TidBITS#960/13-Jan-09
=====================
Issue link: <http://db.tidbits.com/issue/960>
Welcome to our special Macworld Expo wrap-up issue! As we were
desperately trying to finish writing and editing Monday's regular
issue, we realized that we could just take out the post-keynote
articles and publish them separately, giving you all the information
in more digestible chunks and letting us stop working before
midnight. So read on for Adam's overview of the show and musings
about what IDG must do to keep Macworld going in the future, Glenn's
irritation at Apple for comparing the traffic at Apple Stores to
attendance at Macworld, and a whole bunch of our traditional
superlatives: products, people, and happenings at the show that
stood out from the crowd.
Articles
Apple's Canard of 100 Macworlds a Week
Undercover Adds Wi-Fi Location to Laptop Recovery
Fun Stuff at Macworld 2009
Top Mac Software at Macworld Expo 2009
Top Mac Gear at Macworld Expo 2009
Top iPhone and iPod Gear at Macworld Expo 2009
Thoughts on the Past and Future of Macworld Expo
------------ This issue of TidBITS sponsored in part by: --------------
* READERS LIKE YOU! Support TidBITS with a contribution today!
<http://www.tidbits.com/about/support/contributors.html>
Special thanks this week to Jay Hunter, Conrad Halling,
Joe Parrish, and Michael A. Whyte for their generous support!
* Fetch Softworks: With Fetch 5.3, FTP and SFTP are simpler
than ever. Use it on Mac OS X to upload, download, mirror,
and manage your Web site, eBay images, and data sets.
Download your free trial version! <http://fetchsoftworks.com/>
* WebCrossing Neighbors Creates Private Social Networks
Create a complete social network with your company or group's
own look. Scalable, extensible and extremely customizable.
Take a guided tour today <http://www.webcrossing.com/tour>
* MARK/SPACE, INC: Take it with you! The Missing Sync makes
it easy to synchronize contacts, calendars, notes, photos
and more from your Mac to your BlackBerry, Palm OS, or
Windows Mobile phone. <http://markspace.com/bits>
* VMware Fusion. The most seamless way to run Windows on your Mac.
Backed by nearly a decade of proven virtualization technology.
Try VMware Fusion today for free, or order online for only $79.
Visit: <http://www.tidbits.com/about/support/vmware-fusion.html>
* Microsoft's MacBU: Supporting Mac users with Office 2008.
Is your Office up-to-date? Make sure you're running the latest
versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage by choosing
Check for Updates from the Help menu of any Office application!
* ConceptDraw Office adds real business power to Microsoft Office
and Apple's iWork. Whether you need project management, business
graphics, or mind mapping, it's all easily created on your Mac!
Buy today for only $499! <http://www.conceptdraw.com/tb>
* Circus Ponies NoteBook: The easy way to get organized
on the Mac. Control your notes. Track your tasks. Manage
your projects. Organize your life. Try NoteBook right now,
free for 30 days! <http://www.circusponies.com/tidbits>
* Speak up with MacSpeech Dictate! Get the all-new MacSpeech
Dictate with spelling and phrase training. Speech recognition
so good, about the only thing it can't do is speak for you.
Learn more: <http://www.tidbits.com/about/support/macspeech.html>
---------- Help support TidBITS by supporting our sponsors ------------
Apple's Canard of 100 Macworlds a Week
--------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9991>
Just as hard drives are described in units of "Libraries of
Congress" - as in, "You can store 1,000 LOCs on this baby!" - so,
too, has Apple taken to one-upping the Macworld Conference & Expo by
enumerating the visitors to its retail stores in units of Macworld
shows. Apple VP Phil Schiller said during this year's keynote that
100 Macworld Expos' worth of customers pass through Apple's retail
store doors each week.
<http://macworldexpo.com/>
That's a red herring of epic proportions. Excluding the conference
part of Macworld, in which hundreds of people pay hundreds to
thousands of dollars for education, the trade show floor offers 500
exhibitors with at least 5,000 staffers providing non-stop hands-on
demonstrations and answering questions.
Each Apple Store, by contrast, presents one company, maybe a few
hundred select products, a score of employees trained to answer
questions identically, and a carefully controlled experience that's
primarily about Apple's need to deliver high-dollar-per-square-foot
retail sales. That's great for Apple, but it doesn't open the eyes
of Mac, iPhone, and iPod users to more than a limited set of items
that Apple allows in its stores. And Apple is careful to keep out
any product, such as a troubleshooting book, that might imply you
could have problems using your Apple hardware.
<http://www.apple.com/retail/>
I've seen thousands of models of cameras, printers, scanners, and
other peripherals at Macworld; an Apple Store stocks only dozens. I
was able to spend 15 minutes with a Drobo representative nailing
down details I didn't entirely understand about the product, and I
was able to pull a working drive out of a Drobo and watch it
recover. I can't do that at an Apple Store.
