TidBITS#870/12-Mar-07
=====================
Issue link: <http://db.tidbits.com/issue/870>
Who are you? We asked, you answered, and this week Adam starts
looking at the results of our reader survey! Adam also takes the
Nike+iPod Sport Kit for a run and realizes that serious runners
might want to leave it at the starting line. Also in this issue,
Apple releases iTunes 7.1 in anticipation of the Apple TV, Adobe
announces an announcement date for Creative Suite 3, Glenn Fleishman
buys a Windows Vista-equipped laptop for testing purposes and offers
his first impressions of the competition, and Adam examines
SonicLiving, a Web site for tracking your favorite artists. Lastly,
if you're feeling a bit behind due to last weekend's Daylight Saving
Time changeover in the United States, make sure you check out a
short list of patches and fixes.
Articles
DST Resources If You're Feeling One Hour Off
iTunes 7.1 Prepares for Apple TV
Universal Binary Adobe Creative Suite 3 Moves Closer
SonicLiving Links Musical Resources
TidBITS 2007 Reader Survey Results: Who Are You?
Opening My Vistas
Nike+iPod Only for Fitness Runners
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/12-Mar-07
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DST Resources If You're Feeling One Hour Off
--------------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8905>
Clocks in much of the United States ticked ahead one hour last
weekend for the new Daylight Saving Time adjustment, which we
explored in "Daylight Saving Time May Bite the Out-of-Date"
(2007-01-29) and "Daylight Saving Time Saved" (2007-02-19). If some
of your devices weren't updated for the change on 11-Mar-07, here
are some quick resources to get you back on track.
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8832>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8862>
**Mac Updates** -- For Macs to deal with the change automatically,
make sure to install either Daylight Saving Time Update (Tiger) (for
Mac OS X 10.4.8; Mac OS X 10.4.5 and later had some, but not all,
updated DST info) or Daylight Saving Time Update (Panther) (for Mac
OS X 10.3.9), which are available via Software Update and as
separate downloads. If you're still using Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar, look
to a modified patch at AFP548.com. Apple also released updates for
Java: Java for Mac OS X 10.4, Release 5 and Java for Mac OS X 10.3
Update 5.
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/daylightsavingtimeupdatetiger.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/daylightsavingtimeupdatepanther.html>
<http://www.afp548.com/article.php?story=20070128143720897>
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304586>
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304585>
Microsoft fixed Entourage 2004's DST handling with the Microsoft
Office for Mac 11.3.3 Update, and a group of anonymous users have
contributed an unofficial fix for anyone still running Entourage X.
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx?pid=download&location=/mac/download/Office2004/Office2004_1133.xml>
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/articles/unofficial_dst_workaround.html>
For other computer- and operating system-related DST patches, check
out the links on DSTPatch.com.
<http://dstpatch.com/>
**Other Devices** -- I own a Treo 650, and in the days leading up to
the switchover I was bombarded with email, voicemail, and text
messages urging me to upgrade my device. I'm guessing the cellular
phone companies did everything they could to alert their customers
to avoid a tech-support nightmare.
Patches for some recent Palm OS handhelds and Palm-branded Windows
Mobile smartphones are available at Palm's Web site.
<http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/dst.html>
If you use a Blackberry device, Research in Motion (RIM) has posted
a patch to download and install.
<http://www.blackberry.com/select/dst2007/>
Do you rely on a TiVo to record your favorite television programs?
This page at tivo.com discusses how the time change will affect
customers, particularly those who have set up manual recording times
on some devices.
<http://www.tivo.com/>
<http://customersupport.tivo.com/LaunchContent.aspx?CID=c04f6d88-895e-4334-b87f-427756927143>
Lastly, if you're using an iPhone, well, "time" has no meaning while
you work at Apple getting ready for that June launch. Don't worry,
someone will deal with the DST adjustment and will be bringing
emergency food and caffeine soon.
<http://www.apple.com/iphone/>
iTunes 7.1 Prepares for Apple TV
--------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8902>
Apple has released iTunes 7.1, an update that doesn't appear to
offer much on the surface, but incorporates compatibility with the
upcoming Apple TV. A new Apple TV section in the preferences
displays Apple TV units that have been authorized to work with
iTunes. When the video streaming device is released this month, you
will be able to use iTunes 7.1 to synchronize media to the Apple
TV's 40 GB hard disk for playback on a connected television (see
"Apple TV Connects Macs and TVs," 2007-01-15).
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/itunes71formac.html>
<http://www.apple.com/appletv/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8812>
Also new in iTunes 7.1 is the option to browse the library in a
full-screen Cover Flow mode. A new Sorting tab in the Get Info
dialog for individual tracks lets you set up nicknames, which can
then be applied to related artists and sorted; for example, tracks
composed by two artists can be sorted together with each artist's
other works. (Chris Breen at Playlist offers more details.)
