windows applications into Mac applications. Instead of running all by themselves in the box that contains the virtual machine, their icons are added to the dock when they are running. This also means that they appear much like any other window would on your Mac. For example, Internet Explorer would show up in your dock and appear just like a Safari window, but all of the processing would obviously be done by the virtual machine.

While you don’t necessarily get the menu along the bottom as you would inside of the virtual machine window, you can still access the Windows menu via a menu bar item on your Mac (see below). Using this allows you to interact with your Windows virtual machine just as if it were part of your Mac. Windows Explorer windows show up just like a Finder window would. You can even drag and drop files between your Mac and PC virtual machine as if they were one. The only difference you’ll notice is that when you drag the window around your screen, it sort of lags in terms of where it appears to be.

During my use of VMWare Fusion 3, I found the experience to be extremely pleasurable. Installing the various operating systems and updating them was just as easy as you’d expect on a standalone machine. Even adding the drivers was as easy, if not easier, than using a whole separate machine for Windows. Furthermore, in terms of user interface and ease of use, this application is certainly better than VirtualBox, an application that is much like VMWare Fusion, but open source instead. I’d recommend it for anyone looking to quickly and easily get one or more virtual machines set up of operating systems, such as Windows and Linux. It is quite resource intensive in terms of RAM, but that’s to be expected from an application capable of running an entire operating system in another OS. Therefore, I recommend you have at least 4GB, as attempting this on 2GB might cause some slowdowns system wide.

Full Story » | Written by Josh Holat for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Patently Apple today looks at a another projector patent from Apple that states that a projector could not only be put into an iPhone or MacBook, but also in an Airport Express type of device.  This product would act as a router and wireless hub and can get get projector video feeds from the devices over a network.

Previous Apple projector patents included the following verbiage:

"display 204 may include a movable display or a projecting system for providing a display of content on a surface remote from communications device 200 (e.g., a video projector)."

Many folks were excited when Apple announced Back to My Mac as part of MobileMe. Being able to remotely access your Mac from anywhere sounded like magic. We're used to products from Apple that "just work" but for most people most of the time, Back to My Mac "just doesn't."

To maximize your chances, you're supposed to use a supported router, but even that's no guarantee. At home I have an Airport Extreme Base Station (Wireless-N), and at the office I have an Airport Extreme Dual-Band model. I don't think it's possible to get a "more compliant" setup, yet I still can't get it to work most of the time.

Under the adage "nothing ventured, nothing gained," I took a chance and signed up for a free account with DynDNS. DynDNS gives you a free hostname which will go to your computer even when your IP address changes. There are scads of DynDNS domain names available, but for the purposes of this example, let's assume that your domain name is imac.homeip.net.

After you've signed up for your free account and chosen a hostname, download and install the DynDNS Updater for Mac and install it on the machine you want to access via Back to My Mac. (If you want to do this for more than one computer, you will need a different DynDNS hostname for each computer. You can get up to five at no cost.)

Once you have it running, make sure that it has updated, and then switch to your other Mac. You could launch Screen Sharing.app directly from /System/Library/CoreServices, but a much better suggestion is to install the free ScreenSharingMenulet which will sit in your menu bar. ScreenSharingMenulet will remember hosts that you have previously connected to, meaning that you don't have to re-type the hostnames. Click on the menu bar icon, select "New Connection..." and then enter your DynDNS hostname (i.e. imac.homeip.net) and check the "Add to My Computers" box so it will appear in the My Computers sub-menu in the future. Click "Connect" and cross your fingers.

If it still doesn't work, I have a few more suggestions, but I warn you, we're going to get a little technical here. First, you're going to want to setup a DHCP Reservation for the computer you are trying to connect to. The process isn't very difficult. Essentially what you are doing is telling the router to always assign the same IP address to the computer you are trying to access. After you have done that, tell the router to send all traffic directly to that computer. On the Airport Express this is called the "Default Host" and is found on the Internet Tab under "NAT" but other routers have different names for it (I believe Linksys routers refer to this as the "DMZ" host. Check your router's documentation if you're not sure.)

Warning: once you do this you are bypassing your router's firewall. Mac OS X has a firewall, but it is not enabled by default. Launch System Preferences and click on the Security panel followed by Firewall tab. If it doesn't say "Firewall: On" be sure to enable it.

If all else fails, you might want to try another direction: Back to My Mac through iChat. I haven't actually tried that, but it's another option.

I can't explain why using a DynDNS domain name works more reliably than the built-in Bonjour sharing/connecting method, but after days of unsuccessfully trying to connect to my work computer, I have been able to connect via DynDNS without fail. As my Dad taught me long ago, "A good strategy is that which works."

TUAWUse DynDNS for better success with Back To My Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After many years together, my Linksys WRT54G and I have parted ways. In its place, I'm now using an 802.11g-based Apple AirPort Express with AirTunes that was passed along to me. Besides not wanting to fork out the extra beans (c'mon, who here isn't saving up money for an iPad) for a shiny new 802.11n Airport Express, the devices living in my current wireless ecosystem are more g-leaning. That, and I don't really need the speed of 802.11n or the ethernet cable connection afforded to me by the WRT54G.

Or so I thought.

I had just restored my Apple TV to factory settings when I realized that I'd have to transfer 20GB of videos back to it from my MacBook Pro. Waiting for paint to dry would be more fun than waiting for all 20GBs to transfer using the AirPort Express's 802.11g connection. Or, for old times' sake, I could bring the WRT54G out of temporary retirement and connect the two together. But I didn't want to do that.

However, as all modern ethernet-equipped Apple products are of the gigabit ethernet spec, I could just plug an ethernet cable directly between the two and party like it's 1999. And if this was 1999, I wouldn't be able to do this without a crossover ethernet cable. Update: As pointed out in the comments, the Apple TV actually doesn't have a gigabit port -- it's a 10/100 connection -- but both the Mac and ATV ports support auto-sensing, which removes the requirement of the crossover cable when connecting the two devices.

To begin, you may want turn off the AirPort connection on your Mac to avoid any network device priority issues. After connecting your Mac directly to your Apple TV, head on over to "Settings" on your Apple TV and select "Network." Then, hop on over to "Configure Ethernet" and select "Use DHCP." Voila! You may now sync to your heart's content.

Neat trick if you need to transfer a lot of files fast. Of course, it'll use the port up on both computers, and you won't have the use of your internet connection during the transfer, but for a quick share, it's the easiest way to do things.

TUAWDirectly connecting and syncing content between your Mac and Apple TV originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With the launch of Apple's tablet a mere few weeks away, we can already start looking at other platforms which Apple may aim its new processor architecture.

As you may have noticed, Ask TUAW is running a bit late this week. Perhaps somewhat ironically in a troubleshooting column, the reason is that my 24" iMac decided to go wonky right as I was preparing this week's column. I've decided to make a little lemonade, however, and describe a bit of my troubleshooting strategy. For no apparent reason the spinning pinwheel of death began appearing randomly, which would eventually result in the computer freezing completely and requiring a hard restart (holding the power button). After experiencing this a couple of times (and losing an earlier version of this column) I decided to reboot with my Snow Leopard install DVD to run Disk Utility. I repaired the disk and permissions but it didn't report any problems and the pinwheel continued to appear after a few minutes. At this point I figured the problem was not with the boot drive, but just to make sure I booted into single-user mode and ran the standard script with the AppleJack troubleshooting utility. Again, no problems were reported, but I continued to experience the freezing. At this point my suspicions turned to my third-party RAM. Of course, I had been running it for the last couple of years without problem, but I shut down the computer and removed one of my two 2GB SODIMMs. That appears to have done the trick and my iMac hasn't frozen in the last few hours. This is the second Mac I've had problems develop with third-party RAM after running for more than a year. So now with half as much RAM we can get on with this week's questions.

Feeney 22 asks

How would I reassign my control/command key in bootcamp, it's increasingly hard to switch back and forth.

To do this you'll need to remap your keys in Windows, using a Windows key remapping utility. There are a variety of Windows key remappers available, and this being a Mac site I don't really have any concrete recommendations. However, I can point you in the direction of KeyTweak a donations-requested utility that should do what you need.

tyronescott55 asks

Will Apple allow iPhone tethering to the iPad?

Predicting what Apple (and, perhaps more to the point, AT&T) will do is a fool's game. While a feature like this would be great, I'm not even sure if it makes financial sense. Of course we're still waiting on AT&T to give us iPhone tethering, and once they do the pricing is likely to be in the range of $60/month. With the iPad's unlimited service at $30/month it would only take about 4 months to make up the 3G radio surcharge versus the Wi-Fi only version.

Just for information sake, I'd note that it's already possible to set up Wi-Fi tethering on a jailbroken iPhone with a utility like MyWi or PdaNet. These apps basically turns your jailbroken iPhone into the equivalent of a MiFi portable Wi-Fi hotspot. Presumably your iPad could connect to it like any other Wi-Fi source. Needless to say, this is all unauthorized and probably violates the AT&T contract.

pathumx asks

I'm running SL on a Unibody MacBook and am backing it up to a 1 tb FireWire drive that is partitioned for a time machine back up and a carbon copy clone backup. In the event my MacBook harddrive were to fail, what would be the best way to restore from backup?

The quickest thing you could do to get back running is to boot the MacBook from the FireWire drive (reboot and hold the option key to select the drive). You could then replace the internal drive on the MacBook and use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone back to the internal drive. You could also use Time Machine to recover any changes made since the last time you cloned. While it is possible to recover directly from a Time Machine backup while booted from a Snow Leopard install DVD, the clone restore should be quicker.

Shears asks

Hi. I'd like to create an Automator service that would save me some clicking. Basically I'd like to have an extra option in the Safari Context menu that would save the selected image directly to the My Pictures folder.

