Inspiration comes in various sizes and forms, it can come from different sources, such as books, magazines, TV shows, and in this case, beautiful offices.
Here are ten inspirational office set-ups we’ve collected together for your viewing pleasure. Including offices which featured beautiful lighting, stunning desks, elegant simplicity, and high-tech gadgets and gizmos - we trust you won’t leave this page uninspired. On with the setups.
Picturesque 2.0 is the latest application from Acqualia. This follow up version to their Apple Design Award winning application packs a handful of new features, and truly is a bloggers best friend.
Picturesque 2.0 features a redesigned single-window interface, tools for cropping, presets, and the 3D perspective effect. Using an animated “drag and drop”-style interface, Picturesque adds effects, such as 3D perspective, reflection, glow, shadow, curve, and stroke. You can also beautify images in batch, and with the ability to resize and apply effects on a whole folder of images, Picturesque is an an easy way to make sophisticated thumbnails and refined full sized images
Acqualia is an Australian based company, comprised of Zac Cohan and Nik Youdale. Founded in 2004, the company has created some very intuitive applications that have proven just as useful as they are attractive.
Tom Baker
Jordan Green
Steve Embleton
Jesse Dodds
Henrik Christiansen
Our sincere thanks to the 90 people who entered the competition. To the winners, your registration details for Picturesque will be on the way shortly.
Zac Cohan, Mac software developer residing in Australia is one of the two developers of Acqualia Software, the makers of World of Where, Soulver, and most recently - version 2.0 of Picturesque, an application used for preparing images for the web. Or as I know it, an application I couldn’t blog without.
Picturesque 2.0 features a redesigned single-window interface, tools for cropping, presets, and the 3D perspective effect. Using an animated “drag and drop”-style interface, Picturesque adds effects, such as 3D perspective, reflection, glow, shadow, curve, and stroke. You can also beautify images in batch, and with the ability to resize and apply effects on a whole folder of images, Picturesque is an an easy way to make sophisticated thumbnails and refined full sized images.
It has been a major part of my blogging toolset for the past year, once you start utilizing some of the fun, time saving features, working with images will never be the same again.
We have five copies of Picturesque to give away to five individual readers. Simply leave a brief comment below and we’ll draw five comments by random on the 18th of May. Oh, and while on the topic of RSS, why not subscribe to our feed for easy access to fresh content.
Mac Pro 3GHz // 8GB RAM // 4x 750GB/32MB // X1900 XT // Blu-Ray // 30″ ACD // Airport Extreme // iPhone 8GB // Pacemaker // Logitech Z-5500 Sound System // Phillips Living Colour // Wacom Tablet //
// Samsung 40″ Full HD TV // Xbox 360 Elite // Playstation 3 //
I’m using my Mac Pro
The gaming corner isn’t used that much for gaming. I mostly use it for streaming my music and movies. I’m really a Full HD-fan. Once you go 1080p..
Tonium’s Pacemaker is a new gadget we also sell in our shop. I haven’t spend much time with the Pacemaker yet, but I can already tell that once you’ve used this device you’ll see it as your new iPod. The idea of mixing and saving on the go is great! The Philips Colour lamp was a gift of my dad which you can adjust the LED-light to suit your mood. It’s really nice.
Planning ahead I’d like to add a top of the line 17″ MacBook Pro
Sticking to a subject we been talking about a lot this past week, is Dustin MacDonald’s stunning new RSS reader Times.
Mikio Inose, the designer Dustin employed to design and create the application icon, today posted a few images on Flickr showcasing the full process of designing the icon from start to finish. In addition to the computer based mockups, Mikio also uploaded images of the initial sketches and an array of different concepts.
This is well worth checking out if you’re interested in seeing what goes into creating an application icon as stunning as the 512×512 one used for Times. View the Flickr photoset here.
Times is the latest addition to Dustin’s achievement list and the first application he’s created under his new company Acrylic.
Most people would describe software as boring, bland, dull tools that are only necessary to simply get a job done. Sadly enough, most modern software actually matches this description pretty well. Acrylic is different. We think of software as something much more - an amazing medium to express new ideas and experiences to the user. We strive to create innovative, beautiful, fun software that makes using a computer more enjoyable. - Dustin MacDonald.
Trying to reinvent the way you read news, they’ve created the best possible news experience straight from the ground up. Instead of treating news like email (as most RSS readers do), Times presents you with headlines and photos from a variety of sources all in one place, letting you more easily discover the news you want to read.
Our sincere thanks to the 138 people who entered the competition. This may be the first competition we’ve run on Desktop Vibes, but it most certainly won’t be the last. Expect another within a fortnight.
Jordan Chark
Michael Mistretta
Katherine Fellows
Ebbi
Stephen.
Your registration details for Times will be on the way shortly. Enjoy a completely new experience of RSS.
Software developer Dustin MacDonald is well recognized in the Mac software industry. Although just 19 years of age he’s already well known for his success with personal data organization application Wallet, which is now in version 2.7 and used by thousands of Mac users around the world.
Times is the latest addition to Dustin’s achievement list and the first application he’s created under his new company Acrylic.
Most people would describe software as boring, bland, dull tools that are only necessary to simply get a job done. Sadly enough, most modern software actually matches this description pretty well. Acrylic is different. We think of software as something much more - an amazing medium to express new ideas and experiences to the user. We strive to create innovative, beautiful, fun software that makes using a computer more enjoyable. - Dustin MacDonald.
Trying to reinvent the way you read news, they’ve created the best possible news experience straight from the ground up. Instead of treating news like email (as most RSS readers do), Times presents you with headlines and photos from a variety of sources all in one place, letting you more easily discover the news you want to read.
You’ll be impressed by the sheer attention to detail in Times. Every feature was carefully crafted to work as intuitively and naturally as possible, while still keeping with Mac design philosophies.
Times uses many advanced OS X technologies, like Core Animation - which allows for clear and concise animations throughout the interface, making it easy to always see what’s going on. - Times Website
Like your own personal newspaper, you can put feeds into separate areas, create pages for different subjects, and more. The best way to understand how Times works, and if it’ll work for you is by downloading a trial.
We have five copies of Times to give away to five individual readers. Want a chance to own the latest RSS application to the Mac platform? Simply leave a brief comment below and we’ll draw five comments by random on the 6th of May. Oh, and while on the topic of RSS, why not subscribe to our feed for easy access to fresh content.
Although they’ve been in public knowledge since CES 2008 in January, the first I heard of Monster’s latest audio product “Beats” with the backing of superstar Rap producer Dr Dre was just yesterday.
Retailing for $399, they’re supposedly tuned by the former N.W.A. member and Death Row founder himself (along with a little help from ‘Head Monster’ Noel Lee), and boast “rich, deep bass” which promises to keep your head ringin’
The black headphones come complete with a beautifully designed carrying case with anti-microbial cleaning cloths, a special Monster headphone cable, a mini-stereo to ¼-inch stereo cable adapter, as well as Monster’s iSonitalk, a microphone/headphone adapter for iPhones.
“When I’m making a track I’m trying to capture the sound that makes me go ‘now that’s the shit! And I want that reaction from everybody who hears it,” said Dr. Dre. “I spend a lot of time in the studio listening to my music through headphones…with Beats, people are finally going to hear it the way they should: the way I do.”
While I’ve been stuck using the stock standard iPod headphones for the last three years, I feel it’s time to move forward and look for something more satisfying to get the most out of my listening experience.
I’m eager for Beats to arrive in store later this year so I can take a close look at them. The sleek design has already caught my eye, all that needs proving to now is my ears. Not too much longer to wait.