<http://www.drobo.com/>
The Apple Store metaphor is perfectly revealing about Apple's
attitude. Apple customers are _Apple's_ - not IDG's, not third-party
developers', and not anyone else's. Apple's store, Apple's events,
Apple's customers. Nothing more, nothing less, but I'd like to think
I'm more than just a customer.
Undercover Adds Wi-Fi Location to Laptop Recovery
-------------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9989>
Orbicule, makers of the computer-recovery package Undercover, will
capture Wi-Fi information to offer a rough location for help in
retrieving a stolen computer. Version 3 will be released on
20-Jan-09, and was demonstrated at Macworld Expo. It's a free
upgrade for current users; new copies cost $49 (individual), $59 (up
to five in a family), or $39 (student).
<http://www.orbicule.com/blog/2008/12/undercover-3-coming-soon-to-mac-near.html>
Orbicule is working with Skyhook Wireless, a firm that captures
Wi-Fi signal information and triangulates locations based on an
enormous and constantly updated database. (See "Loki Here,"
2007-06-18, for details on how Skyhook collects data and produces
results.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9017>
Undercover operates in the background, and is triggered by a user
entering a special code on Orbicule's Web site. The next time the
background Undercover app on the missing Mac checks in with
Orbicule's servers, it switches into recovery mode where it captures
images via an iSight camera (if available) and logs network data,
transferring this information to Orbicule. Orbicule then works with
your local law enforcement to provide recovery data.
Orbicule becomes the second computer-recovery software firm to work
with Skyhook Wireless; GadgetTrak's MacTrak ($59.95, one-time fee)
added this capability two months ago (see "Laptop Recovery Software
Uses Wi-Fi and Flickr," 2008-11-13).
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9853>
Fun Stuff at Macworld 2009
--------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10001>
It's impossible to convey just how much fun can be had at Macworld
Expo, but darn it, we're going to try, with these brief snapshots of
clever events, cool demos, and neat people.
**Most Pervasive Tchotchke** -- The giveaways seemed pretty sparse at
Macworld Expo this year, but one freebie stood head and shoulders
above the rest, literally. Peachpit Press was giving away free bunny
ears to promote the Visual QuickStart Guide bunny logo. Wearers
could win iPhones and iTunes gift certificates. Although it was a
clever idea, even Peachpit's staff were amazed at how popular the
fuzzy pink ears turned out to be. They gave away over 700 pairs of
ears in the first few hours of the show, and ran out of a subsequent
300 pairs the next day. You could see bunny ears not only on the
show floor, but in restaurants surrounding Moscone. Interestingly,
Peachpit chose not to put their name on the ears, thus forcing
everyone who wanted a pair to ask where they'd come from. [JLC]
<http://www.peachpit.com/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2009-01/bunny_ears.jpg>
**Best Audience Participation** -- DriveSavers, the folks who can
disassemble crashed drives and often extract their vital data, had a
nifty demonstration where they drafted a passer-by to act as a "disk
doctor." I was walking by and the DriveSavers booth staffer had
equipped what appeared to be a regular attendee as a clean room
technician, and used the Socratic method to elicit responses as he
helped the "doctor" disassemble a sealed drive mechanism. A
microphone and speakers allowed observers to hear what dust spinning
on a drive does to the read/write heads as the specks bang into
them. Remember, we love what the DriveSavers folks do, but they'll
be the first to encourage you to back up instead, since their
services aren't cheap. [GF]
<http://www.drivesavers.com/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2009-01/drivesavers.jpg>
**Best CHOCK LOCK** -- The 100-foot-tall Craig Hockenberry, who
strides the floor of Macworld Expo like a colossus, is a very funny
man, as well as one of the principals of Iconfactory, most recently
known for the desktop and iPhone/iPod touch versions of Twitterrific
and Frenzic. Hockenberry, seen here crushing Bare Bones founder Rich
Siegel (himself 99 feet tall) into the show floor, has spread a
hilarious meme via Twitter about the CHOCK LOCK, a morphable
description of practically any behavior. [GF]
<http://iconfactory.com/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2009-01/chockenberry.jpg>
<http://twitter.com/chockenberry>
**Largest Digital Project** -- Artist Bert Monroy described his latest
project to me at the Peachpit Press party: It's a 25-foot-long
photo-realistic mural he's creating in Photoshop that's so large and
complicated he expects to spend another two and a half years working
on the project - and has already stretched the limits of Adobe's
Creative Suite products to the breaking point. Monroy's source file
is over 11.5 GB flattened, and his next steps will quadruple the
current file size. [GF]
<http://www.bertmonroy.com/fineart/text/fineart_damen.htm>
Top Mac Software at Macworld Expo 2009
--------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10000>
For us, it's often hard to sit through a product demo, given how
difficult it is to see the entire Macworld Expo show floor. But
that's a shame, since many companies give great demos, and it's a
good opportunity to learn what's cool about a piece software in a
way that you might not figure out on your own. Plus, it's a great
way to rest your feet from a long day on hard floors. Despite our
need to keep moving through the show, these applications still
managed to grab our attention.