It turns out that Safari will automatically change the contextual menu to save images to your defined download folder. So if you changed your default downloads folder in the Safari preferences to the Pictures folder, you wouldn't have to add anything else.

Melissa asks

I bought a LaCie LaCinema PLAY drive to use as a sort of media server. It has wireless N connectivity and outputs HDMI to my TV. I have an Airport Extreme which is on the other side of the room. I'd like to be able to drag files from my computer (a MacBook 2.2Ghz, using 10.6.2) to the drive, but I can't see it in the Finder. I have another LaCie drive connected via USB to the Airport Extreme which I can see since I guess it can use AirDisk. The PLAY drive can connect to the network via WiFi. I'm confused because if someone brings another laptop into my house, I can see it in the Finder under 'shared'. How come I can't see the PLAY drive? Does it need to be formatted? I don't think I can since it has software for the remote and wifi on it.

I had a look at the manual PDF for the LaCie LaCinema PLAY and it indicates that the only sharing option for Mac is via the TwonkyMedia Server (p. 38). In order for the drive to appear in your Finder sidebar it would have to support the AFP or SAMBA file sharing protocols, but as far as I can tell the LaCinema does not. So, unfortunately, you won't be able to just copy to it from the Finder, but if you install TwonkyMedia Server, you will be able to copy files from the Mac to the LaCinema through its interface.

TUAWAsk TUAW: Key remapping in Boot Camp, iPad tethering, file-sharing with a media extender, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule users are reportedly having connection issues when using the "new" 5GHz band, which was introduced last year.

The issues, noted on the Apple Discussion Board, seem to be stemming from use of the 5GHz band in both the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule that promises up-to a 50% better performance. In real world use, however, some users are complaining that they aren't getting the intended speed results.

One user said, "Stability and speed is terrible on 5GHz network. Not to mention, now when I try to watch the streamed iPad Keynote in Quicktime, it crashes my PPPoE connection. Also, Time Machine backup has been far from smooth."

The problems that people are experiencing seem to disappear when they switch back to the standard 2.4GHz band. This is lousy for a device that touts having 50% better wireless performance and 25% better range while using the new band and antenna.

If you are having problems with your AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule and you're running on the 5GHz band, it might be worthwhile to call Apple, post on the Discussions, or both. When you call Apple reference the Discussion board and let them know you're not the only one having issues. Because the sooner Apple learns about the issue, the sooner they can fix them.

via AppleInsider

Modernize your home and simplify your life with these painless products and strategies that automate your house, apartment, castle, or whatever keeps the roof over your head.

Illustrations by Hanoch Piven

Still using jagged little strips of metal to unlock your front door? Paying someone to feed your pets while you’re away for a weekend? Then it’s time to truly enter the second decade of the 21st century. Setting up home-control automation that runs from your Mac and iPhone is surprisingly simple, and the results can feel like magic. We kick things off with a primer that takes the hassle and jargon out of home control, then dive straight into showing you the best possibilities for managing your home’s lights, entertainment, security, and loads more. Just wait until you check out the washing machine that tweets when it’s finished a load…

What Exactly is Home Control?

You might’ve also heard it called “home automation,” and you might be a bit reluctant to slog through all the jargon and devices that the phrase brings to mind. But really, it’s simple. There are two types of home-control systems: the fantasy technology you see at Disney’s Tomorrowland and the gear you can actually deploy in the real world. Unfortunately, manufacturers of home-control systems have overpromised and under-delivered for so many years that many people have just stopped listening.

Good news: It’s safe to start listening again. There’s still a yawning chasm between fantasy and reality--we’re a long way from having a robot butler greet us with our smoking jacket and a perfectly muddled mojito as we step out of our flying car. But we can manage nearly every system in and around the home: lighting, heating and cooling, home theater, security, even irrigation.

Why bother? Home-control systems are appealing for many reasons: They deliver unparalleled convenience and efficiency, they add value to your home, they strengthen your home’s physical security, and they help reduce your impact on the environment. With the right tools, you can monitor and manage all your home systems whether you’re on the couch, in the car, or at work. We’ll discuss those specific applications in the following pages, but first, it’s important to begin with an overview of the basics. Which home-control standard do you want to use? There are four major ecosystems to choose from, and naturally, they’re mutually exclusive (at least for the time being)…

X10/Insteon

Introduced by Pico Electronics way back in the 1970s, X10 is the granddaddy of home-control technology. The passage of time and the long absence of significant competition helped X10 amass the largest installed base of any home-control technology, despite a reputation for being as reliable as a British sports car from the same era.

X10 devices use a primitive form of power-line networking, meaning commands travel over your home’s existing electrical wiring. The X10 protocol doesn’t include a feedback loop, so there’s no way for devices sending commands to know whether those commands have been received and executed. The technology is also highly susceptible to electrical noise, which X10 devices sometimes interpret as valid commands. This can result not only in false negatives (a light or an appliance doesn’t turn on or off in response to a command), but also false positives (turning on or off in the absence of a command).

Insteon, developed by SmartLabs (a major distributor of X10 products) in 2001, builds and improves on the X10 protocol without rendering X10 devices obsolete. Like the ZigBee and Z-Wave standards we’ll discuss next, every node on the Insteon network is capable of receiving information and passing on the command to the next node if it’s not the intended target. Unlike those two standards, Insteon devices use both radio frequencies (RF) and power lines to communicate (this retains X10 compatibility and reaches devices where radio waves can’t penetrate).

SmartLabs' Insteon uses radio frequencies and power lines to communicate.

SmartLabs maintains its own online retail operation and sells directly to the do-it-yourself market. The Insteon ecosystem is extremely robust in terms of the systems it can manage. You can buy plug-in and in-the-wall lighting controls; thermostats; motion, door, and window sensors; irrigation controllers; and more. Third-party support is very good in some respects and surprisingly limited in others. For instance, you’ll find a number of Mac software controllers (see below), but none of the major lighting-control manufacturers in the U.S. (Cooper Wiring Devices, GE, Intermatic, or Leviton) build Insteon-compatible switches, dimmers, or receptacles.

Insteon’s failure to gain support from other manufacturers will likely limit its long-term prospects. The development of a bridge (a device capable of translating commands from one standard to another) would save Insteon customers from getting hosed if the market ultimately embraces one of the other competing standards.

ZigBee

ZigBee is the only home-control specification based on an IEEE standard (IEEE is the leading standards organization for device manufacturers; you’ve likely heard of its 802.11 standard for wireless networking). And you might think ZigBee’s designation as an international standard would automatically render it the marketplace winner (after all, how many wireless-networking products buck 802.11?), but far fewer ZigBee products are available to the do-it-yourself crowd than either Insteon or Z-Wave.

Part of the problem is that early versions of the ZigBee standard didn’t guarantee interoperability; companies were allowed to develop products that worked only within their own proprietary systems. ZigBee does have a strong presence in the energy-consumption and -management market, where it’s embedded in thermostats inside the home and in utility smart meters outside it. One of the largest home-control manufacturers, Control4, builds complete ZigBee-based systems; but you must acquire it from a contractor who will handle the installation (charging you handsomely and limiting your expansion options in the process).

Few ZigBee devices are sold at retail today, and none of the Mac home-control software programs we looked at are capable of operating a ZigBee network yet. Still, ZigBee’s status as an IEEE standard carries a lot of weight, and that could make it a major contender down the road.

Z-Wave

Z-Wave is a proprietary wireless home-control standard developed by Zensys, and it enjoys robust support from more third-party manufacturers than either Insteon or ZigBee. Cooper, GE, Intermatic, and Leviton offer comprehensive Z-Wave lighting controls; Wayne-Dalton builds garage-door openers; Schlage manufactures door locks; and so on.

Control your home's temperature with this Z-Wave thermostat from Trane.
 
You can buy nearly all these products at retail, but Wayne-Dalton’s HousePort and TrickleStar’s Z-Wave widget are the only Mac-compatible home-control programs we’re aware of, and they’re both very rudimentary. But Z-Wave has gathered more industry-wide momentum than either Insteon or ZigBee (including a critical endorsement from Intel), which could help it become the eventual home-control standard. Hybrid ZigBee/Z-Wave systems are also an option--Control4, for instance, introduced a bridge device late last year that enables its ZigBee system to control Z-Wave devices. Handy.

The Future Awaits…

Even more good news: There’s no need to make a decision just yet. In the next few pages, we’ll outline the most useful automation options for everything from automatically turning on your lights to amazingly simple webcam security to streaming video servers. Once you decide what’s right for your home, refer back to this primer to decide which hardware standard and corresponding software is right for you. Then it’s time to get your DIY on… even if doing it yourself amounts to Googling “professional home automation installers.”

Home-Control Software

You'll need to manage your entire home-control system by running software on your Mac that "talks" to your various interfaced devices. The major software players are:

Indigo: Perceptive Automation’s Indigo Lite ($89.95) is compatible with Insteon and X10 modules, but not ZigBee or Z-Wave. It includes both a built-in web server and client/server architecture, so you can control the entire system locally or remotely. You can also schedule events (turn on the outside lights at dusk), set up triggers (send an email message if a door sensor is activated; monitor and program your Insteon thermostat), and more. Indigo Pro ($179.95) adds a host of advanced features, such as voice-command response. You can also control Indigo with your iPhone using the free app Indigo Touch.

Indigo's software enables you to control your system remotely.

XTension: Sand Hill Engineering’s XTension ($149.95) is compatible with X10 devices, several RF and niche interfaces, and certain wireless weather-monitoring products manufactured by Oregon Scientific. A technically savvy audience--even home automation contractors--will find a lot to like, but the software doesn’t support ZigBee, Z-Wave, or Insteon modules, which is… odd.

Thinking Home: Always Thinking’s Thinking Home ($79) works with X10 and Insteon modules, but not ZigBee or Z-Wave devices. It’s not as sophisticated as Indigo, but it covers the basics and boasts an easy-to-learn user interface.

