Saturday’s Apple: Where Was Apple at CES?

This past week another trade show took place and this one was called CES/Hometech. It’s supposedly all about technology for homes, including electronics, home automation, etc. You know what these events are like - think GITEX but much smaller and less people.

For myself, I didn’t exactly expect a huge amount of interesting stuff there from an Apple perspective, but I was seriously disappointed at what the situation actually was. The only trace of anything Apple was a few companies selling iPod accessories. That was it.

I would have expected to see an Apple presence there with a focus perhaps on Apple TV and how it can serve, together with a Mac, as a media center in your home. And how about Airport Extreme or Time Capsule at the center of building a wireless network throughout the home, and Airport Express to pump iTunes audio to your home stereo? It just seemed strange there was no trace of Apple at CES, especially when there seems to be so much that they could have showed off.

We saw plenty of home living room setups, you know, with a sofa, a coffee table, a TV, etc. Many companies were offering home entertainment solutions with media center type computer setups. These setups were all very nice, hi-tech and some looked really amazing. But the problem was they were all Windows based or using some other proprietary solution. There was a lot of Windows Media Center Edition at CES, that’s for sure. So again, where was Apple? You know when people here say that Apple should be doing more, I think this is one example of that.

However, one exciting thing about our visit to CES was that we met up with an EmiratesMac User Group member who had a stand there for their company. Jimmy Grewal’s company Pulse is developing and now selling a home automation solution. You should definitely go check them out because they’re doing some really exciting stuff. Watch out for more from Pulse in the near future and we’ll try to feature them in Shuffle.

Saturday’s Apple: Do You Twitter?

Do you Twitter? If not, it may be time to get on board. Twitter.com is a real internet phenomenon and for some users it’s already become too much and they’re moving on. So now the long tail syndrome is setting in and the masses are getting on board. It was even noted by a Gulf News reporter earlier this week.

The Twitter.com web site is blocked in the UAE, but many of the ways you can use to keep up with Twitter are not. My favorite is Twhirl (http://www.twhirl.org/). It’s a desktop application with which you can keep track of all your contacts in Twitter and post your messages.

Twitter is a bit like Instant Messaging (IM), a bit like a real time chat, and a bit like a message forum, all wrapped into one. Basically you post short text messages which anyone else can read and respond to. You can chose to “follow” other users so their tweets show up in your account, and they can also chose to “follow you” so they see when you post “tweets”.

It’s different than IM because the list is live all the time, users don’t come and go. Well they do, but you don’t see that and if you post a message all your followers will see it next time they connect. This means that even if you go offline for a bit, you will receive all “tweets” that have been posted while you were offline, once you connect again. So in that sense it’s also like discussion forums like the one we have at EmiratesMac.com, in that messages are persistent between users online sessions.

So that’s how it works, what’s so fun about Twitter and what makes it different? One thing is that it’s so easy to follow others and post. I post from Twhirl on my Mac, from a client on my Blackberry and from PocketTweets on my iPhone. And even if I’m offline for a bit, I catch up with what the people I follow have posted with Twhirl and PocketTweets once I connect again. That’s nice and a great benefit over IM. It’s also more immediate than forums, for example, but not a replacement. A long, detailed discussion is much better to keep in a forum, Twitter is not a good idea for that. But Twitter is great for a quick burst of a few comments back and forth. I may post that I’ve just seen a movie, and a few followers fire back by asking how it was. And that can happen while I’m walking out of the theatre or on the way home from the movies. And recently when there was the big earthquake disaster in China, people starting posting information about it on Twitter right away and it was a great way to follow what was happening. It was immediate, it was user-driven, and it was highly relevant. I’m not sure any other technology could have delivered the same.

So give Twitter a try, it’s great fun and it’s also really useful. If you want to follow me do that at http://twitter.com/mnystedt.

Review: Blackberry 8310

Two issues ago (see Shuffle March 2008) we reviewed Blackberry 8800, and now we’re digging deep into the Blackberry 8310 - also called “Curve”. It’s definitely more of a consumer-oriented phone compared to the 8800, but they are both also more alike than they are different. The 8310 is a little bit smaller, feels lighter, and has a differently designed outside. All the keys and controls are laid out in the same way as on other Blackberry devices, and it uses the non-standard “pearl” joystick control for all interface functions. The keyboard is, in my view, better than on the 8800; with a nicer feeling “click” to the keys.
The addition of a camera is the biggest news in terms of specifications. It’s a 1.3MP camera, which produces 1600×1200 pixel exposures, and for this sort of device they’re actually not bad. It’s nice to always have access to a camera on the go, and I put it to good use by posting photos I take on the go to my photo blog at http://www.uaetumblr.com. Pretty much all photos there are from the 8310. But having a camera also puts the 8310 out of the running for many corporations who don’t allow camera phones at all for security and privacy reasons.
With the Curve series of phones, Blackberry is a more attractive option for consumers. Cooler looking, a camera, etc. make the 8310 a good mobile device - and the underlying Blackberry e-mail functionality makes this a great device for anyone who wants to do e-mail on the go. And in the UAE, with the Blackberry data plan currently being the only truly unlimited data plan, a Blackberry device can also help you save money if you do a lot of data traffic over your mobile phone.