**Most Talked-About Software** -- In the "What's cool at the show?"
category, more people told me I had to check out Cultured Code's
Things than any other product. Things isn't the first Getting Things
Done-inspired task organizer to hit the market, but its execution is
polished and intuitive, and doesn't try to do too much or to be too
slavish to the Getting Things Done model. Since different people
seek different ways to organize their lives, it's helpful that this
category of software offers a variety of programs and approaches.
Things, yet another entrant in the category, is next on my list.
Things 1.0 costs $49.95, is a 4.2 MB download, and also syncs with a
$9.99 iPhone/iPod touch companion. [JLC]
<http://culturedcode.com/things/>
<http://culturedcode.com/things/iphone/>
**Best Return from Being Knee-capped by Apple** -- When Apple
introduced iMovie '08 in August 2007, the revamped video editor
didn't support third-party plug-ins, a burgeoning market that had
grown up around previous versions of iMovie. Developers such as
GeeThree found their products suddenly outdated. The just-announced
iMovie '09 also does not support plug-ins, but GeeThree has now
brought its expertise in creating video effects to Final Cut Express
and Final Cut Pro. SlickFX Final Cut brings lots of its Slick iMovie
plug-ins to the more advanced video editors. More impressive is the
$75 SlickFX PhotoMotion, which makes creating Ken Burns-style
movements over still photos dramatically easier than building them
by hand using Final Cut's tools. [JLC]
<http://geethree.com/slickfx/>
<http://www.geethree.com/slickfx/photomotion.html>
**Brainiest Software** -- As I watched the enthusiastic demo at the
booth for TheBrain Technologies I sensed I was either seeing a
fabulous product or a reality distortion field. The demo was for
PersonalBrain, a "visual information manager" that enables users to
create "brains" that contain "thoughts" linked in parent/child
relationships in linear (or entirely non-linear) ways. These
thoughts can also include URLs and linked-in files. And, they can
enter the third dimension with tagging. If you have trouble
organizing ideas, projects, or to-dos because too many items need to
exist in too many categories, PersonalBrain may be just the product
for you. Three versions range in price from free to $249.95,
depending on the feature set.
<http://www.thebrain.com/>
<http://www.thebrain.com/#-111>
I downloaded the 26 MB free demo version shortly after Macworld Expo
and while it's too soon to say if I love it, it is soon enough to
say that its free-wheeling non-linearity more than makes up for its
somewhat clunky, Windows-inspired interface. I've been mapping
projects and to-dos, and using the tagging for items like "Ask
Adam," "Maybe/Later," and "Monday." Apparently, I can also apply
PersonalBrain to Apple Mail - I've yet to find out how, exactly -
and an enterprise version of the software performs all these tasks
and more for entire companies. The brain boggles. [TJE]
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2009-01/PersonalBrain.png>
**Most Dynamic Photography Software** -- One of the hottest trends in
digital pictures is "high dynamic range" photography, in which you
combine multiple different exposures of the same scene into a single
image. The end result can more accurately reflect the colors and
lighting you saw at the time with your eyes, and HDR photos can be
startlingly beautiful works. While many tools can create HDR
photographs, including the venerable Adobe Photoshop, most require
the original photos be taken using a tripod for image alignment and
to produce the best results. Hydra 2.0, by Creaceed, is a combined
Aperture plug-in and stand-alone program that combines HDR with
impressive automatic-alignment and warping features to help you
create HDR photographs from handheld shots. Since I rarely bring a
full tripod on trips, Hydra increases the opportunities I have to
produce a great-looking HDR photo. [RM]
<http://creaceed.com/hydra/>
Top Mac Gear at Macworld Expo 2009
----------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9998>
Evaluation software works well in this age of the Internet, but we
haven't yet figured out a way to download a free trial of a laptop
case or webcam. It's probably for the best - having a trial laptop
case expire (and disintegrate) after 30 days could be troublesome.
So until we have Star Trek-style replicators, Macworld Expo will
remain an excellent place to examine all sorts of peripherals and
accessories, even some that aren't yet available for sale.
**Greenest Black Cases** -- I'm always somewhat peeved when companies
- including Apple, with their current San Francisco billboards
crowing about the MacBook line - tout the environmental goodness of
buying some new bit of gear. Sure, it might be better than a
less-green competitor, but more environmental yet would be to avoid
buying something that requires new raw materials. Reduce, reuse,
recycle.
That's why I so appreciated the tough rubber laptop and iPhone cases
from Tread - not only do they consume little in the way of raw
materials, but their manufacture also actually removes waste
material from the environment (in this case, inner tubes from South
America, where they're still used for tires). Granted, the cases
have a chunky, almost sticky feel from the hefty rubber, but they
look well-padded and durable, as though they would shrug off the
occasional rain with aplomb. [ACE]
<http://www.tread.com/>
**Best Rethinking of the Webcam** -- Most Macs and Apple displays now
have an iSight video camera built in, so whenever I see a separate
webcam for the Mac, I always wonder what the point is. IPEVO, a
company I hadn't previously run into, was showing the $39.99 PoV USB
Camera, a pen-shaped webcam that's designed to show more than just
your face in front of the Mac. Indeed, IPEVO's Caroline Andreolle
puckishly claimed that the impetus for the PoV was the company's CEO
wanting to see his 90-pound bulldog on video while travelling, but
his 90-pound wife couldn't keep the dog from slobbering on the
laptop.