Next Page: Lights, Power, Heating, Actions! >>

Utilities: Lights, Power, Heating, Actions!

Play puppetmaster with your home's utilities from your Mac and iPhone, and reap the benefits of convenience and efficiency.

Light Your Way

Lighting automation puts the “utilitarian” into home-utility automation. These upgrades are flashy only on a literal level; you probably won’t go bragging to coworkers about how your House of the Future can turn its lights on and off. But these techniques form the foundation of home automation and make a great place to kick things off.

For starters, try teaching your house to turn on the lights as you pull into the driveway. In addition to a basic home-control setup with Mac software and a hardware interface, you can add driveway-sensor modules ($169.99) or an automation-savvy garage-door retrofit ($71.99). Or just get a new garage-door opener ($189) with a Z-Wave interface to both control and monitor the door. With your Mac software, you can then build an if-then script that ties into your home lighting. If a car pulls into the driveway, activate the exterior house lighting. If you open the garage door, turn on the entryway lights inside.

XTension lets you graphically assign icons that match your home setting.

More sensors can create additional options. An outdoor motion sensor with floodlights ($54.88) can turn on when someone passes by. Your Mac could then log the time it happened and snap a webcam picture of your yard.

You can take the process indoors, activating room lighting based on a motion sensor ($34.99). Full indoor automation can be harder since you might want to lounge around, but sitting without moving would turn the lights off. Still, it can work well in certain situations, such as lighting up a party as it moves around into different rooms.

Control Utilities and Devices Over the Internet

Most home automation software can connect online, letting you control devices from anywhere. Cancel your sprinkler schedule on a rainy day, open the shades in your teenager’s room at noon, adjust your thermostat when away, and otherwise tap into your setup over the Internet. Indigo and Thinking Home (see above for details) enable a web server within the automation interface. XTension uses an optional plug-in, X2Web ($39.95), to connect online.

Indigo Touch, a free iPhone app, lets you change home-heating conditions from wherever you are.
 
You could also remotely connect to an online Mac and control the whole computer as if you were sitting at home, directly using the automation software of your choice. Several remote-access tools enable this approach, including GoToMyPC ($19.95/month) and LogMeIn Free (free). LogMeIn even offers an iPhone version of the app, LogMeIn Ignition ($29.99). Or if you’re on MobileMe ($99/year), the Back to My Mac feature does the same thing. These tools might also be easier alternatives to setting up online components in the automation software because you shouldn’t have to make special network configurations on your home router to allow access.

Open-ended plugs, such as the EZ102X4 (top) and the ApplianceLink V2, let you connect any device to your automation network.

And many iPhone apps offer another way to connect to your hardware over the Internet. Indigo Touch (free) is a companion for that desktop software. Otherwise, just search for “X10,” “Insteon,” or “home automation” to browse the App Store. Be sure to read the requirements closely--some interface with software on your home Mac, while others talk directly to certain Internet-enabled automation controllers.

Create Your Own Animal House

You can more easily take good care of your pets in an automated house, especially if you’re coming home late or taking a short vacation. Some hardware ties directly into your setup, while you might have to creatively hack other devices.

For occasional meals, consider an internet-connected device, such as the Petwatch feeder ($269.99). The hardware includes a webcam so you can view your pet wherever you are.

With this Petwatch feeder, you can watch and feed your pets remotely.

If you’re technically minded--or you can draft someone who is--get creative with other home automation devices for great pet combinations. Some pet doors unlock when Fido or Whiskers get close; their collars hold a key. For one option, try a Solo Pet Door ($395 and up). This device retracts when it senses a magnet that your pet wears.

We couldn’t track down any pet doors that talk to home automation systems, but you can combine a door like this with your own sensors. Add a proximity sensor and webcam to track and record your pet movement; you could even have your Mac email or SMS a picture. If you add a power relay to the mix, such as the EZIO2X4 ($134.99) or Insteon ApplianceLink V2 ($34.99), you can lock the door remotely. Maybe you want to give your pets access depending on the time of day. Or you could lock the door after a cat returns from a night of carousing. (There’re loads of creative options out there; for a few more, see Top Ten Wonders of the Home Automation World below.)

Use Home Control To Live Greener

A home-control system can also help you to reduce your carbon footprint and use previous resources more efficiently. Here are six ways to get started:

>> Rather than leaving your exterior lights on all day so your home isn’t dark when you get home, retrofit your light switches and use home-control software to turn them on when the sun sets.

>> Conserve water by installing programmable sprinkler controllers that can adjust their irrigation schedules in response to weather conditions and forecasts.

>> Create a vacation “scene” that turns your HVAC system off while you’re away. The system can also turn various lights on in the evening and off at night, using a randomized pattern that will fool prospective thieves into thinking the house is occupied.

>> Install a programmable thermostat that turns your climate-control system off 30 minutes before you leave and 30 minutes before you’re scheduled to return home. Use your iPhone to remotely update the routine should your plans change.

>> Reduce your electrical consumption and improve your media-room ambience by installing a dimmer that brings down the lights when you press Play on your remote control.

>> Add an Insteon-enabled 220-volt control to your current high-voltage electrical appliances, such as a water heater (a notorious energy-waster), and conserve money and power by shutting them down during the day or when you’re away from home for extended periods.

Next Page: Become Master of All You Survey >>

Security: Become Master of All You Survey

You install software updates to keep your Mac and iPhone secure. Let them return the favor by keeping tabs on your home while you're away.

Keep an iSight on Things

Mac has a built-in iSight--or almost any QuickTime-compatible camera attached--you’re one step away from a surveillance system. All you need is software like Security Spy ($50) or EvoCam ($30), and you’re in the counterespionage business.
 
Each application records pictures and video to your Mac continuously, according to schedules you define, or when it detects motion in a camera’s field of view. Just launch the app, point your iSight where you expect snoops to sneak (like a doorway or maybe the desk holding your plans for world domination), then leave your computer running. When the camera picks up movement, the software can start recording, email you a photo of the suspicious event, or alert the Mac running your home automation system to trigger a larger security plan. If you’re more curious than concerned, both applications can upload pictures to an FTP site and serve video to the internet, letting you view your camera’s feed from a browser. You can even log in remotely and tweak your security camera’s settings.

EvoCam's surveillance system indulges your counterespionage fantasies.

An iSight or webcam is fine for a small room, but Security Spy and EvoCam can monitor and control multiple video sources simultaneously. If your need to know extends to several rooms or even outdoors, you’ll want to weave a larger web of spies... er, cameras.

Expand Your Horizons

Stepping up from a single-camera system doesn’t have to be difficult. The same software and principles apply; you’ll just add additional cameras, video servers, or network cameras to view and control it all from a central Mac.
 
Video servers send footage from multiple cameras to your wired or wireless network. If your cameras are digital, other Macs running surveillance software can do the job of the server. But if you’re using analog cameras like Q-See’s night-vision-capable QSC48030 ($199.99), you’ll want a dedicated server like Axis’ 240Q ($499.99) to digitize the signals so they can be seen by your Mac.

Monitor from afar with Axis's 214 PTZ camera.

Network cameras have built-in web servers that can join networks without the need for extra gear. A wide range of network cameras is available for every budget, from Panasonic’s webcam-style, 802.11g-enabled BL-C131A ($299.95) to the Axis 214 PTZ ($1299.00), which wouldn’t look out of place in a villain’s lair (or on a department-store ceiling). These and many other network cameras also sport lenses that can remotely pan, tilt, or zoom in to give you a better view of the action.

There are endless varieties of hardware to consider, but the good news is there’s plenty of gear out there to fit your needs. Both Security Spy and EvoCam’s sites offer lists of compatible equipment that make good starting points for building a home-surveillance network.

Sensor Yourself

Handy as video surveillance is, it probably won’t be a good fit for every room in your house. For places where cameras are impractical, obtrusive, or just plain weird, Insteon motion sensors and magnetic door switches can keep tabs on who goes there when you’ve gone out.

SmartLabs Design’s battery-powered Wireless Motion/Occupancy Sensor ($34.99) installs almost anywhere to detect motion in a 110-degree arc at a range of 40 feet. When an intruder is discovered, the Mac running your Insteon system can send you an email, turn on lights, or release the hounds. Because these motion detectors work by sensing heat, you’ll want to install yours in places without extreme fluctuations in temperature. That includes areas near heating grates, fireplaces, or large windows that get lots of sun.

SmartLabs' wireless motion sensor alerts you to intruders.

If motion detectors won’t do the job, guard your perimeter with SmartLabs’ TriggerLinc Wireless Open/Close Sensor ($34.99). Half the sensor attaches to a door, and the other half installs beside it on the door frame. Opening the door breaks the magnetic contact between the halves, letting your network know a would-be 007 has entered the room or found the hidden compartment in your desk. Since the TriggerLinc is compact and wireless, it installs on just about anything that opens: windows, drawers, server closets, you name it. You’ll never wonder if the babysitter has raided your liquor cabinet again.

Unlock the Possibilities

Security isn’t just about keeping people out. It’s also about letting the right people in, and the internet can help. The web lets you access secure information... why can’t it open your front door? For a monthly fee of $12.99, that’s just what Schlage’s LiNK Starter Kit ($299) can do. Its lever lock (also available in a dead bolt model) replaces the one already installed in your door, and ten buttons above its traditional keyhole allow entry with a programmable access code. But the lock also sports a battery-powered transmitter that talks to the included Bridge, a base station that connects to the internet and creates a wireless network for other LiNK devices, like the lamp controller that rounds out the kit.

Schlange's LiNK Starter Kit remotely opens your front door.