Initial reactions from users of the MacBook Air SSD model report an increased battery life expectancy of around 10-15%, providing them with an extra hour of productive work while on the go.
Without the moving mechanical parts that cause latency issues, SSDs are not impeded by spin-up, seek time, or rotational latency. This equates to faster boot times, faster application loading, and greater overall system responsiveness.
While typing away on the MacBook Pro, two noises can be heard. The fans cooling the processor, and above all else, the hard-drive spinning up and down as required to access files. The Solid State Drive has no moving parts, which means the drive doesn’t spin - providing a noiseless working experience.
SSD stands for Solid State Drive. Solid State means no moving parts. No moving parts means the data cannot be destroyed by bumping a head of the drive which is reading or writing. Get the picture?
SSDs are extremely tolerance to shock and vibration caused by the user.
While some standard hard-drives will still beat solid state drives when moving or copying large chunks of data, the SSD moves ahead with leaps and bounds when asked to open multiple applications at once, and while switching between them. It’s areas like this where you come to appreciate the SSD, as the comparable hard-drive chokes and burns under similar conditions.
With no spinning heads, Solid State Drives do not require any fans to keep them cool. SSDs produce little-to-no measurable heat because they have no moving parts, thus helping keep notebooks operating cooler.
Although they exceed performance of most conventional notebook drives, SSDs are still at a price premium in the current market. With Apple charging a very competitive $999 for the 64GB SSD build-to-order option in the MacBook Air, been an early adopter of the technology is not a cheap thrill.
Prices are expected to fall at the rate of 40% per year, so the $999 drives we see today are expected to cost only $200 by 2010. By that stage I’d expect Apple’s full range of notebook computers will ship with a solid state drive as the standard configuration.
I’ve had hundreds upon hundreds of requests for this certain WordPress theme I was using at my personal blog for the past 12 months. The three column theme labeled as “The Red Three” displays content in a very organized manner, providing room in the two sidebars for extra content, advertisements, or notices you wish to provide for your reader-base.
The public release of this theme is my way of saying thanks to the WordPress community, and you - the readers of Desktop Vibes.
The theme which was originally created by Andreas Lengyel, then further customized by myself has had hours upon hours of dedication and hard work put into it. I hope you enjoy using it as much as I have over the past year.
Red Three is a three column theme made specifically for WordPress blogs. To edit the title/description of the site in the header, edit these values in the manage settings section of the WordPress back-end.
Please leave all footer links in-tact. These are served as a way for readers of your site to source the original theme download page.
Known to be compatible with WordPress 2.5+. If you are running an older version of WordPress, please, stop what you are doing and upgrade! To install, download and unzip the unstandard directory and upload to wp-content/themes.
Download Red Three Version 1.1
Update: This theme has been updated to version 1.1. Version 1.1 is now compatible with widgets in WordPress.
I’ve had the Canon 135
Sharp wide open at f/2, super fast autofocus, a beautiful smooth depth of field at low aperture settings, and a perfect focal length for long range landscape/short range sports are a few of the areas where this lens really shines.
One of the things I’ve been most pleased with other than the sharpness wide open is the superb autofocus performance. When the lens is switched to focus at 1.6 meters to infinity, focus locks in at a rapid pace, perfect for fast moving subjects in the distance. When set to 0.9 meters to infinity, the Canon 135L
The Canon 135L
It has been my goal for some time now to attend a wedding as the main photographer, a goal I completed over the weekend down in Christchurch, New Zealand - a two hour flight from home.
Overall I found the whole process rather relaxed. My flight arrived in Christchurch the afternoon before the wedding, and I popped into the chapel before heading to my accommodation for the night to check out the lighting, and scout locations for the formal shots.
The morning of the wedding was super relaxed, however I found myself running between two houses shooting the preparation shots from both the groom and the brides sides. I must have swapped lenses dozens of times in the two hour period of shooting preparation shots, though I found myself primarily shooting with the Canon EF 135 f/2L and the Canon EF 50 f/1.4 under the harsh lighting conditions. The primes kept me thinking about composition and created a very ’smooth’ depth of field when shot at low apertures.
The chapel where the ceremony was held was very small, I used the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L for shots of the wedding party arriving, along with the bride walking down the aisle. In saying this, the Canon EF 135 f/2L was a perfect focal length for most of the ceremony, and was attached the the camera for 90% of the time. I feel this could be a different story under different conditions (size of chapel/church), so a little extra focal length might come in handy in the future. One of the upsides of the 135L is its immense sharpness, so cropping is possible if more detail is needed to be pulled from images.
The most invaluable lens of the day was hands down the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L. The versatility when it came to shooting portraits was invaluable. I enjoyed the ability to go from full-body shots to head-shots within a twist of the zoom. The only other way to provide similar versatility would be to have two camera bodies, one with a wide angle lens and another with a medium length telephoto.
If I was shooting another wedding down the line in the future, there are a few extra tools I’d like to pick up.
I didn’t think I’d be needing to use flash anywhere near as much as I did. I thought with my two super-fast primes, I could make use of available light. Although true, I found I used the flash for over 75% of the portraits as fill light to eliminate shadows on faces.
A Canon 430EX purchase looms in the very near future.
I shot the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L at two focal lengths the entire day, 24 & 70. When shooting outdoor formals the lens was glued to the wide end - I found myself often wanting to shoot wider.
The Canon EF 14 f/2.8L looks very attractive for this use, bar the hefty price tag it carries. Of course the Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8L must be considered, but I could see myself using the lens glued to the 16mm end - hence the want for the prime.
While a different camera body mightn’t have created better images, it’d have made it a whole lot easier to capture the ones I did. Shooting with an aging Canon 350D wasn’t the easiest thing to do, especially when trying to capture focus for candid portraits when the action was moving very quickly.
Ideally, I’d like something which has a more accurate AF system, better performance above ISO 400, and something with two card slots for redundancy. The last thing any wedding photographer wants is lost images.
Overall, I was extremely happy with the images I managed to capture with the gear I had with me - I’m very excited with the results from the day, and I’m looking forward to the next wedding, whenever & wherever that may be.
1419 frames fired using one camera body, two Sandisk 4GB compact flash cards, three Canon lenses, and 11.19GB of hard-drive space.
1066 Images - Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L
250 Images - Canon EF 135 f/2L
103 Images - Canon EF 50 f/1.4
I’ve been thinking abut the way I use the computer a lot over the past seven days. A majority of thinking has gone into the process so far and as the week has past, I’ve noticed developing trends regarding which applications I’m using most frequently.
While a switch to a MacBook Air may or may not be on the cards for various reasons, the decision turners for making the change (or not) will fall into its own post later in the week.
The increased use of Safari is also down to moving away from three desktop based applications (Mail, NetNewsWire, TextEdit), moving to three similar browser based Google applications - Gmail, Google Reader, and Google Docs.
After keeping a close eye on which applications I used over a seven day period, I came up with the above chart. Overall, it doesn’t really surprise me considering I spend most of my time on the computer writing, while listening to music, keeping an eye on email and RSS, while occasionally popping open iMovie to export video to YouTube and editing images in Aperture.
The only thing holding me back from the MacBook Air at this current point in time? The 15% area on the chart dedicated to Aperture & iMovie.
Late Addition: I’m going to stick with the MacBook Pro - install a new internal HDD, and see what Apple has in store with the next revision of the MacBook Air. I’ll keep riding this laptop until I see a need to change, adding a 2nd rev MacBook Air at a later stage looks likely - however.
I try out dozens of new applications each and every week, and get along well with a handful of software developers . Based on my experience with Macintosh software, I have my own standards and my own personal opinion on what makes a Mac application exceptional in its field.