<http://playlistmag.com/weblogs/ipodblog/2007/03/newitunes71/>
iTunes 7.1 is available via Software Update or as a 28 MB download;
it requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. Apple also released iTunes 7.1
for Windows, but Windows Vista compatibility (which seems to be
spotty) is not touted; Apple lists Windows XP with Service Pack 2
and Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 as system requirements.
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/itunes71forwindows.html>
Universal Binary Adobe Creative Suite 3 Moves Closer
----------------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8901>
Adobe continues to inch towards providing the scheduled release date
of its suite of image, Web, and document handling tools known as
Creative Suite 3 (CS3) by announcing that it has an announcement.
CS3 comprises Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Acrobat, and
InDesign, along with several support programs. GoLive will be
dropped from CS3.
The company said it will "launch" CS3 on 27-Mar-07, which one
presumes means that they will start taking orders and provide a date
for the actual release; shipment isn't expected until sometime in
the second quarter of 2007. All the applications in CS3 will be
universal binaries, enabling Intel-based Mac owners to take full
advantage of the processing power of their new boxes. In December
2006, Adobe released a public beta - with some provisos on how to
activate it - of Photoshop CS3 to preview new features and the new
speed possible on Intel-based Macs (see "Adobe Releases Universal
Binary Beta of Photoshop CS3," 2006-12-18). One analyst predicts
that Apple will see $900 million in revenue from computers sold due
to the release of CS3.
<http://blogs.adobe.com/creativesolutionspr/2007/03/adobe_creative_suite_3_to_be_a_1.html>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8790>
<http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9012398>
In an announcement filled with marketing-speak, Adobe said that
Photoshop CS3 will come in two editions: plain and Extended. The
plain version will be much as we've been accustomed to. The Extended
release will be, you know, longer. Or something. Here's what Adobe
told me via email:
<http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200703/030807Photoshop.html>
Extended is "a completely new edition of Photoshop which allows
cross-media creative professionals to stretch the limits of digital
imaging." Okay, then.
Drill down a bit, and you find that Extended integrates
three-dimensional graphics (3D), motion graphics, measurement, and
analysis, and thus makes Extended a better tool for audiences that
Adobe wants to court, such as "professionals in architecture,
engineering, medical, and science," as they put it.
In an interview with Macworld, Adobe cited 3D model visualization
and texture mapping, as well as measurement and analysis tools, as
Extended features. We'll see what other practical examples emerge
during the CS3 unveiling.
<http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/03/07/photoshop/>
SonicLiving Links Musical Resources
-----------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8900>
Thanks to our EFF buddy Fred von Lohmann for a pointer to
SonicLiving, a Web site that offers a service similar to the
iConcertCal iTunes plug-in we covered recently (see "iConcertCal:
Your Gig-Going Pal," 2007-03-05).
<http://www.eff.org/>
<http://sonicliving.com/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8888>
Like iConcertCal, SonicLiving can generate a calendar of concerts
based on artists in your iTunes library, though it does this via a
Java applet that reads your artist list and then lets you select
which artists to watch for. That's actually a good thing, since
options let you select all artists, artists with more than one song,
and artists with five or more songs, easily letting you eliminate
the one-hit wonders. SonicLiving can also pick up your favorite
artists from music services such as Pandora (see "Pandora Beats
iTunes for Holiday Music," 2005-12-05) and the similar last.fm.
Unlike iConcertCal, SonicLiving shows concerts only in 11
metropolitan areas, so it's most useful for those near certain major
cities.
<http://www.pandora.com/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8347>
<http://www.last.fm/>
But what sets SonicLiving apart, and makes it worth a look for
anyone interested in music, is the amount of information it
integrates about any given artist. Once you've added all your
favorites to your wishlist, clicking an artist's name displays an
overview page containing the next few upcoming events, an area where
video clips from YouTube are listed and can be played, and a summary
of other people who like the artist. You can expand any of these
sections to list all events, to show all the people who have this
artist on their wishlists, to see news items about the artist, or to
see what albums the artist has on the iTunes Store.
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2007-03/SonicLiving-overview.jpg>
Although others may find the social networking aspects of
SonicLiving compelling (you can easily see what shows others are
interested in and set up friend connections), I was more struck by
the way SonicLiving provides an easy interface for watching music
videos on YouTube (many of which are undoubtedly copyright
infringements, but which can provide low-quality, full-length song
previews) and for playing all 30-second preview clips from the
iTunes Store, one after another. I've always found the need to play
each preview in iTunes separately annoying; I often want to hear all
the clips on an album without fussing with something like the iTunes
Music Store Player script. It is of course easy to jump to the
iTunes Store to purchase a song or album.