Once you’re a LiNK subscriber, you can log in to Schlage’s site and control your lock from anywhere. Need a friend to check your house while you’re away? No problem--remotely program your lock with a custom access code. The in-laws arrived while you’re stuck at work? Just open the door for ’em (or don’t, we won’t judge). You can even use the free Schlage LiNK iPhone app to manage access while you’re on the go. If you’re worried about being locked out when the internet is down, Schlage claims its locks’ batteries will last up to three years... but keeping a spare key on hand never hurt anybody.

Put Professional Security a Touch Away

Schlage’s LiNK is one of several commercial packages that combine home security, automation, and the iPhone to monitor and control your home without fuss. Even if you’re not the DIY type, you can bring your peace of mind into this century.

Commercial security companies offer plans and products designed to work together seamlessly. Products can include motion detectors, cameras, and other sensors run from a central control panel on a wall instead of your computer. While the basic idea is the same as a home-built system--devices monitor your house and warn you in case of trouble--commercial systems can offer integrated fire detection and alerts to personnel who will contact the authorities in an emergency. Plans cost anywhere from $30 to $50 a month (plus installation fees), but their features and simplicity may be worth the expense.

For a monthly fee, commercial security companies can provide more than peace of mind.

Alarm.com, CPI Security Systems, and Platinum Protection each offer free applications that let iPhone users control their security systems. These apps let you arm and disarm your system, monitor camera feeds, receive notifications when sensors detect something, and view a history of recent security events. Want to know what time your teenager really got home from his friend’s house? There’s an app for that.

Next Page: Just Stream It >>

Entertainment: Just Stream It

Your entertainment wants to be set free... and you want it to be too. These four easy setups will help you get the most out of your music, movies, and TV.

Enjoy Your Music Everywhere

Setting up a streaming audio system for the first time is like that day when you switched to a DVR to watch TV--you’ll wonder how you ever enjoyed your tunes without it. Once all your music’s on a home network, you can listen to your songs from any computer or standalone music-playing device. Whether you’re unwinding, waking up in the morning, or broadcasting beats throughout your house for a party, you don’t have to fuss with issues like which Mac has which MP3 or where that blasted CD got to--all your music is where you want it to be.

Mac fans typically choose between three major music-streaming systems: Apple AirPort Express ($99), Sonos hardware ($349 and up), or Logitech Squeezebox devices ($149 and up). Each system has its own infrastructure, including ways to control everything from an iPhone or iPod touch. And each one has benefits and drawbacks in certain situations.

Apple's AirPort Express wirelessly connects your Mac to your stereo.

As expected, Apple’s AirPort Express is the best match for iTunes… and little else. These little boxes connect to a small set of computer-style speakers or into a home stereo, so factor those costs into your budgeting. You’ll need one AirPort Express and speaker set for each room you want to play music in. An Apple TV ($229) can also do double duty, streaming music even when your TV is off.

While AirPort Express scores with simplicity, there are a few drawbacks. One or more Macs will have to be left on to play music, and extra features that the other systems pack--such as alarms and online services beyond basic streaming radio--don’t work without additional software.

Next up: the Logitech Squeezebox devices. They work well once set up, but they feel more complicated than the other choices. Their server software runs off one of your Macs, telling Squeezeboxes where to find your songs. Like the AirPort Express, you’ll have to have a Mac running to access home audio.

Sonos Bundle--along with the Sonos app--turns your iPhone or iPod into a remote control.

Unlike Apple’s option, Squeezebox devices can play back more internet choices, including Rhapsody and Napster subscriptions. And you won’t have to keep a Mac running when playing online sources--woot! Logitech also offers several Squeezebox devices, from a clock radio–style box with a built-in speaker to hardware that connects to an entertainment center. Consider the Squeezebox if you can sacrifice some of the AirPort Express’s simplicity for better internet features.

Last but not least, Sonos rules high-end audio streaming because of the care put into its hardware and interfaces. And audiophiles can really hear the difference between a Sonos device and its competitors. Like Logitech, Sonos hardware comes in a few packages, some designed to attach to a home stereo, one with built-in speakers, and some that connect to speakers. Sonos devices lack an interface beyond volume/mute buttons, so you’ll typically control everything with the excellent standalone remote ($349) or iPhone app. Sonos’ internet streaming choices match the Squeezebox, but unlike either competitor, Sonos hardware can play music directly from a network hard drive, so you don’t need to keep a Mac running. But Sonos might K.O. your budget as much as it does its competitors. You can pick and choose which gear you want, but plan for roughly $500 or more per room. Yowza.

Share a Single iTunes Library with Multiple Macs

You’re probably thinking, wait… iTunes works well to share libraries and stream audio over a network. And if you’re happy with that method, there’s no harm in sticking with it. But iTunes sharing doesn’t let you sync music from any system to an iPod or compile ripped songs in a single location--and again, your main Mac needs to be left on for it to work. Fortunately, you can show your music who’s boss and let all of your Macs access a consolidated iTunes library.

Before you begin, consider using TuneRanger ($29.99) to sync different libraries together into one master audio source. Then transfer that combined music folder to a network server or always-on Mac that everyone can reach. Launch iTunes on one Mac while holding Option, pick Choose Library, and navigate to the library file on your network.

This time, the dreaded can't-find-library box is a good thing.

On the other Macs, hold Option when launching iTunes, but make a new library on the local hard drive when prompted. On those systems, change the media folder location in the advanced iTunes preferences to point to the music shared on the network. Within the advanced iTunes preferences on all Macs, be sure to enable the checkbox to copy files to the media folder when adding to the library.

Now install Syncopation ($24.95) on each Mac to keep the iTunes libraries synced. Check the setup documents for details, but be sure to click the option to Import Tracks Without Copying in the Advanced preferences.

Breathe Music into Old Macs and iPods

If you’ve got an old Mac sitting around, you can dust it off and turn it into an audio client. Translation: You’ll be able to control it from another computer, pushing songs over your network as if it were Squeezebox or AirPort Express hardware.

You’ll never have to turn on--or even connect--a display, either. Try Airfoil on your host computer ($25) with Airfoil Speakers for Mac (free) on the old-Mac-turned-audio-client. You can even duplicate results on an iPhone or iPod touch with Airfoil Speakers for Touch (free).

Stream MP3s and internet radio to your stereo with Softsqueeze.

Even if you have no Squeezebox hardware, you can install the basic Squeezebox Server (free) software on your main computer to stream audio. Then add Softsqueeze (free) to your old networked Mac, and the Squeezebox software will treat it just like standalone hardware from Logitech.

Get Started on Streaming Video

Yes, your screen-viewing time can get better. Instead of sharing videos directly between various Macs, you can streamline your consumption of movies and TV by creating a central server that holds all your video. With this method, you’ll leave the server running instead of having to keep various Macs online. You’ll be better organized too.

Don’t overthink the biggest piece of hardware in this process: the server. Just repurpose nearly any Mac sitting around. Even a five-year-old laptop or iMac will do the trick. Or for bonus points, turn an old PC into a Linux server.

Once you scrounge up an old computer, consider its drives. For a moderate video collection, you’ll want about 60GB of free space. If you gobble down video like Wimpy takes to cheeseburgers, plan for 120GB or even more. Also aim for a speedy drive interface; essentially, just avoid connecting over original USB, which you might find on old systems. And be sure you’ve got a DVD drive if you’re going to transfer over movies. Check out this article for tips.

Your network makes up the other biggest factor for streaming success. 100BASE-T is a must; if you have any old 10BASE-T devices between the server and clients, video will stutter. Ideally, consider gigabit (1000BASE-T) devices. If you must have a wireless client or server, get at least 802.11g or 802.11n Wi-Fi, and keep 802.11b devices--the original AirPort standard--off the network. In many situations, old devices slow down the network to maintain compatibility. That said, more than 10 years after Apple introduced AirPort, we still prefer an all-wired connection because it’s more reliable and faster than most wireless networks.

Once you connect everything, you’ll just store all video files on the server and play them from client Macs or other devices. Again, iTunes provides the simplest way to manage everything: Run it on both systems, and use shared libraries to stream the video.

iTunes can also help you get started with video streaming.

But several other software options deliver fine alternatives. Bundled with OS X, Front Row’s big interface is ideal for watching shows across the room. Plex (free) and Boxee (free) are also built around long-distance interfaces and add more internet features than Apple’s software. Check out this article for even more tips, including additional TV-connected devices that can stream shows and directions to hack an AppleTV to run Boxee. Have fun!

Next Page: Top Ten Wonders of the Home Automation World >>

Top Ten Wonders of the Home Automation World

You've seen home automation by the book--now check out home automation off the hook. These labors of love take the good life to a level even the Jetsons never imagined.

10. Grass Has a New Enemy

We’re all about using the right tool to make a job easier, especially when that job is mowing the lawn in the summer heat. Terry Creer must agree--his remote-controlled lawn mower grafts an electric lawn mower to the wheels of a motorized wheelchair operated with a hobby-store radio controller. Swapping out the wheelchair’s original joystick for a wireless receiver keeps the mow-bot on the right path, and a fail-safe mechanism kills the motor if the controller’s signal is ever lost. Total cost for the project was less than $500. Sipping a cold drink while the lawn mower does all the work? Priceless.

9. Tweets, Shoots, and Leaves

Want to make the world a greener place? The Botanicalls tweeting plant monitor lets you do just that, one plant at a time. It’s a $99.99 kit that, along with a soldering iron and a little patience, lets you build a leaf-shaped moisture sensor that you stick into a plant’s soil. Once installed in your plant’s pot, the Botanicalls runs on AC power and plugs into your router’s Ethernet port to tweet when your leafy friend is feeling a little dry. With Botanicalls, you can embrace the DIY spirit, expand your techie know-how, and keep the flora in your life happy. What could be better?

8. "Alcohol? Why, It's My Primary Function, Sir."