My three points of consideration? Interface, simplicity and usability. Of course, an application needs to fulfill a suitable function, but these three pointers are what pulls me in to software and get me hooked.
I’m sure most of you have heard about AppZapper at some point or another. If not, AppZapper allows you to confidently uninstall virtually any application as easily as it was installed - just drag and drop. Drag one or more unwanted apps onto the main AppZapper window and watch as it finds all the extra associated files and lets you delete them with a single click.
The first thing which attracted me to AppZapper was not only the elegant ability to uninstall applications which has been carried out so well, but the complete usability and overall simplicity of the application, it immediately leaped into my dock and hasn’t left since, same goes with many other applications such as Delicious Library, Coda, MarsEdit, and Transmit. They are all so elegantly developed, with attention paid to both form and function.
Two standout examples of companies paying severe attention to detail are Panic Software with their lead applications Coda, Transmit and CandyBar. Along with Delicious Monster’s application “Delicious Library.”
Other applications, including DVD-ripping software HandBrake, have the potential to be amazing with some work on the usability and form. HandBrake is a wonderful application but it doesn’t come across as elegant and as easy to use as an application like AppZapper. Of course, it fills a much larger function than AppZapper and requires a large scale of features - which I believe could be carried out in a different manner.
Why is that? Because consumers want applications that are extremely easy to use. Austin Sarner, the developer of AppZapper, hit the sweet spot when designing it: he knew exactly what the people wanted and how to give it to them. AppZapper is so simple to use that it’s ingenious.
Companies like Panic and Delicious Monster have got all aspects right on design and user interface which in my opinion is a contributing fact to why they have enjoyed so much success. Form & function my friends. Pay attention to the vital details.
Last evening I arrived back in Auckland, New Zealand after spending twelve days in Australia on board the Pacific Star cruise liner, and three days in Sydney on the tail end. While holidaying has left me refreshed and energized, it also opened up many new photographic opportunities along the way - cruising was a perfect holiday to continue my photographic development, as new photo opportunities arose as each day presented itself. A new port meant new sights to see, and more importantly, more chance to make images.
The Tasman Sea At Dusk, On Board Pacific Star
I discovered an interest in many new areas of photography while away. Including candid, landscape, and architecture. While at home and seeing the same scenes each day I became accustomed to my surroundings, and my photography developed a very basic pattern to it. Visiting new locations really helped me open my eyes to other potential shots. I feel the getaway has been a huge help in terms of refreshing my photographic eye while opening up a different aspect I can put in-to action back in my home town.
Port Douglas Coastline, Queensland Australia
Get out with your camera, venture somewhere new. Book a flight to a remote location, head out for a week long road trip. Simply head away from your usual surroundings and discover what’s out there - when you arrive back home, your eyes will have opened to many new photographic opportunities which didn’t appear before your trip.
Now - where’s that 135mm prime lens. I’m off for a walk.
Long have I been a subscriber to the theory that those new to the digital single lens reflex arena should start their lens collection with one, relatively inexpensive piece of glass, the f/1.8 variation of the 50mm prime, in either a Canon or Nikon mount, depending on the users choice of camera brand.
As a Canon user there are two different relatively affordable variations of the standard 50mm prime lens. An f/1.8 and f/1.4 version. The f/1.8 variation is the lightest and the cheapest ($79 USD) of all three, it’s the perfect piece of glass to introduce an individual to primes lenses. I’ve owned this lens in the past and thoroughly enjoyed my first experience of inability to zoom. Owning the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 forced me to use my eye to its full creative ability.
Second in the line is the slightly heavier, and relatively more expensive ($329 USD) f/1.4 version of the 50mm lens. Advantages of this lens include a far more superior build quality, faster focusing, full time manual focus ability, and a larger aperture opening. I now own this Canon 50mm lens due to its advantages over its cheaper counterpart.
Also available is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM. This is the only 50mm prime lens in Canon’s line which features the “L” tag, as a luxury series lens. It features the most superior build quality of all Canon 50mm primes, and is one of two lenses in the Canon EF mount lineup which will open to f/1.2 (the other being the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 USM) - allowing in a significant amount of light.
I initially purchased the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 after hearing praise of the lens optical quality for its small price on photography forum Fred Miranda. Once in my hands, I discovered why.
The focal length of a 50mm prime is somewhat special, as it’s very accurate in terms of field of view to a human eye. Essentially, on a full frame body, what you see through your eye is what you get through the cameras viewfinder.
When limited to a single focal length, there’s only one possible field of view. This view rapidly sticks in your mind, until you know exactly what you’ll see through the viewfinder of your camera without having to life it to your eye. It’ll make you think about framing of images much more closely, and help you improve your eye for creating exceptional shots.
You’re made to think much more about the finder technical aspects of the image, such as aperture, ISO, shutter speed, and exposure. Changing the framing of your image will need to be done via your feet (foot zooming), giving you much more creative control over your image, rather than standing in one spot and either zooming in, or out.
While I believe that all photographers should have a general walk around zoom in their bag for general use, prime lenses will help you create better images, and help you develop your personal photographic style.
From where I’m standing, Twitter is increasingly becoming a means of communication for many creative professionals in doing different things throughout the day - ranging from updating contacts with what they’re doing, direct messaging friends with quick messages instead of an email, and sending/receiving links to newly posted media on the web.
I’ve been mulling over this growing trend for the past few months, and kept an observant eye on not only how I’m using Twitter, but how my contacts are utilizing the service.
What I’ve found is that Twitter has become a tool for doing much more than just updating your friends with what you’ve up to, it’s also a great way to keep in contact with them using the direct message feature. Twitter is increasingly becoming more of an essential relationship and communication tool.
I pulled this following two paragraph quote from a weblog post entitled “Why Twitter Matters.”
By following people on Twitter and other microblogging platforms like Facebook, I’ve gotten to know people at a much deeper level than if I was just to read someone’s blog or socialize at a conference.
Short updates allow me to know a person’s favorite sports teams, restaurants, weekend activities, family adventures and the like. And by weaving together the pieces of someone’s life in this manner, I’m able to know them on a much deeper level. It’s actually quite rewarding on many humanistic levels.
From my point of view, this statement is very accurate. Most of the messages contacts post to Twitter are personal to a certain state, things that help you understand, and get to know a person better. People post thoughts which wouldn’t otherwise be published on their weblog or regular technology column. For instance, if I wasn’t following John Gruber on Twitter, I wouldn’t know that he “fell down the stairs 15 minutes ago”, or that his favorite Super Bowl commercial was the Audi’s R8 “Godfather”.
When I need to get a quick message across to someone and they’re on my Twitter contact list, I fire off a message to them via the Twitter website or via Twitterrific. While it restricts my messages to 140 characters, this essentially helps me stay blunt, simple, and to the point with my wording. Most of my personal correspondence with personal contacts is now routed through Twitter, not email as it was for most of the 2007 calendar year.
I’ve found I’m now corresponding with a lot more people than I was in the past, down to the fact that it’s more simple than clicking on Mail, creating a new message, entering an address, subject line, email, and clicking the send now button - and vice verca on the receptiants end.
While Twitter as a service is still new and developing, utilizing Twitter in the online life of a creative professional is well underway.
The Apple Store (U.S.) - Aperture 2 -
Aperture 2 gives photographers incredible tools to manage massive libraries, speed through photo edits, make essential image adjustments, and deliver photos online and in print using one simple, integrated workflow. Whether you shoot RAW or JPEG, Aperture lets you get the most out of your photography.
Optimized for speed, while more intuitive and accessible, Aperture 2.0 has been released at a lowered price of $199 USD. I’ve been hooked on Lightroom 1.3 these past few months, and my entire 2006/2007 image archives are stored in a Lightroom library.