<http://us.ipevo.com/products/pro_detail.php?id=12>
<http://us.ipevo.com/img/products/pov/pov_ov_c01.jpg>
The company was also showing the Kaleido R7, a prototype of a
wireless digital picture frame with great industrial design and
connections to the Mac, to Flickr, and to RSS feeds. Keep an eye out
for it in a few months. [ACE]
<http://us.ipevo.com/>
**Standalone Laptop Battery Charging Returns** -- Once upon a time,
companies made standalone chargers for Apple laptop batteries.
Instead of swapping between batteries to charge them in the laptop,
you could plug your spare into one of these devices and replenish
the battery's power separately. For some reason (perhaps because
each laptop has its own shape) those chargers disappeared, leaving
travelers and other people who frequently use multiple batteries
without an easy way to charge their batteries simultaneously.
Fastmac's $79.95 U-Charge brings back that capability in an
ingenious way. Although Apple's batteries have changed shape over
the years, they all share the same connector, so the U-Charge is a
cable that plugs into just the pins on the battery. The charger also
features a row of LED lights to indicate a battery's current power
level. [JLC]
<http://fastmac.com/ucharge.php>
**Better BookEndz** -- BookEndz laptop docks have been around for a
long time, extending a row of plugs into the various USB, Ethernet,
and other ports along the laptop's sides and offering a set of
rear-mounted jacks into which you can leave your USB devices,
Ethernet cable, and monitor plugged. The idea is that it's easier to
attach and detach the laptop from the BookEndz dock than to handle
each cable individually. I tried the model designed for Apple's
previous white and black MacBook line, but it was a small device
that required somewhat finicky alignment with the MacBook's ports.
It ended up making the process more work than attaching a few
cables, especially since the BookEndz can't pass power through to
the dock due to Apple's stubborn reluctance to license the MagSafe
technology.
<http://www.bookendzdocks.com/>
<http://www.bookendzdocks.com/63031558.jpg>
That said, the prototype of the BookEndz dock for the current
aluminum MacBook impressed me. It features a platform on which the
MacBook sits, and although you must still attach the part that
contains the row of plugs manually, alignment is easier, and there's
a lever in back that disconnects it quickly. (It looks a lot like
the model for the 15-inch MacBook Pro.) Being a prototype, it had a
slightly odd collection of ports in back, including Mini
DisplayPort, DVI, and VGA, although I was told VGA might disappear
in the finished product for space reasons. It also multiplied the
MacBook's two USB ports to provide five USB ports on different sides
of the dock. Hopefully it will appear soon, since I'm trying to use
this MacBook as my only Mac, and fiddling with six cables every time
I take it off my desk is tiresome. [ACE]
<http://www.bookendzdocks.com/93427016.jpg>
**Project Your Best Image** -- Is the screen on your iPod or iPhone
too small to really enjoy watching video? Or, perhaps, do you aspire
to set up a functional drive-in theater for your Matchbox
collection? One recent technology trend is the "pico projector," a
handheld device that projects video onto any surface. Typically,
presentation projectors are large, heavy, expensive pieces of gear.
Microvision was showing off a prototype of its Show WX projector,
which measured barely larger than an iPhone but output impressive
video from an iPod nano. Using lasers, it auto-focuses the image up
to 100 inches wide. Microvision isn't yet selling the Show WX (which
is itself a code name), but the device is expected to cost between
$400 and $500 when it's released. [JLC]
<http://www.microvision.com/showwx/>
**Custom Manufacturing Comes of Age** -- The fragmentation of popular
culture continues apace, and the latest example I noticed is the
customization of durable goods. Sure, we're used to being able to
choose from among numerous colors and styles when it comes to things
like iPod cases, but Brenthaven and iFrogz have taken customization
to a new level.
Brenthaven's $129.95 Switch MB messenger bag features a flippable
flap for which you can choose front and back designs from a
selection on Brenthaven's Web site. At the show, they had artists
creating unique designs that could be ordered and, after a quick
pass through an industrial-looking sewing machine, picked up later.
<http://www.brenthaven.com/cyc-create-your-flap.html>
iFrogz couldn't do on-the-spot customization, but they were showing
how customers could choose different colors, finishes, and designs
for the five major pieces of their line of horribly named
EarPollution headphones. As much as the name bugs me (oh, I know,
it's ironic and hip), the custom headphones looked good -
unfortunately, I couldn't test the sound well on the show floor.