When you sense the need to party, Jamie Price’s Bar2D2 is definitely the droid you’re looking for. Built in eight months from plywood, polycarbonate, and a used electric scooter, Bar2 works the room by remote control, serving drinks wherever he’s needed. A beer elevator brings cold bottles to any partygoer’s reach, and six onboard mixers let Bar2 make a galaxy of cocktails with the push of a button. And when the music starts, his sound-activated neon lights help make the party fully armed and operational. Maybe the Empire would have been cooler about that whole rebellion thing with a few of these guys scooting around the Death Star.

7. Dryer Sheets and Washer Tweets

Getting clothes dirty is fun, but washing ’em is a drag. Who needs the stress of waiting for the spin cycle to end? That’s why we wish we had Ryan Rose’s tweeting washing machine. The limit switch installed on its timer lets a simple microcontroller know when the washer is on or off. Red LEDs added to the washer’s controls show when it’s waiting for a wash to start, and a green LED shows when a wash has begun. When the load is finished, the washer tweets an update and displays an alert on a wall-mounted screen. It’s the coolest thing to happen to cleanliness since the bubble bath!

6. The World Will Tweet a Path To Your Door

You might think a wireless doorbell would be convenient enough, but not Roo Reynolds. His tweeting doorbell transforms an everyday wireless doorbell and ringer into an internet-connected chatterbox that gets two alerts for the price of one. The doorbell works like any other, but the ringer mechanism--squeezed into an Altoids can carefully cut to expose the ringer’s wireless antenna--sports a tiny circuit board that’s attached by a USB cable to a nearby computer. When visitors drop by and ring the doorbell, the computer tweets a simultaneous alert. Now that’s a curiously refreshing idea!

5. Just the Cats, Ma'am

When the neighborhood critters started sneaking through Ioan Ghip’s cat door for free meals, he took matters into his own hands, DIY-style, to make a tweeting cat door. First he outfitted the collars of his cats Gus and Penny with RFID (radio frequency identification) tags. Then he added an RFID reader and computer-controlled servo to the cat door so it would recognize only his two cats--no squirrels, raccoons, or bears allowed. Now when the spare laptop that monitors the cat door detects the lucky kitties nearby, it opens the door and tweets an update, while a webcam snaps a shot of them coming or going. Say cheese, guys!

4. And We Thought Kernel Panics Were Scary

Who says all automated homes have to be convenient and relaxing? Not automation contractor Jeffrey Lehman. Years ago he teamed with Halloween Park, a haunted-house attraction in Strinestown, Pennsylvania, to turn the spook show into a fully interactive, living videogame. Fiendishly clever use of motion detectors and other sensors guides victi… er, visitors through 26 rooms of creepy interactive puzzles that must be solved to escape the park… alive! Doors creak, lights flicker, and the terrifying Dead Fred leaps out of nowhere--all in response to people’s actions. Amazing what you can do with the right gear, ingenuity, and a healthy desire to scare the crap out of folks.

3. "Incoming Romulan Ship! Fire Blu-ray!"

Maybe it’s the big screen, but doesn’t it seem natural to mix Star Trek with a home theater? Yet that’s only half of what’s so cool about Gary Reighn’s entertainment command station, The Bridge. Sure, it’s packed with a starfleet of gear: a video projector, media players, and X10-powered lights--all under remote control. But what makes The Bridge so appealing isn’t its slick final-frontier technology--it’s that it looks like a fun place to hang out, just like the original Enterprise. Gary didn’t forget the home when he set out to build himself the ultimate home entertainment center on a budget, and it sure looks like he got his money’s worth.

2. Now U Can Automate Cheezburger?

The problem: feeding Mathew Newton’s cats Frankie and Elmo while he’s away. The solution: the internet-controlled cat feeder. A cereal dispenser stores the cat food, and a motor turns a flap to drop food into a splitter that sends the kibble to each kitty’s bowl in roughly the same portions. Here’s the trick: The feeder is controlled by the port status lights in an old Ethernet switch. Remote commands from a browser activate the lights, and their signals tell the feeder when to let Frankie and Elmo get their nom-nom on. Wow. No one can say these cats don’t have a well-trained owner.

1. Push-Button Party Palace

Each Wonder uses home automation in cool, creative ways, but the sheer excess of Zack Anderson’s MIDAS--ahem… that’s a Multifunction In-Dorm Automation System--deserves special notice. Made from a mini ITX motherboard and a battery of X10-controlled sensors, appliances, and displays, MIDAS transforms the room with the tap of a touchscreen (or even voice commands). There’s a work mode for studying and a relax mode for chilling, but when it’s time to party, swatting a big red panic button dims the lights, draws shades that serve as projection screens, and kicks out the techno jams. Sound-activated strobes, laser lights, and a fog machine do the rest. Surveillance cameras and a fingerprint-scanning security system keep everything safe while Zack’s away, but we have to wonder--why leave?

Josh asks

Here's a simple one. I'm using iWork '08, making a presentation in Keynote (as I do frequently). I enjoy listening to music in iTunes while working. When I go to leave my desk, I hit the play key (F8) to pause the music. And the slideshow starts. I'd rather not need to switch applications just to pause the music. Is it possible to change Keynote to not play the slideshow with that key?

You can easily change the keyboard shortcut for Keynote by going the Keyboard Shortcuts tab of the Keyboard Preference Pane. In the left column choose Application Shortcuts. If an entry for Keynote already exists, then just change the key. If not, click on the plus button and add a new shortcut for Keynote with the menu title "Play Slideshow." You can set the key for whatever you'd like (here I've chosen F3).

emil asks

Can anyone recommend a decent but affordable piece of Mac-friendly hardware to handle scanning statements and other physical documents quickly and easily to PDF?

Probably the best document scanners for the Mac are in the Fujitsu ScanSnap series. While they are not cheap, both their document handling and Mac software support seems to be the best available. If you're serious about scanning you should get a ScanSnap. I recently picked up a used S300M on eBay for $150 and have been very pleased with it.

AnonymousJoseph asks

I'm considering purchasing a Time Capsule, (odds are the 1TB if it makes a difference) and I want to know if people are still having problems with them dying at the 18 month mark or not. If not, what should I watch for to keep, for instance, a retailer from unloading their back stock of bad Time Capsules onto me?

From what I can tell online, it seems that the Time Capsule suffers overheating issues which then lead to failures with the power supply (specifically some of the capacitors). Since the Time Capsule does not seem to have been substantially redesigned in the last update (October 2009), it seems possible, if not likely, that the new models may still suffer similar overheating problems. Of course, Apple may have made some changes that we don't know about that will help with the issue, but I don't think we will really know the long term results until next year (i.e. 18 months after October 2009). If you want to be safe, you should probably go with an Airport Extreme (plus external USB hard drive), which don't seem to be suffering from the problems to the same degree (presumably because the AEBS has a lower heat profile without the hard drive)

devildog67 asks

Where is the best place to get a aftermarket battery for 15" Mac Pro?

Apple still sells batteries of at the Apple Store for older MacBook models, so that's where I'd go. However, there are aftermarket batteries available that promise better performance. Probably the most recognizable vendor is FastMac, though I have not used their products personally.

Pat asks

I've got an iPhone (OS 3.1.3) voice-control question. Is it not possible to use voice control to select a single song? I've had luck with the "Play songs by (artist name)", or "Play playlist _" or whatever. But it would often be nice to choose a particular song such as "Play Red Rain by Peter Gabriel" or something like that. Does anyone know if that's possible?

It's not possible to select a single song using the iPhone's Voice Control. If you check out this list of the available voice commands you'll see that the most specific you can get is a particular album. (You can can also see the complete list of commands on pp. 37-38 of the iPhone User Guide (PDF link).)

Knight42 asks

We know that you can get a VGA connector to output to a TV/Monitor. Can anyone tell me if you can actually mirror everything or is it just the videos? Am actually thinking of buying an ipad for my parents (they want to get into Ebay etc, and Im not buying them a Windows machine) so as they know zero about tech, this seems perfect. Im just hoping they can output to their TV so they can see bits larger when they need to. Thanks!

Since the iPad hasn't been released we can't really say for sure. However, check out this post over at the AppleInsider forums. The author claims information from an Apple Engineer that the VGA output is application specific and will not simply mirror the main display. We do know that iPad version of Keynote will offer VGA output, but it seems likely that other applications will only output VGA if specifically designed to do so. As I noted above, however, we simply won't know for sure until it's released.

TUAWAsk TUAW: iPad VGA out, changing keyboard shortcuts, Time Capsule worries, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Back in December we got an early look at an app that allowed you to view and share your Mac's files while on the go. Put simply, Here, File File! [iTunes link] aimed to be the cure to what ailed the file-forgetters among us. Yesterday, the crew behind the very promising preview video announced that HFF was officially available from the App Store.

Read on for our full review of Here, File File!, and be sure to read all the way down to the bottom of the post for news of a Valentine's Day special (because we just love files that much) as well as your chance to win one of five copies of the app for your very own.

Gallery: Here, File File screenshot tour

The Here, File File app works in conjunction with a small server application that runs on your Mac to grant access to your files from your iPhone. The server has a pretty small footprint in terms of CPU load and takes care of setting up your Mac for remote access for you -- just run the app and access your Mac with your mobile device. Communication between your iPhone or iPod touch and the HFF server on your Mac is password-protected and SSL-encrypted, providing peace of mind for those that are concerned about privacy.

The HFF server is also responsible for configuring the network to allow remote access to your Mac. It uses existing technology (Bonjour and UPnP) to ensure making the connection is as simple and fast as possible. Most recent routers already support automatic UPnP configuration, including Apple's Airport Express and Extreme base stations. The HFF server has a status window that clearly depicts your ability to access your files. If your network does not support UPnP, the HFF support page explains it is necessary to manually forward specific ports. For most cases, it'll work just fine, but if not, you might need to do a little bit of (guided) network tweaking.