Could Aperture 2.0 sway me back from Lightroom? I’m looking forward to playing with it and passing judgement.
AppleInsider | MacBook Air face-off: HDD vs SSD (with video) -
Solid state drives are expensive, but costs are coming down. Of course, there’s still a long way for their price tags to go. A 1.8″ 64 GB SSD costs around $1600 at retail and 128GB versions are $3000 and up. The only thing that will force these prices down is the economies of scale from widespread adoption. A number of specialized ultra mobile laptops began offering an SSD option over the last six months, but Apple’s more mainstream offering in the MacBook Air presents high capacity SSDs to a wide new audience.
AppleInsider has written a thorough report on if the MacBook Air SSD option is worth the $1000 USD Apple charge for the upgrade. There are three videos on the article page, each comparing the HDD to the SSD in disk intensive tasks.
The SSD looks to be the ideal choice, if you’re willing to pay a price premium as an early adopter.
After reading dozens and dozens of various posts related to the MacBook Air, the verdict is all over the board in regard to how the machine has been received by the community and general consumers.
After publishing my first thoughts, I came to the consensus that the MacBook Air had a lot going for it, and a lot going against it. It would pair up perfectly as a second more portable machine for those already running iMac’s/Mac Pro’s, etc.
After viewing Macworld benchmarks, the last statement above that the MacBook Air would be suited as a second machine for the creative professional is a somewhat accurate one. The MacBook Air clocks in as the slowest Mac in Apple’s lineup.
Speed aside, if anything could be added to the MacBook Air, on my terms, they’d be as follows.
The MacBook Air’s hub is home to a magsafe power port, one USB 2.0 port, a micro-DVI port, and a headphone jack. While the term less is more is often used in the Mac world (typically when talking about software), the same doesn’t apply here.
One extra USB port, along with a FireWire 400 port would be greatly received. It’s on of my major gripes about the machines design. While it can be easily fixed with a USB hub, it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing or simple solution.
I’d almost be fully content to use a MacBook Air full time if the RAM limitation wasn’t set at 2GB, tethered to the motherboard. While I’m not certain on the practically of it, having the ability for the user to replace RAM with standard DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz DIMM RAM. It would take the RAM limitation to 4GB on the MacBook Air if two slots were open - much more acceptable for those multi-tasking on the notebook - although, that opens the question once again, if you’re multitasking heavily, why are you doing it on a MacBook Air? The irony.
Don’t get me wrong, the MacBook Air is super elegant in its current state. I still want one, and most of the problems above can be fixed with third-party products (well, not the RAM). All-in-all, the MacBook Air is shaping up to be much more desirable than I initially thought.
Will Shipley, head developer of Delicious Monster’s drawcard (well, only) application Delicious Library has received his new MacBook Air. Replacing his now old (and sold) 2.33Ghz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro as his main coding system.
Really? Apple’s ’slowest’ computer is the new main coding machine for one of the most well known Mac shareware developers. Shipley shed a little light on the subjective move.
The criticism all basically goes like this: “It’s not like a MacBook Pro!”
No, really? Seriously? I mean, they introduced this new product, and it doesn’t have the same specs as the MacBook Pro? God, that is bizarre. I wonder why they gave it a new name, and continue to sell the MacBook Pro, then, if it’s not going to be exactly the same. I mean, that hardly makes sense, does it?
Apple have three different break-offs in its notebook line. The MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and the MacBook. Each machine is suited for different people, not everyone will be happy with a certain machine, hence the reason there’s three options.
There’s no ruling out the MacBook Air can’t be used as a main (and only) machine. It all comes down to what you do. Most people working with video for instance will not be looking at the MacBook Air, due to its limited storage capacity, processor speed, and lack of connectivity options. However writers who don’t need blazing fast processors, tons of storage, and lots of ports will welcome the machine with open arms. Needs will vary. Something that’s perfect for you might not be for the next person, and vice versa.
Some journalists get so close to the truth it hurts, yet miss the large print. “OMG! The unit is all sealed and self-contained like the iPod!”
I feel this point is possibly the most talked about aspect of the MacBook Air. Whether good or bad, the Air doesn’t have a user-replaceable battery or easy access to replace a hard drive. Then again, devices like the iPhone and iPod don’t have user replaceable batteries like many other devices in the same category, it hasn’t hurt Apple at all.
It’s a fact that if you want a new battery, you’ll have to pay Apple to install a new one. How many batteries do most Apple laptop owners carry around anyway? I only have the one which is permanently residing under my MacBook Pro. I suspect most other buyers of Apple laptops are in the same boat as me.
I don’t buy a laptop because I want to replace its drive in a year. I buy it because it seems great and meets my needs today. If my needs magically morph over the coming year, I guess I’ll sell it on eBay.
This is a perfect example in my eyes of the way I’d like people to think. Buy a computer based on today’s needs. If your needs change down the line, adapt to that with a different tool set; it’s how I’ve personally begun to look at things.
Three months ago, I sold a top of the line workhorse machine, the Apple Mac Pro. Six weeks later, I sold the 4.1 million pixel wonder I had connected to it, more commonly known as the 30″ Apple Cinema Display. Why? The move to a complete portable platform had become more and more attractive as weeks past, while all four million pixels of the Apple Cinema Display sat cold and unused.
Pixels, that is. When I sold the 30″ Apple Cinema Display, I sold the large canvas I had become so attached to when the Mac Pro was in my possession.
Have I missed it? Not at all. The MacBook Pro paired with Spaces has been a perfect solution to losing my large display. I feel so much more comfortable knowing everything is in one place, in one machine. I don’t have as much cash tied up in technology that’s sitting unused.
It’s surprising to myself that I haven’t once regretted my decision. This could be reinforced by the 2 week period I had leading up to listing the display for sale. I told myself I’d not touch it for another two weeks, and see if I missed it. I didn’t, so off it went. Out of sight, out of mind.
Spaces, one of Leopard’s ‘innovative’ features has shaped the way I use my notebook. When playing with a screen measuring 1440 x 900 pixels - things are bound to change compared to a 2560 x 1600 canvas.
I set up three Spaces on the 15″ MacBook Pro to organize various applications. The first Space been the active work area, for Safari, blogging, writing, editing, etc. The second space is set aside for communication (Mail, iChat, Twitterrific), while the third is my reference Space (iTunes, NetNewsWire).
The High-Resolution 17″ MacBook Pro currently sports a display measuring 1920 x 1200 pixels (133ppi), equaling that of the current 23″ Apple Cinema Display (98ppi). The iPhone and iPod touch both boast screens with a pixel density around the 160ppi mark - compared to the 15″ MacBook Pro’s 110ppi display. Where does this leave us for the future of Apple notebook displays?
An addition of the high resolution option in 15″ model would be well received in the next revision of the MacBook Pro line. I don’t expect to see 1080p, but 1680 x 1050 (same as the 20″ Apple Cinema Display) would be a significant move in the right direction. Displays with a high pixel-per-inch density are in our not too distant future.
Keep asking yourself, does this “something” add anything to my life? If you have to think about an answer to the question for more than a few seconds, it doesn’t. Remove it from your life. Throw it away. Clear out the space visually and mentally.
There’s no use keeping around a piece of digital material (RSS feed, song, file, bookmark) if it’s not adding anything to your life, or helping you in any-way. Try to simplify things down and keep only the essentials, both in the material world and the evolving digital world.
Moving from a desktop computing setup to a notebook based setup comprising of a MacBook Pro helped my digital cleanliness propagation a few months ago, I migrated over 1TB of data into under 100GB.