<http://www.dougscripts.com/itunes/scripts/scripts02.php?page=3#itunesmsp>
I was disappointed that SonicLiving lacked links to artist Web
sites, and I was also surprised that it doesn't do the "people who
liked X also liked Y" kind of recommendations. You can see the
wishlists of people whose lists overlap with yours, which is sort of
the same thing, but that seems a bit roundabout. Nonetheless,
SonicLiving is the kind of site you can easily lose yourself in, so
be sure to dive in when you have some time to burn.
TidBITS 2007 Reader Survey Results: Who Are You?
------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8904>
It's time to start analyzing the results of our TidBITS 2007 Reader
Survey. In this week's look, I examine the answers to the first few
questions, which attempted to ascertain what kinds of people read
TidBITS. As of this writing, we've received 3,158 responses, and as
I've said previously, the survey remains open if you haven't
responded yet, but I doubt any of the percentages will move much.
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/webx?displaySurvey@@.3c8dc29b>
There's a tendency in this world for each of us to believe that
everyone is like us. It makes sense; we have the most experience
being us, and we likely spend time with people who are more or less
like us, whether we're talking about age, education level, income,
or profession. That's one utility of surveys such as this - even
within the TidBITS audience of Macintosh users, they can show both
similarities and differences.
As with any survey in which respondents are self-selected - we
didn't pick a random sample of readers - we know that these results
skew to those who have the time and interest to answer. Because we
had such a large number of readers respond, however, we can make
some conclusions without pretending that this is a statistically
valid way to extrapolate these results to the full readership, and
certainly not to the Macintosh community at large. (See last week's
"Lessons on Internet Surveys," 2007-03-05, for more about online
surveys and the validity of their responses.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8894>
**Age Distribution** -- Take age, for instance. Tonya and I are 39,
and we've been publishing TidBITS since we were 22 in 1990. When we
started, we were undoubtedly younger than many of our readers, since
purchasing a Mac back then required more financial means and
interest than many people in their early 20s had. The logical
extension, therefore, is that our readers were in their 30s and 40s
when they started reading TidBITS and have, somehow, though none of
us are quite sure when it happened, aged 17 years since TidBITS was
started.
As a result, the largest ten-year age group represented among those
responding is the 51-60 age group, with the 41-50 and 61-70 age
groups not far behind on either side. (Unfortunately, it was too
hard to compare this to the U.S. population at large, because the
2000 census figures report age groups oddly, switching between 5-
and 10-year chunks and reporting the 10-year chunks as 25-34, for
example, so the sets didn't match with ours.) You can see the
results below; the numbers don't add up to 100 percent because some
people didn't answer the question.
Age Percentage (# of votes)
-------- -----------------------
Under 21 0% (4)
21-30 2% (91)
31-40 14% (447)
41-50 22% (698)
51-60 29% (917)
61-70 20% (618)
71-80 7% (228)
81-90 1% (50)
91 and up 0% (3)
I think this age distribution can provide a number of lessons.
First, and most importantly, we should continue to eschew Leetspeak
and cell phone SMS abbreviations, since only a handful of people in
our audience would understand such slang abbreviations.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_language>
More seriously, the age distribution also implies that most TidBITS
readers are established, probably financially comfortable, and have
spare time they can focus on reading about technology. Other
conclusions can undoubtedly be drawn, but let's mix in other results
first.
**Profession** -- Age is an easy question to ask and to answer, but I
knew that asking about jobs was going to be trickier, especially
since I was limited to 10 answers by the survey software, and a
number of those questions lumped together jobs in different
categories. In fact, over 500 people opted to write in their
profession, and about 100 of them entered "Retired," along with a
slew of highly specific jobs. Here are the results from those who
were able to choose an option. (Again, not everyone answered this
question.)
Profession Percentage (# of votes)
----------------------------------------- -----------------------
CEO/President/Management 9% (242)
Network/System Administrator 3% (105)
Marketing/PR/Sales 3% (81)
Software Development/QA/Tech Support 11% (306)
Writing/Editing/Journalism 5% (146)
Graphic Design/Illustration/Layout 6% (170)
Audio/Video Production 2% (57)
Educator/Doctor/Lawyer/Other Professional 25% (690)
Consultant/IT Support Provider 8% (232)
Student/Retired/Hobbyist/Parent 24% (651)
The only conclusions I'd draw are that we have a lot of readers who
are retired (which matches some of the age results), that a large
chunk of readers are professionals, and that quite a few people are
involved with the computer industry in some way. Perhaps these
conclusions are obvious, other than the percentage of retired folks,
but they're still interesting.
Even more interesting were the write-in answers. I don't have room
to list them all here, but I'm truly pleased to learn that among our
readers we have numerous artists, including a glass artist, a fine
art portrait painter, a sculptor, a fiber artist (who wanted to know
why these lists never include "Artist" as a profession: it's because
so few people are able to make a living at it, unfortunately!), and
numerous photographers. Musicians were also well represented, and
it's nice to know that TidBITS is being read by an opera singer, a
trumpet player in the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, an English
hornist from the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the bassist for Robert
Cray.