Once your Mac and network are both configured with the HFF server, adding your Mac to the app on your iPhone is very simple. When you run the app for the first time, it will attempt to automatically find and connect to your Mac via Bonjour. In my testing, this worked flawlessly. My MacBook Pro was found almost instantly and my iPhone connected to the HFF server on my Mac without any problem.

By default, the app does not save your password for the remote Mac but since I keep my iPhone locked down with a PIN I opted to have HFF remember the Mac's password so I wouldn't have to type it every time I wanted to log in. If the app is not able to locate your Mac on the local network it is a pretty simple affair to manually add the Mac to your list of servers.

Once you've set up and connected to your Mac, the main screen that appears when you launch will be a beautifully depicted tabletop with an image of your particular Mac and its current wallpaper. Towards the top of the screen is the name of your Mac as it appears in OS X, and below that is the timestamp for the last time you connected. You can swipe to the right to view other Macs on your "desk" or to add a new one using the wizard or via manual entry.

The real magic happens, though, when you tap on your desired Mac: a heavenly spotlight shines down upon your Mac as the connection is established. The speed of the connection is may vary depending on your network speed at home and whether your iPhone is on 3G or Wi-Fi. Once connected, there are three main views to select from.

The first view, "Files," is very reminiscent of the sidebar in Finder. It lists several common "Places" on your Mac, including the Home folder, your Desktop, and your Documents folder. Additionally there is a category for "Volumes" which lists the currently-mounted hard drives on your remote Mac. My only complaint here is that the Downloads folder is not listed as one of the default Places in view, but the developer says this was a simple oversight and plans to add it in a future release.

It is the Files view where you likely spend a lot of your time as this is where you will navigate in and around the file system of your remote Mac. It is clear that a lot of thought was put into this app as it is a very intuitive experience. It seamlessly integrates the left-right navigation of iPhone OS with the thumbnail icon file navigation of Finder. Files have their own displays -- a Pages document will be displayed with its icon as the first page of the document, and the same goes for PDFs and Microsoft Office documents as well.

As expected, tapping on a folder causes the whole interface to move to the left, as the view is then populated with the list of folder contents. Tap on a file and it slides seamlessly into view. Slower connections and/or larger files will result in a short wait, with a Loading File indicator. When the file finishes loading, it appears in fullscreen, where you can swipe to navigate to different parts of a document, pinch to zoom in on a single face in a photo, or play/pause any Quicktime-compatible song or video.

While all of this is useful above-and-beyond what Dropbox and MobileMe provide -- after all, they require you to know which files you want to access before leaving the house -- Here, File File goes one step further by allowing you to actually send any file via email. Once the file has been loaded, you can bring up an option of attaching or linking the file. Attached files work as expected: the file is copied directly into the email and the recipient can open the attachment upon receipt. Linked files are a little different, though: HFF creates a randomly-generated link that lasts for 48 hours. Every time a linked file is sent, a new link is generated. As you might have guessed, the purpose of the randomization is to keep unwanted intruders from forcing their way into your filesystem by decoding the links.

If the file is large (more than a couple MB), then a linked file email is more appropriate, as large files can take some time to send via EDGE or 3G. While the file is loading in HFF, it's still possible to share the file over email, but you will only have the option of sending a linked file rather than an attached file. Still, it's a useful feature, especially if you have a 10MB PowerPoint presentation that you need to send to someone, but don't have the time to wait for it to finish downloading to your iPhone.

Even though Downloads is not listed as one of the default Places, there is still an easy way around this slight UI mistake. The "Favorites" view shows a listing of directories and files that you have starred in the course of your use. Any directory or file can be configured as a Favorite for ease of access at a later time. So just by starring the Downloads folder, you can access it under Favorites whenever you want.

The third view, "Search," allows you to (you guessed it) search for files or folders on your Mac. The search is run on your Mac and the results are sent back to HFF on your iPhone (which not only speeds things up a bit, but helps to improve battery life as well). The search window is also filterable, so you can sort your searches into Folders, Images, Movies, Music, PDF, and Presentations. I found the search and filtering to work quickly and without any issue. The biggest shortcoming here is that the search results are currently limited to just sixteen folders/files in the results. The developer says this is for performance reasons and that as HFF gets faster they will increase this limitation. Unfortunately there are no filter options for Word/Pages documents or Excel/Numbers spreadsheets. In my opinion, this is not a deal-breaker by any means especially since a simple update will likely fix this in the future.

Here, File File! is quite simply the most useful utility for accessing your files while on the go. It has a clear leg up on both Dropbox and MobileMe because your storage is not limited to a few gigabytes and you don't have to take an extra step to make sure a certain file is in your Dropbox or iDisk. Since you only pay for the app once, there's no yearly fee to contend with, either. Installation can be a little tricky (especially if your network isn't average), but once it's running, you basically have access to your Mac straight from your iPhone.

Here, File File is available now on the App Store. Regularly priced at $9.99, the functionality it provides is worth every penny. Through Valentine's Day, Here, File File! is being offered with a 30% discount bringing the price to just $6.99.

And even if you don't want to take the plunge, we'll hook you up anyway: We're giving away five free copies to five lucky readers. Simply leave a comment describing how you would best use Here, File File! and we'll randomly select five commenters to get the app for free.

The details of the giveaway are as follows:

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
• To enter, leave a comment telling us what your favorite typeface is.
• The comment must be left before Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: One promo code for a copy of Here, File File! (Value: US$6.99)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

TUAWTUAW Review and Giveaway: Here, File File! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAWCharge your iPhone, or any two USB devices with ZAGGsparq originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For anyone who attended the very first Macworld San Francisco and then skipped the next 24, this year’s event might seem awfully similar to that very first show. Hot on the heels of the runaway success of the Mac and its own successful launch, Macworld magazine tapped event coordinator Peggy Kilburn in 1985 to develop a conference that “will bring (attendees) in contact with the people who best understand the far-reaching effects the Macintosh will have in business, schools and at home.”

It was held in Feb. 21-23 and Steve Jobs didn’t even step foot in Brooks Hall, let alone address the crowd. Similarly, this year’s event won’t take place until February--abandoning its traditional January time slot held since 1986--and Jobs won’t be attending.

But there’s something fitting about Macworld returning to its roots for its 25th anniversary. Before Steve turned it into his personal showcase and the Apple booth had to be draped in black curtains, Macworld was a place for fans and professionals to share ideas free from the prying eyes of PC users, where product announcements were welcome but not necessary, and the keynote was the least interesting part of the show.

Macworld Expo the 1980s - The decade of the Mac

Macworld Expo San Francisco 1985: When the doors closed on the first Macworld, which shared exhibit space with a boat show double-booked for the same weekend, more than 10,000 attendees had walked through its doors, and the bad taste from the Super Bowl XIX “Lemmings” ad was all but washed away. Hot items for the fledgling Macintosh included the Lotus Jazz office suite (but surprisingly, not Macintosh Office), MacPrompter for scrolling text, and a slew of video and imaging apps that leveraged the Mac’s powerful graphics capabilities.

Macworld Expo Boston 1985-86: While Apple kept a decidedly muted presence at the first two Macworld Boston Expos, the east-coast show quickly became cemented on the calendar of Apple fans and developers. With more than 500,000 Macs in circulation and the resignation of Steve Jobs fresh on their minds, attendees had more than enough to talk about at that first event, held Aug. 21-23, 1985, at the Bayside Exposition Center, and touted as a chance to see “all of the elements of the Macintosh Office. ... The 512K Macintosh, the LaserWriter, and AppleTalk, as well as Jazz from Lotus, are just a few of the products you’ll get to see.”

MWE SF 1986: After observing such a successful inaugural show, Apple CEO John Sculley--who reportedly credited Macworld for reinvigorating Apple after a disappointing end to 1984--took full advantage of the second annual expo, which expanded to the Civic Auditorium to accommodate larger crowds. While not quite worthy of Stevenote status, Apple’s less-than-charismatic leader unveiled the SCSI-equipped, 8MHz Macintosh Plus and pricey LaserWriter Plus during his keynote presentation.

MWE SF 1987: A heavy focus on desktop communications and networking brought the long-awaited AppleShare file server software and AppleTalk PC Card, and delivered effortless, cross-platform file sharing long before IBM developed its own solution. A major component of the floundering Macintosh Office, AppleShare survived long after Apple’s desktop publishing suite was sent to the junkyard.

MWE Boston 1987: Apple landed in Boston ready to show off HyperCard and script language HyperTalk, one of the first apps to utilize the hotlinking hypermedia concept that would become the cornerstone of the World Wide Web. Also making their debut were MultiFinder 5.0, the AppleFax modem and ImageWriter LQ.

MWE SF 1988: With some 350 exhibitors and 25,000 attendees, MacWorld kicked off its fourth annual San Francisco show with an emphasis on the Mac’s business capabilities. In his keynote speech, Sculley stressed Apple's commitment to networking and connectivity advancements, and introduced the zippy Laserwriter II family, with up to 8 pages per minute of printing power.

MWE Boston 1988: Apple CEO John Sculley may have landed in Boston to show off the Apple Scanner, but the buzz on the trade floor was all about the Macintosh II, as developers showed off an array of drawing, writing and CAD tools to leverage the power of Apple’s newest Mac.

MWE SF 1989: Breaking a pattern of adding an “X” to Macs fitted with a Motorola 68030 processor (maybe Sculley didn’t want to announce the Mac SEx to a raucous convention crowd), Apple used its biggest stage to release the SE/30 upgrade, a Mac that would be as popular as it was long-lasting. Among the show favorites was the streamlined Claris MacWrite II, one of the last times a Claris product would be among the show favorites.

MWE Boston 1989: For the fifth anniversary of the Macworld Expo, Sculley opted to keep the anticipated Macintosh Portable (which would make its debut a month later, on Sept. 20) under wraps, and instead showcased the Mac’s educational possibilities with the Visual Almanac, an interactive multimedia demonstration kit for the classroom that utilized Apple’s groundbreaking HyperCard.

