Apple Products Reviews and Newsletter Resources

Gravity TAGS: Fingertip Information Connections

As I acquire more information and get more involved in this busy world, I need more tools to keep track of my diverse activities. Topical folders and specialized titling have long been my organizational technique, but the volume and scope of my data has exceeded my ability to keep everything straight. In a word, I need help!

  A new program from Gravity Applications called Tags had provided me with an innovative way to get back in control of my computer’s contents. This company points out that every day we deal with thousands of documents, emails, photos, contacts, videos, web links and others. The rigid file/folder structure on a computer, designed to mimic the real world physical equivalent, is no longer efficient. While specific applications exist to manage, sort, find and consume specific file types such as iTunes for music, iPhoto for photos, Mail for emails, and Safari for the web, what has been lacking is a comprehensive way to associate different types of files to one another in an intuitive way, without creating duplicates.

Read the review from the appleJAC Macintosh User Group.

VirusBarrier X6: Mac Protection from Invaders

We are proud of the fact that, unlike the world of Windows, the Macintosh operating system is devoid of viruses (or, so we believe). This can lead to a false sense of security about which we need to be very careful. It is important that we still protect ourself from a much broader world of intrusion, misrepresentation and invasion.

VirusBarrier X6 is a powerful product that provides comprehensive protection from malware and network threats. It is the only antivirus program for Mac that includes full anti-malware protection together with firewall, network protection, anti-phishing, anti-spyware features and more.

Read the review from the appleJAC Macintosh Users Group.

Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac: Incredible Windows Support

Do you have a Macintosh computer, but need to run a Windows application?  Are you a “switcher” from a Windows platform, and still need to run some Windows programs for compatibility?  Do you require Windows XP or Windows 7 in order to access network or Internet resources? I have a great solution for you!

I have a small island of Macs at work, in a sea of PCs. It is important that I be able to simultaneously access both environments, and move information effortlessly between them. I started with Parallels Desktop 3 for the Mac several years ago, and have recently updated to Parallels 6, which now has over 80 new and enhanced features beyond its previous edition. This is a reliable and productive tool for my daily use.

Read the review by the appleJAC Macintosh Users Group.

Dragon Dictate: The New Leader in Voice Transcription

Tired of typing? Need a break from the mouse? Want to step away from touching the screen? Yearn to just talk to your computer and have it transcribe every word at normal talking speed? There is a terrific product to give you this freedom.

In April 2010, I did a review of MacSpeech Scribe which, at that time, was the world’s most advanced personal transcription solution for the Macintosh. With the acquisition of MacSpeech by Nuance Communications, Dragon Dictate has now replaced Scribe as the new leader in Mac transcription.

Read the review by the appleJAC Macintosh Users Group

Quickbooks 2010

Quickbooks is the industry standard for financial management. Even if you don’t use Quickbooks, your accountant probably does and you’ll find the widest range of support and services when you use Quickbooks to run your business. It is, as they say, the 800-pound gorilla you have to deal with in the financial world. When people are considering making the switch from PC to Mac, being able to transfer their Quickbooks information is a key concern. Every year, Intuit promises more compatibility with the Windows version of Quickbooks and promises to bring more of the Windows features to the Mac platform.

Read the review from the Lawrence Apple Users Group

PDF2Office for iWork v1.0: Converting to Editable Text

We live in a wonderful world of interchangeable information that is conveniently transmitted via Portable Document Format (PDF) files that have become a standard for multi-platform document dissemination. With the introduction of Mac OS X, the ability to “print to PDF” has been just a click away, and we’ve been able to share our creations with almost anyone. But, when we need to edit these documents, what do we do?

I have long known about a great program known as PDF2Office which would convert PDFs files into Microsoft Words files. Recently, they released a new version which makes conversion to iWork '08/ '09 files for the Macintosh. What GREAT version, because this is the environment I work in every day, and an incredible tool for everyday use.

Read the review from the appleJAC Macintosh Users Group.

Toast 10

Toast has been synonymous with disk burning almost as long as Macs have been around.  I remember when Toast was an Adaptec product and came bundled with my super-expensive SCSI CD burner.  Version 10 of Toast, now owned by Roxio,  is an evolutionary upgrade.  Each version of Toast includes slightly difference bells and whistles. In fact, this version has so many features that if I listed them all, I wouldn’t have any room to review them.  I’ll summarize Toast 10 in this way:  it puts your digital lifestyle in “turbo” mode.  It doesn’t replace iLife and your digital hub, but makes it better and accessible everywhere.  Not only that, but it puts things all in one place.  A majority of Toast’s functions could be cobbled together with third-party utilities, but Toast packages it well together and with greater ease of use.

Read the review from Lawrence Apple Users Group.

A First Look at Google Chrome

Google recently released the Mac beta of Chrome - Google's attempt to penetrate a well-saturated web browser space. It long follows the original Windows beta, released in September 2008. As with Safari, Chrome runs on a WebKit engine claimed to "quickly and accurately" render pages. The Google software differs by offering a minimalist layout design, pushing tabs to the top of the browser, while using a single window - an "Omnibox" that combines search and URL fields into a single bar.

Click here to read the detailed review by The Macintosh Guild.

1Password 3: A Gatekeeper You Can Trust

How many things do you have passworded for security protection? How often must they be changed? Are they truly secure? Do you keep a paper or electronic list? Are they easy to enter, yet sufficiently complex to stop hackers? Have you gotten frustrated because you couldn’t remember an important password in a timely fashion?

For two years now I’ve been using an excellent program from Agile Web Solutions known as 1Password that has both simplified by security, and strengthened my computer defenses. Much to my delight, they have just released version 3 with lots of important improvements. Previously known as “1Passwd”, it started out as a secure login and password management tool. This is a great application that allows you to manage all your Internet logins and passwords using a single master password, securely encrypted in a special keychain.

Read the review from the appleJAC Macintosh Users Group.

Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac: Virtual PC at its BEST

Got a Mac but occasionally need to do something in Windows? Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is the perfect answer that lets you seamlessly run Windows and Mac OS X side-by-side, drag-and-drop your files between operating systems, and run Windows software on your Apple computer without rebooting.

With more than 70 new, exciting features and enhancements, Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is faster, smarter and more powerful than ever — helping you run Windows programs and devices seamlessly on your Mac.

Read about this new release from the appleJAC Mac Users Group