I was surprised at the number of people reporting aviation careers,
including several airline pilots, a corporate helicopter pilot, and
a jet test pilot, not to mention people in airline management,
aircraft repair, and aerospace engineering, one of whom truly is a
rocket scientist.
In the category of professions that just sound interesting, readers
reported being a lighting designer, a Broadway stagehand, a wine
merchant, a nuclear scientist, a dairy worker (ironically, I have an
elderly relative who has been both of those last two), a "Virtual
Assistant," a jeweler who should perhaps meet the hard rock miner, a
cartographer, a cryptographer, an espresso machine repair technician
who should get together with the slot machine repair person, a
defense analyst, a human rights activist, a fishery information
specialist, and one person who wrote, "I'm actually a professional
Girl Scout." I'm also dying to know how one becomes an "ordained
humourist and multimedia performance artist."
And in the joke come to life, we can count among our readers a
pastor, a priest, a minister, a Buddhist monk, and a rabbi. We
always knew that the choice of computer platform had something to do
with religion, though clearly not any particular one.
I'd love to figure out a way that I can publish stories about those
of you with fascinating careers that involve the Mac in some
non-obvious way. If you think you fall into that category, drop me a
note via email with some details.
**Macs and Technology Budgets** -- It's clear that TidBITS is read
largely by individuals who are responsible for a small number of
Macs. 39 percent of respondents cared for only 1 or 2 Macs, with 41
percent responsible for 3 to 5 Macs. A fair number of respondents -
10 percent - handled networks of 6 to 10 Macs, but after that, the
percentages drop off precipitously. That's not really surprising
either. Although the Mac is coming back in business use, it's still
relatively uncommon in large installations.
Similarly, most respondents (66 percent) have an annual budget of
less than $5,000, though 14 percent spend between $5,000 and $9,999.
After that, the numbers tail off, though not as quickly as for the
number of Macs, and a non-trivial number of people had budgets in
hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
**Computer Activities** -- For this article, I'll finish up with a
look at the activities you reported. As with professions, being
limited to only 10 was a problem, so there were lots of write-in
responses. In this case, the percentages are of the total number of
people who answered the question, so 99% of respondents use email,
the Web, or chat, meaning that only a few people didn't answer.
Activity Percentage (# of votes)
-------------------------- -----------------------
Email/Web Browsing/Chat 99% (3141)
Word Processing 88% (2795)
Spreadsheet 63% (1990)
Database Management 39% (1253)
Web Design/Management 39% (1234)
Network/Systems Management 28% (910)
Graphic Design/Layout 39% (1250)
Audio/Video Production 24% (786)
Gaming/Educational 29% (917)
Troubleshooting/Support 49% (1555)
The results are self-explanatory, and honestly, I wasn't
particularly surprised by any of them. I wish I had more answer
space available in our survey tool, because a very large number of
people included digital photography among the write-in answers, with
software development also regularly added. Also common were write-in
answers that revolved around listening to music, watching TV and
movies, and downloading audio or video. Lots of respondents use
their Macs for financial tasks: accounting, banking, taxes,
financial planning, trading stocks, and so on. Hard-core activities
that merited multiple mentions in the write-in section included
research in a variety of fields, computer-aided design (CAD),
scientific computation, and statistical analysis. And finally, a
number of people reported blogging as a regular activity.
In retrospect, the answers I provided were old-school. Of course
digital photography is huge, and I should certainly have included an
answer for audio/video consumption. And although I doubt a large
percentage of TidBITS readers maintain blogs, I'm sure the raw
number that do is still quite large. None of this should have been
surprising at all, since we also use our Macs heavily for all of
these modern-day activities.
In future articles, I'll delve into other aspects of the survey
results, first concentrating on how and what you read, and then
finishing up with how all this relates to our content. Thanks again
for participating!
Opening My Vistas
-----------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8896>
I just bought a new laptop with Windows Vista pre-installed, and,
hey, I kinda like it.
As I dodge flaming arrows from regular TidBITS readers, let me note
that it's not my main computer nor intended to be; that I've been
using the Mac platform since 1985; and that I currently own
something like five _working_ Macs. (Yes, we Mac owners know the
difference: I have two other Macs of ancient vintage that haven't
been powered on in years.)
I purchased a Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop for two reasons. First, I'm
a technology journalist, and Vista is destined to be the world's
dominant platform within a year or two. I need to know how it works
and how to use it. Second, I write quite a bit about Wi-Fi and
wireless data. Invariably, new wireless cards come out with Windows
drivers first; Mac drivers lag by weeks or years, and often lack
full feature support.