<http://ifrogz.com/earpollution/>
Custom manufacturing isn't just an indulgence, since it enables
companies to avoid guessing what customers might like when
determining inventory levels. That's good business sense, and, if it
eliminates large orders for misconceived styles, also a nice way to
avoid dumping unnecessary waste into the world. [ACE]
Top iPhone and iPod Gear at Macworld Expo 2009
----------------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9999>
Macworld may have Mac in its name, but it had the iPhone and iPod in
its tap shoes, as Apple's handheld devices provided much of the
energy at the show. Apps and gear for the iPhone and iPod ranged
from inventive and extraordinary to mundane, but it was clear that
at its best the iPhone has become an extension of your Mac,
contextualizing and enhancing the environment around you. The iPhone
has also become a recorder, keeping track of where you were and what
you did, so that you can keep that data handy, share it with others,
or send it back to your Mac later. Of course, the show was also a
great place to see the latest accessories that make using an iPhone
or iPod just a little bit nicer.
**Ocarina Over the Top** -- The folks working the Smule booth were
having a hoot of a time demoing the $0.99 Ocarina, which was easily
the most out-of-the-box iPhone app at Macworld Expo. Ocarina lets
you, well, play the ocarina on your iPhone. You simply blow into the
microphone while touching the appropriate buttons on the screen, and
ethereal flute sounds come out.
<http://ocarina.smule.com/>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocarina>
But wait, that's not all! Your Ocarina tune can also go up to the
Internet cloud and from there other people can listen to (and
"heart") it. And, you can email tunes to people. Conversely, you can
view a map of the world within Ocarina, tap that map, see where in
the world other people are playing Ocarina, and then tap to listen.
[TJE]
**Best On-the-Spot Connection** -- While wandering the show floor, I
ran into Alan Oppenheimer of Open Door Networks, who was showing off
his latest iPhone application for exchanging virtual business cards.
MyCard is one of the better business-card exchange tools I've seen.
Rather than having to connect over the same wireless network, two
people can quickly and easily exchange cards even over AT&T's cell
data network. All you do is download the application (free for now),
select your default card, and either "beam" it or email it to
another user. When you hit the "Beam myCard" button you're given a
code you exchange with the other user, who taps the receive button
on their end and enters the code. For non-iPhone users you have the
option of just emailing them a standard vCard file, which nearly any
contact application can import.
<http://www.opendoor.com/>
<http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=301223661&mt=8>
As you would expect from a tool made by a company that started in
security, the application uses encrypted connections for beaming and
lets you select which contact fields you want to share. I was able
to download and install the application in less than a minute on the
show floor, and Alan and I would have exchanged cards if a few
thousand iPhone users hadn't plugged up the network before I could
finish my beam. MyCard is small enough to download, and fast enough
to configure, that it takes just a minute in the real world to swap
contact information, even if neither person has yet installed it.
[RM]
**Charge without that Syncing Feeling** -- This being my first trip
with an iPhone, I was struck by how irritated I became with iTunes's
automatic launching and syncing when I plugged the iPhone into my
MacBook for some juice at the end of a very long day when all I
wanted to do was fall into bed. "Just charge, dammit!" I'd swear,
albeit quietly, so as not to disturb Tonya, who had already
collapsed from exhaustion.
I'm thus eagerly anticipating the forthcoming Tune Blocker from
Matias, a USB cable for charging and syncing an iPod or iPhone that
includes a little switch that lets you choose whether your connected
device will charge and sync, or just charge. When I questioned Vesna
Vojnic of Matias about the package's "The safest way to charge &
sync" claim, she gave me an embarrassed smile and admitted it was
"just marketing."
<http://matias.ca/tuneblocker/>
But I think she demurs too much - I may succumb to inadvisable
actions when faced with an automatic sync that's keeping me from my
bed after midnight. Look for it in a few months for $24.95 or
$29.95, depending on cable length. [ACE]
**Just in Case** -- If you wanted to find the perfect case or holder
for your iPhone or iPod, Macworld Expo offered about 7 million
choices, and there were more practical options than ever before. One
of my favorite entries here was ProClip's car mounts. These mounts
are particular to your handheld model and car, and support the
iPhone (or other device, like a Blackberry or GPS) from the grill
vents or the dash.
<http://www.proclipusa.com/vehiclemounts/vehiclemounts.aspx>
Another attachment product that I liked was the $14.95 Hangman from
Neat Products. It helps you avoid carrying an iPhone in your hands
or fumbling for it in a bag. It attaches into the dock connector
port on an iPhone or iPod, lets you wrap up any attached headphone
cord, and clips onto a belt loop or necklace. Jim Rea of ProVUE
Development enthused about the Hangman, telling me that he has two
of them with different sets of cables for wearing his iPhone on a
lanyard.
