I mentioned in my posting yesterday that Apple’s new MagSafe power connector is both an asset and a liability.
There was a piece on the Japanese Mac Treasure Tracing Club Web site on 26 February 2006 that stated “Because Apple acquired a patent for MagSafe, third party manufacturers cannot sell an adapter with with such a connector.” It also goes on to say that Apple is not going to give permission to do so.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

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One of my favorite things about the MacBook Pro is the MagSafe power connector, but the more I use it the more I am finding that things might not be as rosy as I originally thought.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

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Back in February I posted some Photoshop benchmarks pitting the MacBook Pro 2.0GHz against the PowerBook G4 1.5GHz. Not surprisingly, the old-school PowerBook G4 won the pixel-pushing death-match in a unanimous decision due to the fact the Photoshop is written to natively address the PowerPC chip whereas the MacBook Pro is sorely hobbled by the constraints of Rosetta emulation.
If you’ve ever wondered how your Apple iron stacks up to the Photoshop benchmarks I posted, I am making available the Photoshop action and test files that I used in the test. Feel free to download them and run them on your own machine. After you run the Photoshop action, please post your results in the TalkBack below!
Download the test files on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

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One of the most popular questions about the new MacBook Pro is about its temperature. Users of previous PowerBook G4s (especially the 12-inch model) are very conscious of the ambient heat generated by their machines. It’s difficult to use on your lap after running for as little as 30 minutes. This heat (and lawyers) are the reasons manufacturers don’t call them “laptops” any more – they’re only referred to as “notebooks” now.
In fact, Apple’s MacBook Pro User Guide explicitly states “Do not leave the bottom of your MacBook Pro in contact with your lap or any surface of your body for extended periods.” Adding that “prolonged contact with your body could cause discomfort and potentially a burn.”
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

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While it’s not the fastest method of connecting to the Internet, there are times when it’s convenient to use your mobile phone for Dial Up Networking (DUN). The problem is that some operator-supplied handsets (like my Treo 650 from Verizon) have the DUN profile for Bluetooth disabled.
Use the following steps to connect your Mac to the Internet via a Bluetooth connection with your Treo 650.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

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Podcasting has gotten a whole lot easier with the advent of GarageBand 3. Previously I used Audio Hijack Pro, but GarageBand has been updated with features designed specifically for podcasters.
For the PowerPage Podcast I use two low cost microphones adapted from XLR down to quarter-inch which are plugged into a Miglia HarmonyAudio box which is connected via Firewire to my MacBook Pro. GarageBand picks up both of the input channels (set them to mono, btw) and all you have to do is press the record button.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

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PowerPage Podcast Episode 12 is now available for download from the iTunes Music Store.
On Episode 12 (32:57, 16.1 MB, AAC) of the PowerPage Podcast my guest is Youngmoo Kim, Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. On this episode Youngmoo and I discuss audio technology and the Macintosh platform.
You can subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (AAC) or you can add the PowerPage Podcast RSS feed to the newsreader of your choice. Remember to vote for us on Podcast Alley.
Program
00:00 Music: Tragically Hip: Vaccination Scar
02:40 Segment 1: Audio CODECS
14:31 Music: Tragically Hip: Poets
14:56 Segment 2: Mobile (Phone) Music
19:52 Music: Tragically Hip: Twist My Arm
20:21 Segment 3: New Apple Products
25:07 Music: Tragically Hip: Fireworks (Phantom Power)
25:19 Segment 4: Processors
31:54 Music: Tragically Hip: Springtime in Vienna (Trouble at the Henhouse)
A special thank you to The Tragically Hip for letting us use their music in the PowerPage podcast. Check out their first DVD/CD Box Set Hipeponymous.

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In case you missed it, there’s a whole lot going on with tablet development these days – and it’s not in the Mac camp.
The Wintel community is abuzz about Intel’s Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) platform and a new product from Microsoft called Origami due to launch on March 9. The very stealthy Origami Project Web site only gives clues about what’s to come but the conventional wisdom is that it’s a miniature tablet PC that will play music and have full Media Center functionality, including playback of full motion videos.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

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There have been a number of salacious reports around the Web to the effect of “Mac OS X hacked in 30 minutes” based on the results of a competition in which hackers were challenged to hack into a Mac mini connected to the Internet. The story made headlines but incorrectly characterized the break-in as a genuine hack where it should have been described as a privilege escalation for a legitimate user…
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

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I know that it’s probably old news by now but an article in Network World claims that the Total Cost of Owning (TCO) a Mac is about half of what it costs to own a PC. From Business 2.0…
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

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