<http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/inspn_6400>
My criteria for a Vista system were fairly elaborate. I wanted a
dual-core Intel chip - the one I got is a "budget" Core Duo chip
with half the Core Duo's Level 2 cache - and I thought it would be
nice to have a good platform on which to perform side-by-side
comparisons with similar Mac platforms. I needed an ExpressCard
expansion slot because that's the format in which new Wi-Fi and cell
data modems will be issued. By the same token, I ordered the Intel
Draft N (802.11n) internal card that's just been released because it
will be among the most heavily sold Wi-Fi adapters this year.
<http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/wireless/kedron/>
Finally, I wouldn't buy a PC that didn't have Vista pre-installed.
From everything I've read, buying a machine with Windows XP today
and upgrading tomorrow is a sucker's bet. Further, I needed at least
the Vista Business flavor to get the networking options necessary
for the kind of testing I would be performing.
I looked at all the major manufacturers, and Dell came closest to
what I needed at a reasonable price. Despite quite a lot of
well-publicized missteps in the last couple of years - Dell used to
be ranked a not-too-distant No. 2 behind Apple for customer support,
but has slipped quite a bit - the company seems in the middle of a
turnaround that includes Michael Dell resuming leadership.
The Inspiron 6400 I settled on has a 15.4-inch screen, 2 GB of RAM,
a 120 GB 5400 RPM hard drive, a dual-layer 8x DVD burner, a Draft N
adapter, and a 1.6 GHz Pentium T2060 dual-core processor. It does
not feature gigabit Ethernet. (A previous version of this article
posted to the TidBITS Web site stated that the Inspiron 6400 had a
Core 2 Duo processor rather than the "budget" Core Duo that it
actually includes.)
Along with the computer, I purchased a two-year subscription to a
full McAfee anti-everything package: anti-spyware, anti-virus,
firewall, and anti-this-and-that. Pre-purchasing that package meant
the software is installed and supported, and was cheaper, too. I
also bought a three-year extended warranty that includes
24-hour-a-day phone support and next-day, on-site repair.
For all that, I paid $1,500 including sales tax. That's not a
terrible price.
Dell made setup easy. Unpack the box. Plug in a power adapter. Press
the power key. A simple one-sheet setup poster came with it, and I
didn't need to refer to it. Initializing Vista involved answering
just a few questions before it was up and running.
My early experience with Vista, after spending only a couple of
hours getting it set up and running, wasn't awful. Sure, it asks me
about granting approval for programs more often than I'd like. It's
weird that I can't easily say, "Hey, I trust this action for this
particular program," since I've been able to do that with Zone Alarm
Pro under Windows XP for years.
<http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_zap.jsp?dc=12bms>
The McAfee package, however, did lock up my computer. A minimized
window needed user approval to proceed, and that locked the whole
minimized windows task bar at the bottom of the screen. I had to use
the old Control-Alt-Delete trick to display the Process Manager, and
then I was able to bring the McAfee program to the front and move
ahead. That happened just once.
Vista, as a whole, does conform to reports that at the surface it's
Windows XP with fancier dressing. (Beneath the surface, there's a
lot that's changed, but we will have to wait to see how it shakes
out on the security and stability fronts.) There are some nice
features, many of them familiar to me as a long-time Mac OS X user,
but I don't find it offensive or confusing. The Aero interface,
which offers translucency among other features, is attractive.
Vista, so far, is just fine. (Wait until I start really using it, of
course, to see how it holds up.)
Now, you will ask me, "Why, Glenn, oh why did you not simply buy a
MacBook Pro? It has a full Intel Core 2 Duo - not the budget Core
Duo you got - along with an ExpressCard slot, and it can run
Windows."
My answer is that at the moment, you can only install Windows Vista
under Boot Camp for a native boot - which would be needed to handle
Windows drivers for the ExpressCard slot - with a bit of elbow
grease. Boot Camp is still in beta; Apple doesn't support Vista with
Boot Camp yet, either.
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/>
Also, a similarly equipped MacBook Pro from Apple is nearly $2,400
including sales tax. That's for a far superior 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo
processor with gigabit Ethernet and Apple-supplied RAM, but that's
the cheapest and slowest MacBook Pro offered and I could shave only
a few dollars by supplying third-party RAM myself. Further, given
Apple's product cycles, I expect that we'll see new versions of the
MacBook Pro in the next two to four months.
The folks at Parallels told me at Macworld Expo that their Parallels
Desktop virtualization software might be able to support Windows
drivers working on devices inserted in the ExpressCard slot, just as
they've improved USB support in their most recent release. However,
that's speculative until it's available.
<http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/>
My insidious plan is to use the Dell laptop until the time comes
that I can easily install and run Vista for all my needs using
either Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop. The Dell should fetch a
decent price when sold. And this is, of course, all a mental trick
to justify buying a MacBook Pro in the future - but only when the
time is right.