Stop living for the day where you will own the faster computer, sexier car, bigger home. Start for living for today where you have the computer you’re reading this text on, the car you have parked in your garage, and the roof you have over your head.
It’s important to have these things in your sight, but don’t let them be the focus of your life. Let this minute, this current day be your task in hand. Enjoy it for what it is and what you have. Stop being materialistic and live for experience.
Where would you like to be in six months, one year, five years away? While focusing on the current day, it’s important to have things to aim for, to have plans of where you’re going in life rather than simply living year in and year out. Set yourself goals on what you’d like to achieve in a certain period of time. Keep these somewhere where they can be openly viewed, and set time to reflect upon them.
Keeping on a relative point to the first point mentioned, there are dozens, if not hundreds of ways you can make your life more simple. Find workarounds to tasks which you don’t enjoy. Find ways to delegate and remove tasks which you dread thinking about from your daily life. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Hate doing the housework? Hire a cleaner. If it’ll make you happier and improve your life, it’s worth the money - or as it could be otherwise called, it’s worth the investment.
Each and every Friday I post a desktop wallpaper which I have taken personally on travels and outings with my Canon 350D. The wallpaper is sized at a resoultion big enough to be used on a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display, so no-one will miss out.
| This image was captured using these settings: f/2.8 | 30mm | 1/3200th | ISO 100|
Feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism about this wallpaper below - it helps me grow and learn the art of photography.
Want more? Check out the archives.
Macworld received its first baseline MacBook Air earlier this morning, and has posted initial benchmarks using its in-house Speedmark test suite courtesy of the lab.
The results are not mind-blowing as expected, slower than all other current model Mac’s in the open market. Including the MacBook Pro and the MacBook.
For this first set of tests, we used a default-configuration MacBook Air powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a 4200 rpm, 1.8-inch 80GB parallel ATA hard drive.
I do feel the hard-drive is one of the major bottlenecks of the MacBook Air. When set against laptops using 5400 and 7400 RPM drives, the difference is noticeable to say the least. I’m looking forward to seeing some benchmarks with the 64GD SSD option installed in the machine.
When set against a 2.2Ghz MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air encodes music in iTunes almost 50% slower than the Pro counterpart, and around 40% slower in the Handbrake encoding test.
Speaking of Speedmark, the MacBook Air’s score of 123 is the lowest score we’ve recorded for any Intel-based Mac laptop, but it does handily beat our PowerPC laptop reference system, the 1.67Ghz 15-inch PowerBook G4.
The 1.67Ghz 15-inch PowerBook G4 crossed the finishing line with a Speedmark overall score of 92 compared to the MacBook Air’s score of 123. The 2.2Ghz MacBook Pro led the chase at 185, just over double the score of the PowerBook.
Check out the full piece complete with initial performance views.
And so, after 15 very exciting days, the MacHeist II bundle finally comes to a close. It’s hard to believe but during the peak of the sale, the bundle was selling at an even higher rate then the Nintendo DS! So we’re ecstatic beyond belief with the way it all turned out to say the least.
Congratulations to the winner Calvin Chu of the MacHeist II bundle competition I ran last week.
MacHeist II finished the 15 day period selling 43,815 bundles and raising $488,003 for charity which was rounded up to an even half million dollars by the generous crew.
Your serials for the fourteen excellent applications are on the way.
As many Canon fans are awaiting an announcement on an updated full frame EOS 5D Mark II, Canon have come out with an update to its entry level DSLR - the XSi (450D).
The camera features a twelve megapixel CMOS sensor, 3.0″ LCD monitor, Live View with both AF modes (contrast-detect and passive), 14-bit processing and RAW, spot metering, improved AF, 3.5 fps continuous shooting, a larger viewfinder, SD/SDHC storage and a new higher capacity battery.
The step up in improvements from the 400D to the 450D is much larger than what progress was made in the previous installment when Canon replaced the 350D with the 400D. Live View is slowly making its way across the whole line, along with 14-bit RAW, and a 3.0″ LCD monitor. These are too expected in the next edition of the 5D.
As a body targeted at those moving up from point-and-shoot camera, the megapixel count is something un-educated buyers take into account. While 12.2 megapixels stuffed into such a small sensor might not be so forgiving on noise at ISO 800 and above, it does sound impressive for Canon’s most affordable DSLR.
The Canon XSi is expected to start retailing in March 08.
After arriving back from Napier, New Zealand and sorting through a few dozen RSS feeds, I’ve come across a few cool things - one of them is the Macworld Keynote presented in high-definition Quicktime format, directly from Apple.
If you haven’t already watched the keynote, now couldn’t be a better time. In 720P (1280×720) at 30FPS, it’s the next best thing to watching Steve Jobs present Macworld Live in San Francisco.
Unbelievably thin. Astonishingly slick. Knocking on excessively expensive. The new Apple MacBook Air has turned more than a few heads in different directions since its unveiling on Tuesday morning.
There are things in the MacBook Air that aren’t perfect, and some that aren’t even near acceptable. But these are the trade offs that must be had in ultra portable laptops. I feel a lot of the community was expecting far too much from a laptop that’s designed with portability, sleekness, and style in mind. Bottom line.
The MacBook Air falls behind in these aspects:
- Lack of ports, specifically, the dropping of FireWire and the miniscule number of USB ports (one). Those with FireWire HDDs or other devices connecting using the standard will be disappointed. The lack of an Ethernet port is a slight disappointment, but the the recent advances of 802.11 N, this is a smaller point of interest.
- Storage Capacity. Another major tradeoff due to the size of the laptop consumers will need to overcome. Shipping with a 80GB 1.8-inch HDD, storage is at a premium with the MBA. The 64GB SSD is a nice additional option, however pricey at this current point in time.
- CPU/RAM thresholds. Stock at 1.6Ghz, and clocking out at 1.8Ghz, the MBA is notably slower in clock speed than other Apple notebooks. RAM on the MacBook Air is limited to 2GB of non upgradeable memory due to the fact it’s tied to the systems motherboard. Anyone requiring more RAM will need to look at other options (more on that soon).
- No user swappable battery. Possibly one of the most talked about aspects of the machine over the past three days, is the lack of a user swappable battery - falling as a major disappointment for users who wish to carry a couple of spare batteries with them on travel.
- Mono only audio. Not much to say on this point. This is what external speakers are made for, or alternatively, headphones.
As you can see, there are many aspects of the MacBook Air which do lack compared to the MacBook and the MacBook Pro - there’s no lying.
How about some finer more positive points?
- Form factor. Labeled and claimed as the worlds thinnest notebook computer by Apple, this is the main pulling point of the new machine. Clocking in at just 3.0 lbs and dimensions 0.76 x 0.16 inches, the MacBook Air is set to take the notebook industry by storm. If there’s one thing Apple can be praised on in the process, is its strong and continually developing relationship with Intel, shown by the new chip Intel built specifically for the machine.
- Possibly the perfect companion notebook for iMac owners and don’t need any real power in their notebook.
- First Mac with a SSD (solid state drive) option. I feel this is one of the less talked about BTO options on the MBA, however we’ll soon see this as an option over Apple’s complete line of notebook computers as price becomes more competitive.
- Keyboard backlighting. A feature previously only available on the MacBook Pro’s, it’s a nice addition to see a full size keyboard complete with ambient light backlighting. A finer point of interest, but one which does impress.
- Multi-touch input. Possibly something which Apple will incorporate on its full line of notebook computers in the future, much like the SSD. Taken from the iPhone, it’s a great sign of innovation and Apple’s willingness to try new technology on new devices.
The MacBook Air has a lot going for it, and a lot going against it. It’s not going to be suited as a main machine for most people requiring more than a simple notebook. It will pair up perfectly as a second more portable machine for those already running iMac’s/Mac Pro’s, etc.