NEXT: Macworld Expo: The 1990's

Macworld Expo the 1990's - On the brink

MWE SF 1990: The 40MHz Macintosh IIfx made a big splash at the first Macworld of the 90s, despite its six-figure price tag. One of the reasons for all that speed was the launch of a Mac-only graphics-editing program by a little company named Adobe, which generated quite a bit of interest on its own.

MWE Boston 1990: HyperCard 2.0 was all the rage at the subdued summer Macworld, but even Apple’s own booth had a hard time competing with the DTS’ dogcow buttons inscribed with her famous catchphrase, “Moof!”

MWE SF 1991: Developed to optimize the 68000 line of Macs, the slick, streamlined System 7 was the co-star of Macworld, sharing the limelight with Apple’s new multimedia app. Sculley’s keynote was its usual shade of dull, save the impressive QuickTime tour of Ben & Jerry’s Vermont factory, which roused the crowd from its slumber. Also unveiled were a series of networking products, including the Macintosh LC Ethernet card.

MWE Boston 1991: While PowerBook rumors were flying and many Mac users were getting their first glimpse at System 7, the trade floor was still buzzing about a bombshell announcement just weeks earlier. Industry rivals Apple and IBM (and Motorola) put aside their differences and entered into a unique partnership that would eventually produce the microchip that would power the Mac for more than a decade.

Macworld Expo Tokyo 1991-1992: Just because Apple didn’t bother to release any new products (although CEO John Sculley did cut the ribbon on opening day) doesn’t mean Macworld Tokyo had a hard time filling the Makuhari Messe convention center when it opened its doors on Feb. 13, 1991. A rabid overseas fanbase was eager to get their hands on the latest and greatest in Mac apps and accessories, and Apple embraced its new audience with open arms.

MWE SF 1992: Continuing the theme of the prior year’s conference, Macworld 1992 featured hundreds of new applications using QuickTime and an astute prediction from Sculley: “I believe pervasive networking will be the driving force of the information industry during the 1990s.” The Mac may have been this crowd’s “ideal multimedia machine,” but an ex-Apple employee’s latest OS was making some noise up the road as the NeXTWORLD Expo opened its doors to those who wanted to think slightly differenter.

MWE Boston 1992: After a successful PowerBook launch the prior October, Apple used Macworld Boston to upgrade its best-selling model with more RAM and a lower price point, setting the stage for a series of dockable PowerBook Duos that would be released in the fall.

MWE SF 1993: Held entirely at its now-permanent Moscone Center home, Sculley used his final Macworld San Francisco keynote to unveil a host of imaging products, including ColorSync, LaserWriter Pro workgroup printers, StyleWriter II personal printer, Apple Color Printer and Apple Color OneScanner. Making all those projects that much easier were the Apple Adjustable Keyboard and ADB Mouse II, Apple’s first teardrop-shaped clicker.

MWE Boston 1993: The best product Steve Jobs didn’t have a hand in, Sculley finally rolled out the Newton MessagePad at Macworld Boston, more than a year after publicly demonstrating its prototype. Unlike anything on the market, Newton was a bold device with a brilliant interface that ought to have been as popular as the iPhone. Instead, only a few hundred thousand were sold over its four-and-a-half-year reign.

MWE Tokyo 1993: Apple’s first product launch outside the United States brought a slew of new hardware, including the Macintosh Color Classic, Macintosh LC III, Macintosh Centris 610 and 650, Macintosh Quadra 800, PowerBook 165c, and the LaserWriter Select 300 and 310 laser printers. All those new products paid off, as the expo attracted nearly 100,000 attendees in just its third year.

MWE SF 1994: With more than 70,000 attendees on hand to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Mac, the sprawling Apple booth didn’t disappoint. Visitors were met with a slew of new products, including a walking tour of its online service, eWorld, along with the recently released Macintosh TV and Powerbook Duo 270c. But buzz on the floor was mostly surrounding the upcoming PowerPC transition, which promised faster, more powerful Macs for the next decade.

MWE Boston 1994: The critical, if not commercial, success of Newton brought some 70,000 attendees to the following year’s Macworld Boston, forcing Apple to set up its booth across the street from the World Trade Center. It was worth the trip, as new Power Macs showed off the capabilities of the first PowerPC chips and System 7.5 introduced users to Stickies, WindowShade and the Control Strip.

MWE Tokyo 1994: Instead of showing off OS 7.5 for umpteenth time or adding another PowerPC model to its Power Mac line, Apple took the wraps off the QuickTake 100 digital camera. Designed in association with Kodak, the QuickTake looked more like a pair of binoculars than a camera but made an instant splash with the expo crowd. Also introduced was Color StyleWriter printer, to make sure all those photos looked their best.

MWE SF 1995: As expected, the chip transition was in full swing, with PowerPC Power Macs drawing attention at the expo, but the most excitement centered around Power Computing, the first company to take advantage of Apple’s licensing program.

MWE Boston 1995: Trying to steal some of the thunder from the forthcoming Windows 95 release, Apple demoed Copland in all its buggy, crashy glory on brand-new AppleVision displays. Be thankful it failed; if not, Steve might never have come back.

MWE Tokyo 1995: Apple welcomed a new clone manufacturer to its ranks, Japan-based Pioneer Electronic, and proudly took the wraps off the active-matrix PowerBook 5300c, which thankfully didn’t explode on the stage. The same can’t be said about the Singapore plant that was manufacturing them.

MWE SF 1996: Sinking revenue and executive board shake-ups cast a dark shadow over Macworld’s 12th annual event, which saw a continued push away from Apple’s proprietary platform with the release of the PC compatibility card, capable of turning any Power Mac into a dual micro-processor system capable of running Windows 95.

MWE Boston 1996: The first U.S. keynote by CEO Gil Amelio made some attendees long for John Sculley, but the 20 percent across-the-board price cut on the Performa line was certainly welcome, as was the Performa 6400’s new InstaTower case. Before dousing the Copland project with a giant bucket of cold water, Gil got the crowd riled up by declaring Apple was “transitioning from a dialogue that has centered on survival to a dialogue that’s going to center on excitement.” We think the excitement he was referring to had something to do with the imminent launch of the first issue of MacAddict magazine. That, or the return of Steve Jobs, we’re not sure.

MWE Tokyo 1996: CEO Gil Amelio announced the fruits of its partnership with Bandai in the form of a gaming console based on Apple’s Pippin technology. Officially called Pippin Atmark, the device was supposed to combine the best parts of each company into a super-computer-video-game-machine, and if you had stopped by Apple’s booth, it certainly seemed that way. Sadly, we know how the story ended.

MWE SF 1997: Steve Jobs’ first appearance on a Macworld stage was preceded by a lengthy, rambling Gil Amelio, whose three-hour, teleprompter-plagued speech may have inspired Jobs to take over speaking duties. Amelio was supposed to rev up the crowd by showing the stunning Twentieth Anniversary Mac and outlining Apple’s NeXT-based OS strategy, but botched the whole thing up, effectively ruining Steve’s big moment.

MWE Boston 1997: As late as July 2, Amelio was planning to deliver the keynote address at Macworld Boston, so when he was abruptly forced out July 5, all eyes turned to the new kid on the block. The excitement was palpable when the lights finally dimmed, and when Steve stepped out on stage to a 30-second standing ovation, a new era in Apple had clearly begun. And then he announced a partnership with Microsoft, drawing boos.

MWE Tokyo 1997: Before Steve killed the project later in the year, Apple teamed with Fujifim for its last attempt at a digital camera, the QuickTake 200, which used removable cards to store pictures but was lost in a sea of cheaper, smaller entries. Also introduced at the show were the Power Macintosh 4400, 7300, 8600 and 9600, and the Powerbook 3400c, which immediately assumed the short-lived position of the world’s fastest laptop.

MWE SF 1998: Just months before the iMac would turn the industry on its head, iCEO Steve’s first full Macworld San Francisco keynote brought no new products, but still had the crowd in awe with a surprise “one more thing” announcement: Apple’s profitable again.

Macworld Expo New York 1998: Making the move south to the Big Apple could have been disastrous for Macworld, but diehard Mac fans would have jumped a motorcycle onto a speeding train to catch a glimpse of the iMac. Attendance dipped noticeably from the prior year’s Boston show, but enough shows up to give Macworld East a permanent new home in New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

MWE Tokyo 1998: The Macworld Tokyo crowd cheered politely for the debut of the first Japanese-language Think Different ad, but went absolutely wild when Steve Jobs appeared on stage (via a taped message). He didn’t show off any new products, but assured the audience that Apple wouldn’t be leaving them out of their new OS strategy: “Apple is committed to having the best kanji (Chinese characters) systems in the world, and we're pouring even more into R&D toward that end.”

MWE SF 1999: A rainbow of iMacs greeted visitors to Apple’s booth, but all eyes were on “the world’s most open-minded personal computer,” a sleek tower dressed in blue and white with a hinged door for easy access to its G3 processor. And the color-coordinated Apple Studio Displays weren’t too shabby either.

MWE Tokyo 1999: Steve’s first keynote at Macworld Toyko was basically a rewrite of January’s Macworld San Francisco presentation, with the exception of an untimely crash of the Power Mac G3 during Microsoft’s Internet Explorer demo. But all anyone really cared about were iMacs.

NEXT: Macworld Expo: The 2000's

Macworld Expo the 2000's - Apple's return

MWE SF 2000: With the renaissance in full swing, Steve announced Apple’s next-generation operating system in earnest at the first Macworld of the new millennium. With “state-of-the-art plumbing,” “killer graphics” and a 12-month, “gentle migration,” Steve introduced the masses to the blue-tinged world of Aqua of the Dock and kept his promise: A public beta was in our hands by September.

