Author: Rick

Posted on

New Macs On the Way

Lots of Rumors

Computer support clients often ask me for computer buying advice. Luckily for Mac users, there are many rumor sites such as MacRumors and AppleInsider that tell you about anticipated new products. Just keep in mind that the rumor sites are sometimes completely wrong.

New Apple Laptops

Apple said that on Tuesday, October 14, 10AM PST new Mac laptops will be announced. The rumor is that at least some will use a new “brick” process of building the case out of a solid block of aluminum.

Some have speculated that the prices will also be lowered (perhaps to $800 from $1100) as they were on the iPod Nanos recently. This would help Apple continue to gain market share.

New Apple Desktops?

While not anticipated, many users are still hoping for a new basic Mac desktop that would be cheap. The Mac Mini ($600) is nice, but you pay more for small laptop parts and it isn’t easily upgraded. The iMac ($1200) is a decent value, but it is also not easily upgraded and it is still more expensive than just buying basic computer without a monitor (something PC users can do for $400).

People have called this hoped-for box the Mac Cube (a reintroduction of that form) or jokingly the Mac Mac (to differentiate from the high-end Mac Pro that is out of the price range for most people). By attacking the low end desktop market, Apple would expand market share and largely eliminate the problem of “Hackintosh” Mac clones from Psystar.

Wait and See

So my buying advice is to wait until at least Tuesday before buying anything if you are considering a Mac.

UPDATE: The new laptops are out. There is a new aluminum 13″ screen MacBook
starting at $1299 and a new 15″ screen MacBook Pro
starting at $1999. There is no cheap laptop or desktop as many people hoped, but Apple is keeping its old white plastic MacBook around at $999, a $100 price drop.

Posted on

Screen Capure Software for PC and Mac

Capturing a screen or part of a screen is often useful. People capture screen images to:

  • email someone a computer problem or error noticed on the screen
  • capture an image from a web page
  • save that amazing game score you got so you can remember it forever
  • capture something from an application so that others who do not have the application can view it
  • create a tutorial

There are several ways to capture a screen image.

PC Screen Capture

The only built-in screen capture function in Windows is the PrintScreen button.  After you hit PrintScreen, you need to paste the clipboard image of the entire screen into an application such as MS Word. This is clunky and does not produce an image file that you can easily edit.

ScreenHunter 5 is image capture software which comes in Pro, Plus, and Free versions. For most image capturing needs, the free version is all you need (see screen capture of ScreenHunter 5 captured using ScreenHunter 5). It can capture a rectangular area, an active window, or the full screen to a gif picture.

The best print capture software for Windows is SnagIt. It has all the options you could need, but it does cost $49.95.

Mac Screen Capture

Mac OS X has great screen capturing built-in.

  • To capture the entire screen, press Command+Shift+3.
  • To capture part of a screen, press Command+Shift+4. This will give you a draggable crosshair to select a rectangular section.

This Macworld Screen Capture article has a video that demonstrates how to better control your Mac screen capture with the shift, option, and space keys.

Posted on

Online Restaurant Searches for D.C.

The D.C., Virginia, Maryland area has some of the best culinary diversity in the country. These web tools can help you find some good eats.

Finding Restaurants & Reviews

Chow.com has Chowhound reviews of local restaurants by members. Membership is free.

DonRockwell.com is a forum on local D.C. and Baltimore area restaurants, farmers markets, and food events.

eGullet.org has forums specific to D.C., Virginia, Maryland dining and cooking.

VegDC has a list of local vegetarian friendly restaurants. HappyCow.net has vegetarian restaurants worldwide.

Washingtonian has the best known local reviews and news on D.C. metro area restaurants. They also have a search with Restaurant Finder.

The Washington Post has a Food & Dining section.

Booking a Table

OpenTable.com has a D.C. area section for booking restaurants over the Internet.

Posted on

Get a Battery Boost with APC Mobile Power Pack

The APC UPB10 (about $60) is a handy little battery that is charged from and charges over USB. It is the size of a deck of cards and is very useful if you need to finish that game, movie, or phone call when you are away from a power outlet.

The APC UPB10 more than doubles the power to an iPhone, Blackberry, or Sony PSP. It charges any USB device, which also includes some GPS devices and cameras.

It does require you to push a button to activate the power. If the device you are charging is nearly out of power, the APC will continue to charge it. If the device is nearly full, the APC will only charge it for about 20 minutes before you need to press the button again. It does this to save the battery.

If you are like me and sometimes find yourself on the other side of D.C. without any cell phone power left, the APC UPB10 can help.