Although expensive, I feel it will still be a huge success for Apple. When SSDs come down in price and ship as the stock drive in the machine, the MacBook Air will be even closer to the perfect portable machine.
Yes - I want one. But not it its current state. I feel as technological advancements improve, Apple will equally do so with the MBA. How does a MacBook Air with a 128GB SSD standard sound for the same going price? A lot better, and that’s the direction we’re heading for 12-18 months down the track.
Each and every Friday I post a desktop wallpaper which I have taken personally on travels and outings with my Canon 350D. The wallpaper is sized at a resoultion big enough to be used on a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display, so no-one will miss out.
Feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism about this wallpaper below - it helps me grow and learn the art of photography.
Want more? Check out the archives.
One of the smaller announcements of the day are the new applications released in a software update for the iPod touch. Mail, Maps, Notes, Widgets, Weather, and Stocks are all included in the iPod touch software update pack, which retails for $20 USD ($27 NZD).
Like many other Mac enthusiasts, I purchased the pack immediately after it was listed as available on the iTunes Store. One thing I reported on back in my iPod touch review was the lack of certain applications compared to the iPhone. This negative point can now be eliminated, and I expect to start enjoying the iPod touch even more so because of it.
I’m primarily excited about having my Mail with me on the go. Although needing a Wi-Fi hotspot to connect, it’s better than nothing which is the case here in New Zealand at the moment with the iPhone not yet for sale.
Equally impressive is the Maps application. I never expected it to be so useful, however it has already come into play once today offering me directions when I went for a drive this afternoon.
5 applications for $20, working out at $4 each. I know the Mail and Maps applications are alone worth $20 to me, so it really isn’t that much of a bad deal. I can see why some are disappointed with having to fork out cash for these additional pieces of software, but I’m not one of them.
Waldo asks a few questions regarding a new setup he plans to purchase.
I am in the buying position for a new Mac Pro and a new IiMac 24″. I currently do video editing currently on my iMac G5 with the old Final Cut and i just got the new Final Cut Studio 2 for Christmas, I also do audio production on my iMac with the old Logic, looking to get Logic Studio.
For years I have always wanted a Mac tower but never had the money, I am looking at the educational store to make my purchase. I finally have the money and I want the best Mac Pro I can get for my money and a baseline 24” iMac which is $1700. I have a budget of $7,600 and I want 2 x 30″ display set up for my Mac Pro.
Does your setup need two 30″ Apple Cinema Display’s, or would you be okay going with another brand? I would stay away from the Apple Cinema Display’s at this point in time as they’re on the verge of an update. Instead, I’d recommend two of Dell’s 3007 displays. These retail for $1399 each. If you’d be willing to stretch the budget, opt for the newer 3008 model ($1999 each). Saying you choose the 3007, this leaves $4800 left in the budget.
What is the best option for me? My Final system must include 2 30″ Cinema Displays and the 24″ iMac as well as the best Mac Pro I can get with the money. If it goes a couple hundred over….thats ok….but only if I really need it.
With the Mac Pro recently updated, your timing to make the large investment is very good. As far as I can tell, I see the Two Quad 2.8Ghz system to be the best value for money. First of all, you say you need the 24″ iMac. That’s $1700 more of the budget gone, $3100 remains to play with.
I’d suggest ordering from Apple with the following specs (prices from normal, non education store). Pretty much order the stock machine, with the exception of changing to video card to the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB, an extra SuperDrive, and a AirPort Extreme card (Wi-Fi). The machine totals in at $3200, putting you $100 over budget, not taking into account the educational discounts you’ll receive.
Any extra money saved I’d spend on third party upgrades. I’d suggest keeping the 320GB drive for a Leopard (boot drive), then picking up a 750GB drive for storage ($170). As far as RAM goes, it’s dirt cheap now. Pick up a 8GB kit for $400 at OWC. You’ll notice the difference far more than any processor upgrade the money could be otherwise spent on.
Along with continuing answering questions via YouTube more frequently this year, I thought I could use this blog as a platform to help answer these too. Aidan asked:
First question: I have a 20″ iMac and I am planning on getting a 2nd display. I am looking for something that matches size and color. I was looking at the LG L194WS.
If you own the newer 20″ iMac (aluminum), I’d alternatively suggest a 24″ Dell monitor. The Dell displays have a great reputation for quality and value, along with looking the part. The 2407 Dell runs in at around $375 USD which is great value for a 1080P LCD display.
Second question: I have been looking at getting a 17″ powerbook for traveling. I was wondering if you knew why the 17″ still cost over $1000.
First of all, a 17″ PowerBook for traveling? I’d say your optimal choice for a traveling machine would be something smaller than a 17″ notebook. I’d suggest a used or refurbished MacBook if you can afford that much. If not, take a look at the late iBook G4s, more specifically, the 12″ version.
The form factor and casing of the 12″ PowerBook might be nice, but just like the 17″ PowerBook, resale value is still far more than it should be. If you really do want a 17″ laptop, purchase the original Core Duo 17″ MacBook Pro. It’d be a much better investment than spending 2/3s of the money on an aging PowerBook.
I’m still hard at work finishing up a NZ national computing course, hence the lack of recent blog activity. In the mist of an eventful past few weeks, I’ve sorted a solution to something which has been on my mind for quite some time, a reliable active photo storage system complete with a backup.
I now have a thee tiered system which incorporate Lightroom as the image management tool. The system is made up by three pieces of hardware. The MacBook Pro, Seagate Freeagent 250GB USB drive, and LaCie Porsche 250GB Firewire 400 drive.
My active 2008 library is stored on the MacBook Pro’s internal HDD. Previous years folders (2006 & 2007) are sitting on the Seagate Freeagent 250GB USB drive. When 2009 comes around, the 2008 folder will be archived on the Seagate drive, on a continuous cycle.
Both the active 2008 library and the archived images get backed up onto another 250GB drive, the LaCie Porsche Firewire 400.
I’m relatively happy with how the system shapes out. I have my current years worth of images on hand wherever I am with the MacBook Pro and access to older archived images is provided by the very portable Seagate Freeagent USB drive. While backups are hosted on the reliable LaCie Porsche drive at Firewire 400 speeds for snappy regular backup sessions.
Most will remember the recent controversy surrounding the MacHeist 2 lead-up. Thankfully, this is in the past and the MacHeist 2 bundle is now for sale. It’s those two weeks again, the two weeks which were labeled as the week of indie Mac developers by many last year.
This years MacHeist bundle features eleven popular software titles for just $49 USD, the bundle is an excellent deal for anyone interested in trying out new applications. This years bundle is of excellent value, you’d pay $10 more for Pixelmator along (an excellent image editing application in comparison to Photoshop).
Phillip Ryu, MacHeist founder stated “Last year, our members were offered a choice of charities to have 25% of their purchase donated to. This initiative became a spectacular success, with $200,000 raised by the end of the event. This year, we’re hoping to shatter last year’s record numbers, and show how generous the Mac community can be.”
ChaChing
1Password
Awaken
TaskPaper
iStopMotion
CoverSutra
Speed Download
AppZapper
CSSEdit (Locked)
Snapz Pro (Locked)
Pixelmator (Locked)
Purchasing the bundle today will give you access to seven of the ten applications, the other three unlocked when certain sale milestones are accomplished. 25 percent of sale proceeds will be donated to various user-chosen charities.
If you’re into Mac software, supporting developers and charity, and want to stretch your dollar and receive great value for money, check out the MacHeist 2008 bundle. At $49, you can’t go wrong.
