Blogintosh

Like entering into a foreign land many new Mac users switching from Windows systems say the same thing “It’s like a different language.” For people who are comfortable with Windows but are looking to switch over to the Mac, one helpful book is the “Crossing Platforms a Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook” by Adam Engst from the O’Reilly technical book series. The book offers a general overview of differences between Macs and Windows along with a “dictionary” type section where Mac users can look up the Windows terminology and then the reverse where Windows users can look up Mac terminology.

So whether you’re a new switcher or an old pro this little guide can help broaden your knowledge of both systems and also offer a few Windows shortcuts. Buy it used at www.powells.com for $4.95.

One of the great benefits of going to Macworld is visiting booths of new products. One product we loved so much we bought it on the spot and are recommending it to everyone we know.

InvisibleSHIELD is a clear urethane plastic film that adheres directly to your technical device. It is a soft plastic that is not only incredibly strong but also self healing, at Macworld demonstrators were trying to pierce the material with a ball point pen and were unsuccessful. Originally designed by the military to protect helicopter blades, the material adds an easy to grip texture without adding any bulk. Use InvisibleSHIELD over a touch screen and it does not inhibit the sensitivity in any way. For example you can place the InvisibleSHIELD on your iPhone, or iPod and still use the touch screens as though it isn’t even there. The material is not sticky and will not damage your device by leaving a tacky residue.

InvisibleSHIELD has covers for hundreds of devices including lap tops, cameras, iPods, cell phones, gaming systems and many more for very reasonable prices. Cover as much or as little as you like with materials cut to fit just the screen or to wrap the entire device. Please take a look at their website, we’re sure you’re going to love it just as much as we do. Military protection for your Apple gear…. it doesn’t get much cooler than that. http://www.shieldzone.com/

Anymore a business simply can’t survive without Quickbooks. This handy software is gaining popularity for home financial management as well. In an effort to make this quick program even faster, here are a few typing tricks to help you make the most of your financial solution.
In a date field enter:
+ to increase by one day
- to decrease by one day
T to enter Today
M to enter the first day of the month
H to enter the last day of the month
Y to enter the first day of the year
R to enter the last day of the year
For common tasks on the Mac version press the Command Key/Apple Key and for PC version press Control:
ctrl/Command W to Write checks
ctrl/Command A to chart of Accounts
ctrl/Command N for New list item
ctrl/Command E to Edit the current transaction
ctrl/Command Y to see a report of all accounts affected
ctrl/Command I to create an Invoice
ctrl/Command F to Find
ctrl/Command J for Customer Job List
ctrl/Command H for transaction History
ctrl/Command T to memorize Transaction
Hope this helps cut down on your daily Quickbook time. Happy Bookkeeping!

Reviews are in for the new Office 2008 for Mac, and the overall tone is not one of joy. Most users are disappointed to see the Ribbon that failed so royally in Vista present in Office 2008. Having to learn a new layout is one thing but when all the features people use the most are difficult if not impossible to find, there is a problem. Not to mention Mac users are not fond of a bulky interface taking up space and not being useful.
The biggest disappointment is the exclusion of VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) from Excel 2008. Users who depend on features such as solver, extended statistical analysis, ANOVA and histograms will find them simply non-existent on Office 2008. These feautres however are usually used by heavy Excel users looking for complicated math and scientific functions.  Excel 2008 will still perform simple functions for summing up categories. Many people are upset the Home and Student version does not have support for the exchange server however this is not the primary function of a Home and Student user and the price cut reflects the limitations.
The few positives are that Office 2008 is Universal and noticeably faster. PowerPoint received a complete makeover for the Mac. PowerPoint seems to run much faster and is more operational in the 2008 version. The new feature of ‘My Day’ is a great first step towards managing a ‘to do list’ through a Microsoft product and we look forward to the updates for this program in particular. Office 2008 is the new product that Microsoft has moved onto though, so all the software updates released now will be for Office 2008 and all of Microsoft’s care and focus will be on their newest product. We’re recommending the update for all our Clients as new computers are coming with Office 2008 standard. For the benefit of congruency and ease within a company it’s important to bring everyone up to speed through this newest version.

Due to high demand, Michael Lippold will be going to the Oregon coast to service beach homes with all the technical outfitting they need.  Michael will be heading over the mountains on February 1, 2008.  This work will be done at a special rate to cover travel expenses which our office staff will be happy to discuss with you.  If your beach home is in need of networking, computer setup, wireless or printer connectivity, please give our office a call.  We will be happy to arrange a time for him to come by on February 1 to truly make your second residence as convenient as your first.  The Smartacus office number is 503-808-1480.