<http://www.neatproducts.com/>
For attractive, non-bulky protection and personalization, I liked
GelaSkins, which cover the back of an iPhone, iPod, or laptop with
an artist-designed image and provide a custom wallpaper for the
screen to match (prices vary by device). They also sell the
GelaScreen clear protector for the screen. [TJE]
<http://www.gelaskins.com/>
**Passive Aggressive iPhone Speakers** -- The iPhone and
second-generation iPod touch offer - I won't say "boast" - external
speakers, but they're pretty weak. There's no shame in that, and
Apple doesn't tout them as being appropriate for more than
speakerphone calls and listening to YouTube videos. But if you want
to increase sound output by up to 10 decibels without YAWW (Yet
Another Wall Wart), I saw three devices that qualify.
The SoundClip ($7.95) from Ten One Design is a tiny bit of plastic
that snaps onto the dock connector and boosts sound largely by
routing it perpendicularly to the iPhone, rather than out the bottom
edge.
<http://www.tenonedesign.com/soundclip.php>
Griffin Technology's AirCurve (19.95) is a stylish piece of clear
plastic on which the iPhone sits and that increases volume by
sending the sound waves through carefully constructed spiral
channels.
<http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/aircurve>
<http://www.griffintechnology.com/images/assets/headers/0000/3500/aircurve_1.jpg>
Lastly, the ungainly AmpLi-Phone ($29.95) looks a bit like an
old-time loudspeaker, but also provides a decibel lift.
<http://www.ampli-phone.com/>
I was able to test only the AirCurve in a quiet room, and it
performed adequately. Just don't expect it to sound like a real
external speaker. If you're interested in one of these, I notice
that Rik Myslewski has compared the three in more detail at The
Register. [ACE]
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/09/passive_amplification/>
**Cutest Speakers** -- There were oodles of real speakers at Macworld
Expo as well, but the ones that caught my eye as I walked by were
the Tweakers from Grandmax ($39.95). Powered via a rechargeable
battery, they snapped apart to provide left and right speakers; the
battery can be recharged via USB. The sound seemed good, considering
their size, and I liked the industrial design that gave them a sleek
profile in your laptop bag while still concealing not just the
speaker innards and battery, but also retractable USB and headphone
cables. [ACE]
<http://grandmax.com/store/tweakers-c-6.html>
<http://grandmax.com/store/images/large/R1_RD_1_LRG.jpg>
**I Like Mikey** -- The clever designers and engineers at Blue
Microphones who came up with the Snowball microphone and its smaller
sibling, the portable Snowflake (which I far prefer to my MacBook's
internal speaker for iChat and Skype audio) have now created a new
microphone for the iPod. Dubbed Mikey, the hinged mic snaps onto the
dock connector and lets you prop your iPod on a table for recording
interviews or lectures. Three settings control its sensitivity,
depending on how far away from the source you are.
<http://www.bluemic.com/products/mikey>
Mikey isn't out yet, but I'm looking forward to trying it when it
does arrive in a few months. Although it worked with my iPhone in
testing, the Blue Microphones folks are working out some kinks in
getting the iPhone to recognize it properly; until then they don't
seem to be claiming iPhone compatibility. [ACE]
**Sweatiest iPhone App** -- I spend a fair amount of time riding a
bicycle, but I can honestly say it's not something I've ever done in
the middle of a conference expo floor. That's exactly what I saw at
the MapMyRide/SMHeart Link booth that featured a "spinner" showing
off the latest iPhone fitness application. iSpinning uses a small
hardware adapter attached to your iPhone to connect with standard
wireless fitness sensors, such as the Polar series, and monitor your
heart rate, speed, and other statistics. During a training session
it presents you with a dashboard of your workout, including heart
rate, calories burned, speed, distance, and power so you know
_exactly_ how out of shape you are.
<http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=291997778>
For those of us who like to bike outside the confines of the gym, we
can always use iMapMyRide (or a similar application, like Trailguru)
to track our workouts with the GPS in the iPhone for full maps and
workout summaries (minus the heart rate monitor). Be aware that the
iPhone must be on and running the iMapMyRide app the entire time, so
you have only a couple of hours of battery life. The company is
working on a handlebar mount with an integrated battery for longer
rides. [RM]
<http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=292223170&mt=8>
<http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=289333140&mt=8>
**Making iPhones Social in the Real World?** -- I worried that all
these iPhone apps would cause people to disappear into their tiny
handhelds, emerging only for food and bathroom breaks. For example,
the ECOcal iPhone app, which is meant to show a calendar not as a
series of like-sized squares but instead as a more flowing sense of
time moving through the seasons in nature, had a daytime view that
removed me from reality and from socializing with others by drawing
me into the display. However, its nighttime view seemed likely to
provide useful context to the outside world, with its information
about constellations overhead (in the northern hemisphere).