I have one bundle to give away thanks to Phillip Ryu and the great folks at MacHeist. To be into win all of the eleven applications free of charge, simply leave a comment below.
I don’t have many resolutions this year, just four. Four simple goals I’d like to follow in the calendar year of 2008. I succeeded with each and every one of last years set goals, I hope I will be just as successful with these four things this year.
Most of 2007 was spent working hard, toward the latter end I found myself wasting a lot more time than I would like to admit. This years goal is to push myself to work as hard as possible,while really enjoying myself after the fact. I know I can work and play hard, I just need to separate the two and focus on the task in hand.
I’ve learnt a lot this past year from my main hobby, photography. I hit last years New Years Resolution to take 15,000 images over the course of 2007, and this year, plan to not only continue taking images, but to read books, listen to fellow photographers, and further my knowledge of the art.
It was just a few evenings ago while I was watchig Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift where I picked up on this quote. Life is all about making decisions, to then make the most of them, we need to keep our heads up and never look back. Look at the positives, and reap ther best we can from all situations. I will do my best this year to make positive choices, and never look back at them - just keep moving forward.
Notice in this years list I don’t have anything listed under a heading “Buy ??” This year I plan to be far less materialistic than I have in the past. No large impulse purchases, minimal amounts of cash spent on technology, and just watching my wallet in general. Sure, if a really nice MacBook Pro update comes along, I’m not ruling out the chance of upgrading, there will just be a longer and more thorough thought process involved.
I feel the tag-line “next generation gamer” is far past its use by date, instead I now prefer the tag “current generation gamer” for those adopting a new console such as the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or Nintendo Wii.
This Christmas I picked up an Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 is one console I’ve had my eyes on since it was introduced. The Playstation 3 really didn’t capture me as much as the 360, down to a few different reasons.
There was a brief period where I never touched games on any platform. when I first picked up my Playstation 2 I was quite keen on picking up the controller on a regular basis, this quickly faded away and for the past two years I’ve neglected video games. I wanted to make a re-entrance with all the great new games on the market and the new and developing technologies powering the systems.
When comparing the two consoles (360 & PS3), I looked at two main aspects. The online gameplay, and overall game catalogue. I feel the Xbox 360 leads the PS3 in both of these areas, Xbox Live has been perfectly executed. Along with gamertags, achievements, and all the other features packed under the hood, Xbox Live appears as if it’ll stretch the lifeline of games with all the added content and gameplay abilities over the service.
The exclusivity of the game catalog is currently won by the 360, mainly due to the age of the console compared to the recently released PS3. There are a few games on the 360 which really caught my eye and further stretched my preference over the PS3. 80% of my game catalog I had on the Playstation 2 were solely racing/sport games. I have never got into the whole FPS (first person shooter) scene.
This trend has continued with the first handful of games I’ve picked up for the Xbox 360. Including Skate, FIFA 07, Forza 2, Top Spin 2, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007. On the list of games I’d like to pick up include NBA Live 2008, Madden 2008, Grand Theft Auto 5 (on release), and Call Of Duty 4. See the developing trend?
I’ve been very impressed with the console to date after owning it for a week. If there’s any negative points I had to find, it’d be the excessive noise and heat the system creates while in use, and the lack of ability to create a wireless network connection right out of the box. I don’t like the idea of having to drop another $175 NZD on the Wireless Network Adaptor. I’m thoroughly enjoyed playing friends over Xbox Live, and I think it’s this feature alone which will end up introducing me to the world of FPS games such as Halo 3 and Call Of Duty 4 as my friends push me closer and closer to purchasing them for Xbox Live battles.
This won’t be the last I’ll be writing about the Xbox 360. There’s still so much more for me to discover and play with.
For all those who asked, my gamertag is “Glenn Wolsey”.
Those involved in any kind of video work will be able to relate to the grueling chore of long encoding sessions, especially if you’re not on an exceptionally quick Intel based machine. Video encoding takes time, hogs your machines resources, and is a long and tentative task.
I’m lucky enough to own a powerful dual-core MacBook Pro now which makes encoding videos for my show an easy process. However on my old Intel iMac this wasn’t the case. Videos took an age to encode into different formats, while the process left something to be desired. Enter the Elgato Turbo.264, saving your sanity, and your wallet from having to shell out for a quicker machine for faster video encodes.
The Turbo.264 can essentially be thought of as an extra processor which can be used externally on your Mac. It plugs into any free USB port and acts as a second (or third in the dual-core MacBook Pro’s case) processor solely for the purpose of video encoding. Once plugged in and installed it will show up when exporting in Quicktime, iMovie, iDVD, and the Final Cut suite. How much faster does this device process videos that than your current Mac, well, it all depends on what exactly your current Mac is.
If you’re running a newer and more powerful Intel based machine, results will not be as astonishing as when using the Turbo.264 on a G4 or a G5 based Mac. I’ve done a little testing a few different machines (Intel only).
When exporting a 2 minute, 19 second long MP4 clip from Quicktime to the Apple TV format without the device installed, I received these encoding results:
- Mac Pro 2 x 2.66Ghz - 58 seconds.
- MacBook Pro 2.4Ghz - 61 seconds.
- iMac Core Duo 1.83Ghz - 74 seconds.
However when the device was plugged in and enabled, I was presented with these more than acceptable results:
- Mac Pro 2 x 2.66Ghz - 53 seconds.
- MacBook Pro 2.4Ghz - 59 seconds.
- iMac Core Duo 1.83Ghz - 67 seconds
Michael Mistretta asked if the Turbo took the load off of the MBP’s processors while encoding. In answer, yes. The second advantage of the Turbo is not only faster encoding speeds, but the ability to free up your main CPU. This made the MacBook Pro run quicker, and cooler than it would have when not using the device.
Overall I’ve been very impressed with the Elgato Turbo.264. Will I miss it? Not terribly, because I feel my MacBook Pro is quick enough to export video in able time, but if I was stuck with any other slower Mac, I believe I’d miss the device a considerable amount more. My advice, if you do any video related work and don’t have a state of the art Intel Mac in your office, you couldn’t invest $100 in any better way.
Stopping in for a very short and brief message this evening - a message regarding topical content. What exactly would you like me to blog about? For the past year I’ve blogged about things on my mind and things happening in the general technology world.
Now I’ve decided to let you, the readers take a little more of a hands on approach and want you to leave your suggestions for topics you’d like to see me write about in the comments area below and I’ll begin to make my way through them.
Creating content you want to read, rather than the usual process of me picking something to write about. It’ll be the other way around for a while. Voice your opinion. What do you want to read about? I know many are keen on the Lightroom review, I best be working on it. It’s first on the list.
Credit: Flickr Photographer
Wow. I wish I felt like this all the time. I’ve just woken up after only heading to bed an hour ago, it’s eleven PM. I jumped out of bed feeling energized and motivated.
This happens to me quite frequently but I wish it stayed with me for longer than it usually does. I’ve just sat down with a pad and a pen and wrote down some goals for 2008. Not even specifically for 2008, but for now, for in a months time, for my future.
Over the course of the next 12 months there’s so much I want to do, so many experiences I want to be put through, and so many things I’d love to acquire. I’m planing to have much more fun in my life, to enjoy what I do and take it to the next level. To excel in everything I make a start on - first and foremost, my main projects online, this blog and my video show.
Tonight I’ve tried to make the most of the situation and grab the pad and pen to get some thoughts out of my head. I’m so glad I did, I feel I now have some focus in my life for the next 12 months. Is it just me or do you often get sudden rushes of excitement and motivation?
Last year I wrote a similar post, here’s the 2007 edition of what technology I’ve purchased this year. All-in-all, I spent more than I wish I had on technology this year, I’m expecting 2008 to be a slightly quieter year. I’m happy with my current setup and will be for some time.