Nike+iPod Only for Fitness Runners
----------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8903>
I've been putting off this review, because it doesn't thrill me to
warn even a subset of people away from a popular product. But that's
exactly what I have to do - in short, although the Nike+iPod Sport
Kit can be a fun addition for anyone who runs with an iPod or wants
a bit more encouragement to run, competitive runners shouldn't
bother with it. It simply isn't worthwhile as a training aid for
anyone who values ease-of-use, lap counter features, and distance
and pace accuracy.
First, some background. I'm a competitive runner. I train with the
High Noon Athletic Club at Cornell four or five days per week, and I
like to run about 40 miles a week. At least one of those days will
be a speed workout and another will be a long run. In the summer and
fall, I often race on weekends, at distances ranging from 5
kilometers to 10 miles, including numerous trail races. In the
winter, I run indoor track, concentrating on the mile and 2 mile
races and their metric counterparts, the 1500 and 3000 meters.
Although I'm sufficiently grown up that I don't need to win to feel
good about myself, I do push hard, and one of my happiest moments in
2006 came in December when I broke my 21-year-old high school
personal record for the 2 mile by 2 seconds. For that race, I was
planning lap splits to the second and taking into account the 18
meter extension beyond 16 laps. For me, running is a hobby, a social
activity, great exercise, and a needed mental break, but for what I
do, accuracy also matters highly.
What I'm trying to convey is how, as a competitive runner, my
opinions are akin to those of a professional graphic designer faced
with a program that claims to bring illustration to everyone.
**Design Problems** -- When Apple and Nike announced the Nike+iPod
Sport Kit last May (see "Grab Your iPod and Run," 2006-05-29), I was
excited at the chance to combine my running with my interest in
Apple technology. The first negative came upon reading that Nike
shoes were required, since I don't wear Nikes, and serious runners
don't risk injury by switching brands or even models lightly. But I
quickly learned that users had discovered many ways to attach the
sensor to other shoes, so I purchased the $30 kit (I already had an
iPod nano, the other requirement that would add at least $150 to the
cost of getting started).
<http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8543>
<http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/>
When the Nike+iPod Sport Kit arrived, I eagerly unwrapped it, read
the instructions, and then stopped, flummoxed, since although I
could figure out a way to stick the sensor into my Mizuno Wave
Inspire running shoes, I couldn't figure out what to do with the
iPod nano itself. I didn't want to hold the expensive little gadget
in my hand for the 45 to 60 minutes I normally run, and all the
standard ways of attaching it to one's body seemed to put it in a
pocket or on an armband. Running shorts don't have pockets, and both
pockets and armbands hide the iPod display and controls.
That matters because I never run with earbuds or headphones of any
sort and thus wouldn't hear the iPod's audible feedback. Most of my
runs are with my High Noon friends, where listening to the iPod
would simply be rude. But even when I run by myself, I don't wear
them. I don't like the feel of things in my ears, I don't like wires
dangling around my body, and it's dangerous to be on the road
without being able to hear cars or dogs reliably (there's a reason
headphones are banned in many races). So I need a visible interface,
and I also need easy access to the controls for pausing the workout
when I'm stopped at an intersection or if someone has to stop to
re-tie a shoe.
And, of course, I wanted something to protect the iPod nano from
sweat and rain. Rain doesn't get in the way of running, and I can't
necessarily predict when it will start raining in the middle of a
run.
I was blocked - I couldn't figure out how I'd use the Nike+iPod
Sport Kit.
**Marware to the Rescue** -- Help soon appeared in the form of advice
from iPod expert Dan Frakes, who covers the iPod world for Playlist.
I had asked Dan privately if there were any wristbands for the iPod
nano while it had the Nike+iPod receiver attached, and though he had
initially answered negatively, he alerted me when Marware announced
the $30 Sportsuit Relay, which seemed to answer all my problems.
<http://playlistmag.com/>
<http://www.marware.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Marware.woa/3/wa/selectedCategory?catalogCatID=238>
The Sportsuit Relay provides a neoprene and rubber wristband case
that almost completely covers the iPod nano with the Nike+iPod
receiver attached (there's a small hole for the earbuds, but I'd
only worry about water getting in during a torrential downpour),
along with a little Sportsuit Sensor pouch that attaches the
Nike+iPod sensor to one's shoelaces with Velcro. Marware also
provides extensions for the wristband case if you wish to wear it on
your upper arm. It's a good product, and I recommend it for anyone
who wants a water-resistant case for an iPod nano with the Nike+iPod
receiver attached.
My main problem with the wristband is, unfortunately, out of
Marware's control. The iPod nano is long and thin, and fits
reasonably on my wrist. But the screen is deucedly hard to read in
that orientation, and there's no way to rotate the iPod display 90
degrees.