<http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=298862417&mt=8>
I saw a great many iPhones being used at the show and for the most
part people seemed to know how to use (or refrain from using) the
iPhone while being sociable. Google enhanced the iPhone craze and
iPhone-related sociability even more with a much-appreciated iPhone
charging station. At this station, a dozen or so iPhones could be
charged at once, giving power-hungry geeks another excuse to stand
around and chat. [TJE]
Thoughts on the Past and Future of Macworld Expo
------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9993>
At Macworld Expo, the usual query upon meeting an acquaintance is,
"So what have you seen that's cool?" This year, I didn't receive
that question until late on the final day. Instead, the constant
inquiry ran along the lines of, "Do you think there will be a
Macworld Expo next year, now that Apple is pulling out?" For the
record: Yes, I do. However, it's not guaranteed, since there's no
way to predict what additional abuses could be heaped upon the
beleaguered show organizers in the next 12 months. But Paul Kent of
IDG World Expo certainly plans to put Macworld Expo on in 2010 in
San Francisco. You can even register to attend for free now, and if
Paul and his team can make next year's show a success, Macworld Expo
will continue beyond that date.
<http://www.macworldexpo.com/2010registration>
**Walking the Floor** -- But while Apple's decision to pull out of
Macworld Expo after this year dominated conversation, it didn't cast
a significant pall over the show floor or the sessions. Attendance
was somewhat down from last year (final numbers won't be available
for a few weeks), but that's almost certainly due to overall
economic conditions. Plus, had Apple's announcements been as
compelling as in previous years, it's possible that more local
residents would have been drawn in for a day, as I'm sure happened
two years ago with the introduction of the iPhone or last year with
the MacBook Air.
Speaking of Apple's announcements, the uncluttered layout of Apple's
booth confirmed for me the rumblings I'd heard that Apple had
planned to make more-significant hardware announcements but was
forced to pull them because they weren't ready for prime time. To
put it another way, although Apple doesn't mind showing a product
that won't ship for a month, Steve Jobs dislikes promising ship
dates that he isn't certain Apple can meet. And with a number of
recent releases (MobileMe being the most notable) requiring a
several updates to reach Apple's usual level of quality, I can't
blame him.
Despite the open space in Apple's booth that seemed designed to hold
another row of tables displaying shiny new Mac models, most of the
floor space in both the North and South halls of Moscone Center was
occupied. The South hall featured more of the larger exhibitors,
with the North hall picking up smaller, less well-known companies
and a few oddities, like Acura (they were showing a really large,
car-shaped iPod case). The aisles were often full, though crowds
thinned out significantly toward the end of each day.
Plus, with the exception of the long-standing Netter's Dinner, whose
attendance was reduced by many regulars being unable to attend the
show at all, the parties we attended were packed, and there were
often three or four competing events each night. Since it's
devilishly difficult to calculate the marketing win from throwing a
party, the fact that there were so many says to me that Mac
companies are still feeling optimistic about the state of the
market.
**Future of Macworld** -- So if it was a generally successful show,
despite no major announcements from Apple, is the doom and gloom
about Macworld Expo's future warranted? Forced change is always
scary, without a doubt, and Macworld will have to change to survive.
Macworld received a pardon from the fate that eliminated many other
large trade shows over the past decade, thanks largely to Apple's
resurgence over that time (though it's safe to say that Apple also
needed, or at least benefited from, Macworld's audience of press,
developers, and influencers even in recent years). But now there's
no avoiding reality, and Macworld will have to adjust not just to
the loss of Apple as a primary exhibitor, but also to all the
changes that have felled other trade shows. The most notable of
these changes is the use of the Internet to replace much of the
information exchange that was previously possible only at shows. So
where should IDG turn next?
IDG has a number of constituencies - attendees, exhibitors, press,
speakers, and, until now, Apple. While all the constituencies are
important to the health of the show, only Apple had the power to
affect the show ahead of time. But it's entirely unclear that what's
good for Apple (or at least what Apple wanted) is good for the other
constituencies. For instance, sources tell me that Apple dictated
certain terms that, for instance, prevented IDG from collecting a
set of exhibitors into a Gaming or iPhone section of the show floor,
which might have benefited those companies.
Exhibitors pay the steep price for booth space (and all the
associated booth and staffing requirements) largely because of the
marketing opportunities (press coverage, distributor meetings,
pre-sales questions, and support for existing customers) that result
from exhibiting - direct sales to attendees seldom do more than
defray costs. For Macworld to succeed as a trade show (as opposed to
a session-based conference), IDG will need to make sure that
exhibiting provides sufficient value for the money.
(This is especially true in light of the recent news from the
Consumer Electronics Association that there will be a new Apple
section at CES 2010. Macworld Expo will now have to vie for
exhibitors lured by the potential of a broader tech audience
populated largely by dealers and press; it's not user-focused.)
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10139861-37.html>
For many years, speaking at Macworld was largely a donation of
knowledge back to the community, since the only benefit speakers
received for their efforts was a reputation boost from appearing in
the conference program. But in recent years, IDG has done a good job
of making speakers feel appreciated. The comfortable speaker room
always has food laid out, keynote access is provided, and in the
last few years, IDG has worked with select exhibitors to provide
swag bags full of software and accessories that make the effort of
preparing a talk downright palatable. I don't see a need for much
new here.