Last years goal was to update my setup from a 17″ iMac to a more powerful machine. I achieved that earlier this year when I bought a brand new 2.66Ghz Mac Pro. The machine has now been sold as I’ve moved to a fully portable setup, the MacBook Pro + Apple Cinema Display.
I remember a few years back when I first saw one of these massive displays, I told myself I wanted one, and would one day have one. I never thought that day would actually arrive, yet earlier this year in tandem with the Mac Pro, it did. I became the owner of my dream display. I’m fully aware the Apple Cinema Display line will be updated in the near future, but I have no plans to sell and update. The 30″ display is a perfect extension to the workspace on my 15″ notebook, and adds superb functionality.
When I sold my Mac Pro I needed a new machine, I decided to make the move to a portable computing platform - the MacBook Pro. To all those who’ve asked, the MacBook Pro was kindly sponsored by AdvertiseHereForever. Thanks Brendan!
One item I singled out last year to buy in 2007, was this 50mm prime lens. I only recently made the purchase, then quickly sold (after a few thousand images..) to upgrade to its big brother, the f/1.4 version.
I loved the lens listed above so much, I wanted to reap the benefits of the f/1.4 version. Faster and more accurate auto-focus, better build quality, and a wider aperture opening. This lens is a dream to own, it’s permanently attached to my Canon EOS 350D.
After selling all of my iPods, I picked up the 16Gb iPod touch the day of release. The iPod touch is the most exciting device I’ve ever owned. The touch based functionality leaves on-lookers stunned.
Other items purchased included the new Apple Wireless Keyboard, the Canon PowerShot TX1, and the Altec Lansing FX6021 Speakers.
Planned purchases for 2008? Possibly updating the MacBook Pro to a newer model later in the year (quad-core), an iPhone, and a various array of Canon lenses.
I’ve been very lucky to have owned these items this year, next year will be much quieter in the money spending department as I continue to save toward my future.
What technology items did you purchase in 2007, and what do you plan to purchase next year?
Each and every Friday I post a desktop wallpaper which I have taken personally on travels and outings with my Canon 350D. The wallpaper is sized at a resoultion big enough to be used on a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display, so no-one will miss out.
| This image was captured using these settings: f/1.4 | 50mm | 1/2500th | ISO 100|
Feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism about this wallpaper below - it helps me grow and learn the art of photography.
Want more? Check out the archives.
I’ve randomly selected the three winners for last weeks competition to win one of three copies of BitClamp, the excellent encryption application for Mac OSX.
BitClamp is a brand new $20 shareware application which allows you to encrypt files and folders to protect them from prying eyes. BitClamp is fast and easy to use. Simply drag and drop a bunch of files you’d like to encrypt onto the main application window (much like AppZapper), choose your encryption settings (Blowfish - 448Bit, AES - 256 Bit, Serpent - 256Bit), and click the encrypt button.
The three winners are Cloudyboy, Elliott Cost, and Joachim - please send me an email to claim your prize. For all those who didn’t win, use the code WOLSEY as you check out to receive a 15% discount on the application.
I recently set out on a mission to track down an excellent 2.1 speaker system to hook up to my MacBook Pro for continuous playback of music through iTunes, and other various entertainment requirements.
I’d heard a lot of good things about Altec Lansing’s FX6021 range, and had played with them a few times within the confines of an Apple Reseller. However the noisy and crammed environment is not necessarily the place to put speakers to the test, I had to make a ‘deaf’ decision.’
I decided to finish my long search for speakers and just purchase them, if they were awful, I could always sell them. Once they arrived, the word awful wasn’t even in my vocabulary, the speakers are outstanding, to the point that I would refer to them more as a ‘sound system’ than multimedia speakers.
When the FX6021s started pushing out audio the first thing which blew me away was the super high density and ‘punch’ of the music, it sounds very luxurious. The ability to fine tune the Bass and Treble setting to your liking is a much appreciated feature.
The system has 5 volume levels, I’m generally listening to music on the first level, occasionally kicking it up to the second. Anything past two and you’re getting into something I’d like to call the ‘party setting,’ ideal for blasting music through a large noisy area. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to have them accidentally turned up to level 4 or 5 when kicking up iTunes first thing in the morning, unless you’re sending out a wake up call for your neighbors.
I’ve been very impressed with how quickly I can change settings to adapt different styles of music. Generally I leave bass and treble two bars off the top - set to the mid level the bass it delivers is really thumping, I’ve been told time and time again to turn the bass down due to excessive thumping, not necessarily a bad thing.
Residing next to a 30�? Apple Cinema Display the two speakers look impeccable. They match the ‘Apple environment’ very, very well. I assume these would look as amazing when hooked up to a MacBook or one of the newer aluminum iMac’s.
The subwoofer sits conveniently under my desk, it’s not massive, though it’s not small. I’d recommend checking if you have enough room on the ground near your workstation to place it, as you’ll get much better sound quality with it on the floor than sitting on top of your desk.
Included in the box is both a wireless remote, and a desktop controller. The desktop controller is used for controlling volume, treble, bass, and power - while also providing you with a headphone port to isolate your sound into a pair of headphones should the need arise. The desktop controller would be amazing if it was wireless, sadly, it’s not, meaning it’s a little restrictive to where you can place it on your desk - not a huge problem, just a little grudge. If Altec Lansing had anything they could improve on, that’d be the one thing I’d push forward.
The design of the speakers, sub, desktop controller, and remote are all perfectly in sync. The system is very well polished and looks very professional in any setting.
Overall, I’ve been more than impressed with the system. I would highly recommend these to anyone who is looking for a suitable and compact sound system to hook up to your system for music, DVDs, and other media playback.
They have been a dream since day one, I really didn’t know how bad the audio on any other sound product I own was until I was treated to these. A must have addition to your setup is a good sound system, make these your choice.
Just dropping in with a quick note this evening, a little giveaway - it’s been a while since I last ran one. I’ve been in contact with Daniel Greg recently, developer of a brand new application called BitClamp.
BitClamp is a brand new $20 shareware application which allows you to encrypt files and folders to protect them from prying eyes. BitClamp is fast and easy to use. Simply drag and drop a bunch of files you’d like to encrypt onto the main application window (much like AppZapper), choose your encryption settings (Blowfish - 448Bit, AES - 256 Bit, Serpent - 256Bit), and click the encrypt button.
I have three copies of BitClamp to give away thanks to Danny Greg, developer of the application and head of Crimson Sky Software. To be in-to-win, simply leave a comment below and I’ll announce three winners next week. Alternatively, use the code WOLSEY as you check out to receive a 15% discount.
The overall transition from a powerful desktop to a slim portable machine has been very smooth to date. I enjoy portability much more than the added power of the desktop machine, the MacBook Pro is one tool I don’t think I could go without now having used it for a few weeks.
However, there has been one downside to the transition which I expect to see eliminated over the course of the next 24 months - data storage. It’s difficult when you have over 500GB of live data but just a 160GB internal hard-drive. This will start to improve as manufacturers pump out higher density drives, Western Digital already have a 320GB drive on the market. I don’t think it’ll be too far away until we see those as official Apple BTO options for the MacBook Pro.
I’m very interested in the new WD Scorpio 320GB 5400-RPM HDDs. Installing a 320GB drive into the MacBook Pro would mean less data to keep on external drives, in turn leaving me with less headaches. It’s no fun receiving a warning message like shown above. Thank goodness for my 250GB LaCie Porsche external drive, which is now home to my extensive catalog of digital images in Lightroom (review coming very soon for those who have asked).