**Calibration and Testing** -- The Nike+iPod Sport Kit uses an
accelerometer in the sensor to detect foot motion, and although it
can be used out of the box, Apple suggests calibrating it by running
a known distance while in calibration mode. According to Apple's
Nike+iPod Technical FAQ, the accelerometer works by determining the
amount of time your foot spends on the ground, which Apple claims is
directly related to your pace. The question is, if you calibrate the
Nike+iPod at one pace, does it work accurately at other paces?
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303934>
To test this, I first calibrated it by running an easy 400 meters
(.25 miles) at about 7:30 mile pace. The workout for the day was 5
repetitions of 600 meters (.375 miles) at 4:40 per mile pace. For
each of the 600s, the iPod instead reported the distance at either
.31 or .32 miles, which is about 15 percent off. On the easy 400s I
ran for rest in between each 600, the iPod was accurate, presumably
since my pace was essentially the same as the calibration pace.
Apparently, running at different paces can hurt the Nike+iPod's
accuracy, though there's no way of knowing whether that's because my
stride length was longer, my stride rate was slightly increased, or
my gait was different at that pace.
My track test was actually somewhat unfair, because the Nike+iPod
interface on the iPod is worthless for a track workout anyway.
Unlike nearly every digital watch aimed at runners and even the
separate stopwatch feature built into recent iPods, the interface
lacks a lap counter, forcing you either to start and stop your
workout in between intervals, or to stop, reset, and start a new
workout for each lap. That's just too hard, and although the
interface is easy to understand, the iPod's controls are difficult
to feel and press accurately while running, especially when hot,
sweaty, and trembling with exertion.
I also took the iPod out on the road for an 8 mile out-and-back run
at a moderate pace. I couldn't recalibrate it for the moderate pace
first, not having a measured track nearby, but I was more interested
in whether or not terrain would make a difference, since this
particular run was largely uphill on the way out and downhill on the
way back. Alas, the Nike+iPod failed this test spectacularly;
recording 3.53 miles on the way out and 1.86 miles on the way back
for a total of 5.39 miles. Ignoring the fact that it was 33 percent
off the actual distance, since it may have been poorly calibrated at
that point, the out-and-back distances should have been the same.
In and around these and other tests that confirmed my results, I ran
with the Nike+iPod fairly regularly, comparing its results to known
distances and to the reports from my Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS.
(Yes, I was quite the sight with all those electronics strapped to
my wrists.) In general, the Nike+iPod varied quite a bit, but since
my pace for any given run also varies, often within the run, there
was no way of predicting the results.
<http://www.garmin.com/products/forerunner201/>
(As Paul Lightfoot reported in "Running with a Garmin Forerunner
GPS," 2005-07-25, the Garmin Forerunner 201 is spotty; if it gets a
good satellite lock for an entire run, it can be highly accurate,
but if it has trouble - presumably due to cloud cover, satellite
positions, or the color of your shorts - its accuracy drops
precipitously. But the device is easy to read, includes a good lap
counter, and is waterproof. Garmin also claims its newer models
receive satellite signals better, and the $375 Forerunner 305 has a
wireless heart rate monitor and an optional $100 accelerometer-based
Foot Pod that reportedly kicks in automatically for indoor training
or times when the satellites aren't aligning.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8190>
<http://www.garmin.com/products/forerunner305/>
<http://www.garmin.com/accessories/footpod/>
Since pace accuracy depends on accurate distance measurement, the
Nike+iPod pace numbers are also suspect. For instance, if I ran 600
meters in 1:47 (a 4:45 pace), and the iPod recorded the distance as
.32 miles instead of .375 miles, the pace thus changes to a
radically different 5:34. Confusingly, although the Nike+iPod manual
never says this, while a workout is taking place, the pace reported
is your current pace, not the pace for the workout so far. Thanks to
TidBITS reader Mark Wickens for alerting me to this fact; I had been
quite bothered that the reported pace seemed inaccurate during
workouts.
**More Testing Needed?** Since initial Web publication of this
article, I've received several comments about why my Nike+iPod
provided inaccurate results. Mike Donato, an Australian computer
consultant who's also an athletics coach, a champion rogainer, and a
Green Beret (so I'm not going to disagree with him in person!),
passed on the results of his testing, which put the Nike+iPod at
about 99 percent accurate when used with the proper Nike shoes, and
only about 75 percent accurate when used with Marware's sensor
pouch. I can easily accept that the Nike+iPod would require
calibration for accurate results with the Marware sensor pouch, but
I can't see how using the Nike shoes would eliminate the problems I
encountered. After all, when used at the calibration pace with the
Marware sensor pouch, the Nike+iPod was entirely accurate on a flat
course. Unfortunately, since I've had bad experiences with Nike
shoes in the past, I'm uninterested in spending $100 or more for a
pair of shoes that I wouldn't wear past a few test runs.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogaine_(sport)>
Mike Banks of Grantwood Technology also wrote to recommend his
company's Shoe Pouch, a competing product that costs $6. Mike said
that he had heard other criticisms of inaccuracies introduced by
using the Marware sensor pouch, which he speculated might be due
either to movement of the sensor on the shoe (attaching it firmly
requires attention) or to improper alignment of the sensor (in
comparison to how it was designed to fit in the Nike shoes). Mike
believes that the Shoe Pouch solves these problems and will provide
better accuracy. I'll test it and report back on my findings.