When it comes to press, IDG's role has historically been to provide
media badges, keynote access, and a media room where journalists can
work. But what the press really wants from Macworld is news, and
Apple won't be providing that in a keynote, so IDG will need to step
into the breach.
And attendees? Individuals attend Macworld for a variety of reasons,
ranging from professional development to simple curiosity about the
state of the Mac industry, but the main thing to remember is that
unless you live near San Francisco, the requisite airfare and hotel
expenses add up quickly. So, again, IDG will need to focus on
features that provide sufficient value, such as sessions, without
making people feel as though they're paying for every little thing.
There's actually another constituency that's seldom recognized:
industry executives. Whether it's a distributor scouting the show
for new products to carry, a publisher meeting with potential
authors, a Web site seeking advertisers, or just executives getting
together to discuss how their companies can do business, there's a
lot that happens behind the scenes at Macworld.
Some suggestions then, and if you have more, IDG has a 2010
Suggestion Box on the Macworld Expo site:
<http://www.macworldexpo.com/>
* IDG could coordinate with exhibitors ahead of time to schedule new
product releases for the show - the keynote benefit might not be
sufficient for Apple, but no one else can hold their own press
events and expect coverage. Imagine a keynote featuring 10
completely new products from around the Mac industry. Exhibitors
would submit new products to be considered and agree that nothing
could be announced until that keynote. Then IDG would select the
best products and a moderator like David Pogue could count down to
the top choice, with each winner getting a 10 minute demo slot.
Products not selected for the top 10 could still get a booth sign
and appear in a list on the Macworld Expo Web site to help
journalists zero in on what's new.
* Technically savvy attendees often appreciate finding an equivalently
technical person at an exhibitor's booth. IDG might facilitate that
process by giving each exhibitor a few "Genius" badges to be worn by
their most knowledgeable staffers.
* Exhibitors are certainly happy to talk with attendees, but there's
no way currently for companies to indicate other interests, such as
meeting potential distributors, integrating their product with
others, and so on. I can't quite envision how this would work, but
I'd encourage IDG to think about ways of facilitating the business
that already takes place via informal methods at the show. It might
be as simple as having business-oriented meetings the Monday before
the show floor opens to accompany the user sessions that day.
* It might be worthwhile to have an executive lounge, much like the
speaker room and media room, that would be designed to facilitate
the kind of business meetings that are often difficult to hold
during the hustle-bustle of the show floor or after hours at
parties. One pass could be given to each exhibitor, and companies
who weren't exhibiting could pay extra for a pass.
* It's often too difficult, especially for smaller companies, to sell
their products at the show. At the same time, there always used to
be great deals at the show (that's less true now), and attendees
would often come to the show ready to purchase. If IDG could make
transactions easier and encourage exhibitors to offer deals,
everyone would win. I could imagine a system that would take data
scanned from an attendee's badge bar code and create a proposed
transaction. The attendee would later log into the Macworld Expo Web
site, enter credit card information, and approve the transaction.
Even better, larger physical objects could be shipped directly to
the attendee's office or home, eliminating the need to schlep stuff
around during the show.
To be clear, TidBITS Publishing has no direct interest in whether
Macworld Expo succeeds or fails - it costs us several thousand
dollars each year to attend, between airplane tickets, hotel rooms,
and food, and we don't reap any direct payment for our efforts at
the show.
However, as a place to gather information for publication, touch
base with our far-flung authors and editors, meet with potential
sponsors, cement relationships with industry acquaintances with whom
we do business, and generally open our minds to new products and
ideas, Macworld Expo is utterly worthwhile. Between 5 PM and 10 PM
on Tuesday night at the show, I had more business development
conversations than in the previous 3 months. And at a meeting the
next day, a chance comment was made that may generate twice what we
spent on attending the show, with no additional work whatsoever. All
this - and there was more - might have happened otherwise, but it
certainly wouldn't have happened so quickly.
Put it this way: Macworld is but a pebble thrown in the Macintosh
pond each year, but its ripples spread far and wide.
$$
This is TidBITS, a free weekly technology newsletter providing timely
news, insightful analysis, and in-depth reviews to the Macintosh and
Internet communities. Feel free to forward to friends; better still,
please ask them to subscribe!
Non-profit, non-commercial publications and Web sites may reprint or
link to articles if full credit is given. Others please contact us. We
do not guarantee accuracy of articles. Caveat lector. Publication,
product, and company names may be registered trademarks of their
companies. TidBITS ISSN 1090-7017.
Copyright 2009 TidBITS: Reuse governed by Creative Commons license.
Contact us at: <[email protected]>
TidBITS Web site: <http://www.tidbits.com/>
License terms: <http://www.tidbits.com/terms/>
Full text search: <http://www.tidbits.com/search/>
Subscriptions: <http://www.tidbits.com/about/list.html>
Account help: <http://www.tidbits.com/about/account-help.html>
--
If you want to unsubscribe or change your address, use this link
http://emperor.tidbits.com/webx?unsub@@.3c557dc4!u=306a67f9