 The final and most talked about announcement was the MacBook Air. This sleek little laptop would even impress James Bond and is the sexiest MacBook to date. It will go on sale in 2 weeks for $1799 but is available for pre-order at www.apple.com. Here are a few specs on the new girlfriend of Appletards everywhere:

• Height: 0.16-0.76 inch
• Width: 12.8 inches
• Depth: 8.94 inches
• Weight: 3.0 pounds
• Display: 13.3 inch glossy widescreen LED backlit display
• Intel Core 2 Duo processor (1.6GHz Standard, 1.8GHz Optional)
• 800 MHz frontside bus
• 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM onboard memory
• Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g compatible)
• Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Built-in iSight Camera
• 5 hour battery life

 The only thing you will not find on this hot little number is an optical drive, but it seems to be Apple’s goal to send CD’s down the same path as the 8-Track.

Blogintosh’s predictions on the release of a new iPhone were a little off, however Apple did announce a software update for the existing iPhone and iPod Touch. The upgraded software comes free for iPhones and provides many missing features that caused the largest complaints among smartphone dependents.The new features are:

• Maps with your location
• Webclips
• Customization of home screen
• Group text messaging
• Chapters, subtitles, and languages for videos
• Lyrics support for music

The upgrade for the iPod Touch comes at the low cost of $20.00 and includes many of the same updates as the iPhone.The updates for the iPod Touch are:

• Maps, Weather, Notes, Stocks, Mail
• Webclips
• Customization of home screen
• Chapters, subtitles, languages for videos

We can’t wait to try a few of these features out and are even more excited for upgrades to come. The updates for the iPhone and iPod Touch are available now. When you plug your iPod Touch into your computer iTunes will prompt you to purchase the update.

One announcement Jobs made at Macworld had two elements. The first being, iTunes will now offer movie rentals in February. Here are a few fast facts that will answer some questions and help you to enjoy this new convenient feature:

1. Movies you choose to rent are downloaded onto your computer, you have 30 days to begin watching the movie and then after the movie has started you have 24 hours to finish it. In other words, you can watch the movie as many times as you want but only for 24 hours and then just like Cinderella’s pumpkin at the stroke of 24 hours the movie disappears.
2. You can watch these movies on a Mac, PC, iPhone and current iPod. You can even transfer the movie between devices after it has started.
3. Movies take about 30 seconds to download with a broadband connection.
4. A New Release costs $3.99 and a Non-New Release is $2.99
5. High Definition movies can be rented for a dollar more.

The second portion of Jobs’ third announcement is the Apple TV Take 2. The Apple TV Take 2 is a free software upgrade to Apple TV owners available on January 15th. It will allow people to rent and watch movies directly through their TV with no computer required. The upgrade gives users more options with their Apple TV and gives them the ease to rent movies without ever leaving the couch. If you are looking to purchase an Apple TV and the upgrades have made up your mind, the good news is the price has dropped! A new Apple TV Take 2 is now $229.

The big news on the Mac-front last week was the Keynote speech Steve Jobs delivered at Macworld. This year Jobs had four things he announced for 2008. We’ll touch on all four with a small overview to help improve your water-cooler topics and hopefully give you some solutions for easy technology.The term Time Capsule doesn’t just refer to that coffee can you packed full of GI Joes in 1990 and buried in the backyard anymore, it is the new backup solution released by Apple. Everyone who has had the opportunity to upgrade to Leopard knows the amazing new feature called Time Machine. Time Capsule is the compliment to this innovative program. Time Capsule is both a backup drive and an Airport Extreme. People can back up files regularly and securely while not adding another gadget to their already-way-too-crowded-desk-space. This is the backup solution many home users were waiting for offering 500 GB of storage, or an optional 1 TB capacity (that’s tech-talk for a lot of space). This is also a great solution for small businesses. The 500 GB model will sell for $299 and 1TB for $499 available at the Apple Store mid-February.

Smartacus is proud to welcome Chris Frazee to our team of technicians. Chris comes from a rich background in Unix Administration and will be a wonderful addition to our team. In 1996 Chris began work at a small start-up company called Hotmail as a support agent. He later implemented the company’s Unix and Windows based monitoring systems. He was also instrumental in transition to Windows after the Microsoft acquisition of Hotmail. From there Chris went on to work for Taos Consultant working on their contract with Sony Electronics, and Netli Corporation. We are so pleased he’s converted to the Mac-Side and look forward to his contributions to Smartacus Inc. You may be lucky enough to have Chris sent to your location and please feel free to request Chris for all your technical needs.