Subsequent discussions with Mike Donato also pointed toward
inaccuracy caused by looseness - specifically a comment about the
Marware sensor pouch in a roundup of hacks for using the Nike+iPod
Sport Kit with shoes from other manufacturers.
<http://www.shoepouch.com/>
<http://podophile.com/2006/11/30/nike-ipod-shoe-hack-and-sensor-accessory-round-up/>
When I asked if they had received reports of inaccuracy, Lee
Goldring of Marware told me that all the complaints Marware had
received about the accuracy of the Nike+iPod when used with the
Sportsuit Sensor pouch were related to incorrect orientation; as
soon as the user placed the sensor in the pouch with the orange side
down, as indicated in an insert that ships in the pouch and on
Marware's Web site, the accuracy issues went away. I had been using
the sensor in the correct orientation, so that wasn't my problem.
Clearly, I'll have to try attaching the sensor to my shoe more
firmly; perhaps I'll try digging a hole in an older pair of shoes as
well. In a short out-and-back run after reading all these comments,
with the sensor pouch firmly attached, I got exactly the same
distances, though I was running at the calibration pace on a flat
course.
It's worth noting that even Apple admits to accuracy problems in
various places. A support article on Apple's Web site makes clear
the importance of consistent pace during calibration, saying, "If
you run or walk with an inconsistent pace or travel a distance that
is over or under the expected calibration distance, you may get
unexpected results (such as incorrect distance of a workout)." Plus,
the manual reads, "Even after calibrating, the accuracy of distance
measurements may vary depending on gait, running surface, incline,
or temperature." Fine, but all those things vary for serious
runners.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303965>
**Fine for Fitness Running** -- Don't misunderstand my criticisms
here. The Nike+iPod Sport Kit does essentially what it says it will
do. It provides some data about how far and how fast you run, and it
can help you run for a specific (if not terribly accurate) distance
and for a specific amount of time. You can upload your data to a
Nike Web site whenever you sync with iTunes, and many people have
found it encouraging to be able to compare their workouts, monthly
distances, and race times with their online friends. And yes, if you
have trouble being alone with your thoughts and the environment
around you while running, you can listen to music or podcasts.
In the end, anything that encourages more people to run is a good
thing, and particularly when coupled with Marware's Sportsuit Relay,
the Nike+iPod can do just that. But if you're a competitive runner
looking for an easy-to-use training aid that provides accurate
distance and pace measurements (particularly without forcing you to
switch shoe models), you'll want to look elsewhere. And even if my
criticisms of the Nike+iPod's accuracy turn out to be testing error,
its awkward physical design and lack of a lap counter render it less
useful than other devices.
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/12-Mar-07
------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8906>
**For Exploring Your Unicode Fonts** -- A reader shares some tips on
how to view Unicode characters. (1 message)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1167/>
**Appointment/room scheduling software** -- What options are available
to schedule facilities among a small group without turning to
enterprise-level software? Several options can be found here. (8
messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1168/>
**Lessons on Internet Surveys** -- Adam's article from last week about
the validity of Internet surveys leads to a discussion of random
sampling and response rates. (13 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1169/>
**Dragon Naturally Speaking under Parallels vs Bootcamp** -- A reader
tests out Dragon's Windows-based speech transcription software under
Parallels Desktop and Boot Camp. (4 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1170/>
**Mac OS X's Mouse Acceleration Problem** -- Readers respond to last
week's article on mouse behavior under Mac OS X, providing pointers
to other software and queries about pen tablets. (19 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1171/>
**USB adapter for Gigabit Ethernet** -- Attempting to gain 1000 Mbps
Ethernet speeds with a USB adapter sounds promising for older Macs,
but there may be some significant limitations. (2 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1173/>
**22 Million Mac OS X Users** -- Readers look at the claim of how many
Mac OS X users are out there and compare the number to populations
such as Australia (around 21 million). (4 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1174/>
**Opening My Vistas** -- The first reports of Mac users' experiences
with Microsoft Vista begin to trickle in, spurred by Glenn
Fleishman's article about buying a Vista-equipped laptop. (3
messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1176/>
**Macworld Expo Sessions Available for Download** -- A reader has
difficulty accessing Macworld Expo sessions online, but the problem
was most likely a massive traffic surge directed from Macworld.com.
(4 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1177/>
$$
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