MWE New York 2000: Indigo, Ruby, Sage and Snow iMacs, dual-processor Power Macs, optical mice, translucent keyboards, iMovie 2, and 15-, 17- and 22-inch displays. None stood a chance against the star-crossed star of the show, the jaw-dropping Power Mac G4 Cube. Everyone wanted to take one home, but strangely, few people actually did.

MWE Tokyo 2000: After an quiet debut in 1999, Steve pulled out all the stops in 2000, unveiling brand-new portables and Power Macs, including the iBook Special Edition and Pismo PowerBook. Steve also made good on his ’98 vow to include the highest-quality Japanese fonts in OS X.

MWE SF 2001: One of Jobs’ shining moments (even by his standards), the 2001 Stevenote featured a shipping date for Mac OS X, two more pieces of the digital hub (iDVD and iTunes), SuperDrive-equipped graphite Power Mac G4s, and the piece de resistance, the “mega-wide,” one-inch thick Titanium Power Mac G4. Suddenly, all was right-side up with the world (including the Apple logo on the case).

MWE New York 2001: A preview of Mac OS X Puma (and a few lengthy third-party demos) brought scarcely any new features, but faster iMacs and Quicksilver Power Macs promised an all-around zippier experience.

MWE Tokyo 2001: The final aesthetic flourish for the iMac brought the trippy Flower Power and Blue Dalmatian patterns and added CD-RW drives to accompany iTunes 1.1 Joining the art-deco all-in-ones were new Power Mac G4 Cubes, which also added the elusive CD-RW drives.

MWE SF 2002: A 14-inch iBook joined the wildly popular 12-inch “ice-book” family and iPhoto rounded out Apple’s digital hub vision, but the show-stopper was the flat-panel iMac G4, an overdue update that was well worth the wait. Part-computer, part-sculpture, the “Sunflower” iMac firmly cemented the Stevenote as the greatest show on earth.

MWE New York 2002: A notably lackluster presentation eliminated Apple’s free e-mail in favor of a paid service and delivered a rehash of the Jaguar demo Steve gave two months earlier at WWDC. No killer new products to speak of, but iSync, iCal and iTunes 3 made their debut, along with solid-state iPods (with Windows support) and 17-inch iMacs, but attendees couldn’t help but notice the spring was missing from Steve’s step.

MWE Tokyo 2002: Steve crammed another 5 gigabytes into the diminutive iPod music player as the Macworld Tokyo expo was moved to the more spacious Big Sight convention center for Apple’s last overseas splash. Turned out the switch was prophetic, as Steve took the wraps off the stunning 23-inch Cinema HD display, Apple’s largest to date.

MWE SF 2003: Final Cut Express, Airport Extreme, iLife, Keynote and Safari would have been enough for most company’s trade shows, but not Apple. After nearly two hours of nonstop announcements, Steve saved the best for last: The largest (17-inch) and smallest (12-inch) PowerBooks ever, dressed to the nines in classy aluminum.

MWE New York 2003: After Steve bailed on his annual keynote to protest IDG’s plan to move to the expo back to Boston the following year, the show, now known as Macworld CreativePro Conference & Expo, found itself in a tailspin. Apple fulfilled its commitment to exhibit--and even announced the availability of Soundtrack as a standalone product--but the thrill was most definitely gone.

MWE Tokyo 2003: On the heels of the east-coast shake-up, Apple abruptly pulled out of the Japan show, too, and IDG cancelled the event altogether.

MWE SF 2004: A somewhat disappointing keynote delivered Garageband and way too much John Mayer, but still finished on a high note as Steve unveiled the product no one knew they needed: a smaller iPod in a rainbow of flavors.

MWE Boston 2004-2005: A pair of intimate Boston expos closed the book on Macworld East for good, as IDG vowed to focus its efforts on the sole remaining show in San Francisco.

MWE SF 2005: Also known as the keynote that brought down ThinkSecret, Steve took to the Moscone stage in 1995 looking to capitalize on all the attention Apple was getting. Along with a new iLife and a surprise successor to the defunct AppleWorks, two low-priced products sought to dispel the notion of Apple as a high-priced niche company: the $99 iPod shuffle and $499 Mac mini.

MWE SF 2006: Apple kicked off the Intel transition by fitting its two most popular Macs with Core Duo processors. Little was changed from the new iMac aside from its new brain, but the PowerBook underwent a series of tweaks and refinements, including the retirement of its famous name “because we’re kind of done with Power and we want Mac in the name of our products.”

MWE SF 2007: The last great Macworld keynote ever. Nuff said.

MWE SF 2008: With the near-impossible task of following the launch of the iPhone, Steve took the stage for his last Macworld San Francisco keynote with a bag full of assorted treats--cheaper Apple TVs, iTunes movie rentals, iPod touch and iPhone software updates, Time Capsule--and one big trick. Steve’s lasting image as the master of Macworld ceremonies: sliding the Macbook Air out its plain manila envelope.

MWE SF 2009: Apple’s final Macworld appearance was preceded by letter from Steve explaining his “nutritional problem” and “decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote,” so attendees were prepared for a lackluster event. Apple surprised some with the new 8-hour, 17-inch Mac Book Pro, iLife ’09 and iWork ’09, but it just wasn’t the same without the man who made it all happen.

Macworld Expo elsewhere

Building off the success of U.S. shows, a number of expos around the globe tried to capitalize on the Macworld name, to limited success:

1989: Macworld Canada

1991: Macworld Mexico, Hong Kong, Stockholm and New Zealand

1992: Macworld Barcelona, Paris (cancelled due to popularity of Apple Expo)

1994: Macworld Expo Summit (Washington, D.C.)

1996: Macworld Taiwan

2004: Macworld UK

2005: Macworld on Tour (only schedule date, in Kissimmee, Fla., cancelled)

Here's Tom's set-up:

Using existing telephone wire and powered speakers, it's fairly simple to connect speakers throughout the house via existing phone lines. This will work only if the lines have 3 extra wires, such as when no land line is in use, or if the house has 6 (very common) or 8 strand telephone wire. Cat 3 wire is 8 strand.

Each audio jack in the setup can connect to any source or supply output to speakers. All power is supplied by the input and output components. This is just a big complicated extension cable.

I live in an old 3 level house. This permits the same audio to be played throughout. Off/on and volume controls are on the remote speakers, as with any powered speaker. This will possibly violate the sensibilities of audiophiles, but the sound is fine for me.

Materials include:

• 3.5 mm headphone jacks from Radio Shack
• Repurposed Cat 5 or Cat 3 junction boxes drilled out for audio jacks. Home Depot's are cheapest.

Tools:

• Soldering iron

All audio files, podcasts, etc are saved on netbook PC at "Home Base" (pictured above).

Note 2 cords plugged into panel. One is output from computer, other is to the speakers on shelf.

A CD player, portable mp3 player or any other source can be plugged in as well, hence so many jacks at home base.

The good speakers in living room.

3.5 mm headphone jacks from Radio Shack.

This is a cover panel for an in-wall junction box. The example has both speaker jacks and a phone jack and uses cat 3 (8 strand) wire. It would have been easier to just wire in a second box for the speaker jacks.

This is suitable for an in wall junction box.

The 3 screws at the top are for the audio jacks, the 4 screws at the bottom connect a 2 line phone via the cat 3 phone jack in the center.

External box wired in to existing phone system.

Double sided tape works well to secure wood to the box.

Thanks for the great suggestion, Tom! If you're looking for a higher-tech solution that'll still keep it cheap, check out our previous guide to using an AirPort Express to set up wireless, multi-room music playback.

To use the ZAGGsparq, you just plug it into the wall to store up a charge of its own. Then when you've got a USB device that needs charging (think your phone or MP3 player), just plug it into ZAGGsparq and get charging.

I just got this small instant power charger over the holidays and I already love it, though it can only handle about one iPhone charge. It's also only $19, compared to ZAGGsparq's $100 price tag, so that's something worth considering. Whether you go the cheap or the spendy route, portable chargers seem to be getting cheaper by the day, and they can provide a great boost for your gear when you're on-the-go.

If you've already got a portable charger you swear by, share it with us in the comments.

TUAWiPad will ship with 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G optional originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Xserve (Early 2008)
• Xserve (Early 2009)
• Mac Pro (Early 2008)
• Mac Pro (Early 2009)

TUAWThe BearExtender n3 gives you more Wi-Fi range at a low cost originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In order to play audio through your AirPort Express, you'll need RaopX and inter-application audio router Soundflower. After installing both, all you need to do is go to Sound in System Preferences and change your default input and output to "Soundflower (2ch)" and start up RaopX in a Terminal session (just launch Terminal [Utilities -> Terminal], type in RaopX, and hit Enter). RaopX will build a 9 second buffer and then stream all audio from your computer to any speaker connected to an AirPort Express.

It's certainly not as easy as picking "AirTunes" from a drop-down menu, but it's hard to complain when you can finally stream Pandora, Mixtape.me, or your other favorite non-iTunes media player to AirTunes. Note: RaopX does not currently support Apple TV or iTunes Speaker Passwords.

RaopX is a free download, Mac only.

The Apple Store offers its factory-refurbished Apple iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06GHz 27" Widescreen Desktop, model no. MB952LL/A, for $1,449. With free shipping, that's $150 below the lowest total price we could find for a new unit. It features an Intel Core 2 Duo E7600 3.06GHz dual-core processor, 27" 2560x1440 glossy widescreen LCD, 4GB RAM, 1TB Serial ATA hard drive, SuperDrive, ATI Radeon HD 4670 256MB video card, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, AirPort Extreme (802.11a/n wireless), Gigabit Ethernet, Secure Digital card slot, iSight webcam, and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. A 1-year Apple warranty applies, the same as new units.

Of note, its refurbished status (hopefully) means that it won't be subject to the issues that have plagued many new 27-inch models.

Also, note that a current model 13" MacBook Pro is at a new low of $999.