by Magnus Nystedt

Confessions of a Mac Switcher

I am now two months into my conversion as a Mac switcher, and in this article I hope to share some of the discoveries I’ve made regarding both iPhoto and the Dock.
I’ll start first with the Dock, which essentially consists of a series of minimized icons sitting at the bottom of your desktop window, which act to provide a convenient shortcut to opening applications, documents and folders.
A switcher must first understand that the Dock is divided into two parts: a left and right side, distinguished by a faint dotted line that sits between the application icons and the trash can. Applications sit on the left side of this dotted line, and new applications can be added permanently to the dock by simply dragging them from the Finder.
So what goes on the right side of the Dock’s dotted line? The answer is folders called ‘Stacks’ and minimized windows of running applications. A ‘stack’ is a folder full of items that you’ve dragged into the dock, which can display in unique ways – i.e. individual files can be made to display as a grid, a fan, or as a list.
One very nice feature of the Dock is that you can open documents by simply dragging a file onto an application’s icon.
Although the above explanation of the Dock’s main functionality may appear obvious to a seasoned Mac user, it does provide a challenge to a switcher, who is more familiar with working with applications and documents in Windows XP through the Taskbar.
In Windows XP, application icons stored in the Taskbar are used solely for document launching purposes. Once an application is launched from the Start > Programs menu, taskbar buttons appear for each open document in that application. Once all the documents of a specific application are closed, the application quits. In this regard it can be claimed that the Windows Taskbar is “document-based”, whereas the Mac OS X Dock is more “application-based”.
For a switcher, the taskbar is sure to be missed, because it still makes a lot of sense. You can immediately see what applications and documents are currently running, whereas the Dock mixes applications that are running with applications that are launchable. Also, multiple instances of applications are instantly apparent in the Taskbar, but not in the Dock.
Regardless of these different points of departure regarding design, the Dock and the Windows Taskbar equally achieve their designed purpose: to provide the user with an efficient (though quite different) method of working with applications and documents.

Now let’s turn to iPhoto, the first of the iLife suite of applications that I’ve had a chance to use. It’s best to think of iPhoto as both a photo management and photo editing application. I would first warn any switcher that its usage is not very intuitive, and can be very frustrating if you attempt a trial-and-error approach to learning it. However, using a methodical approach is sure to yield quick mastery over its rich features.
The iPhoto Help menu is a great place to begin such methodical training, as it presents information under categories of functionality (i.e. importing and organizing photos, viewing and editing images, and sharing photos electronically and in print). Video tutorials can also be accessed through this iPhoto Help menu.
As an amateur photographer who deals mainly with holiday snapshots, I think iPhoto is great. To begin with, it offers the ability to preview thumbnails before selecting photos for import, and allows me the option of importing only those photos I have selected.
Switchers should try not to get too bogged down over understanding the concept of “Events”. Basically, in an attempt to mimic the natural way we organize things in our lives (i.e. according to time or happenings), iPhoto auto-splits imported photos into the iPhoto library by date - depending on the preferences you’ve chosen. For example, if you imported wedding photos and birthday photos with the one-day event option selected in preferences, iPhoto would auto-split your photos into two different events - because each event had occurred on two separate days. However, if you don’t like the results of this auto-splitting, you can easily unite images into one event by Command + clicking two or more events > Events Menu > Merge Events.
You can also place chosen photos from one or more Events into a photo album. When you find you have too many albums, you can further organize these albums into folders so that the library source pane remains manageable. You may also create slideshows, books, calendars, and cards directly from your photos, without first creating an album. Switchers need to be aware that there are two types of slideshows: The first is a quick slideshow that offers parameters such as speed, image transition style, and the information to be displayed (e.g. title, date, etc.). The second is a slideshow project in which you can adjust the speed at which each individual image changes, apply a Ken Burns effect to each photo in the slideshow’s album, and adjust music settings. A word of warning - make sure no images are selected when you click on a slideshow icon or you’ll end up with a one-image sideshow!
One of the coolest things in iPhoto is the ability to export a slideshow to a Quicktime movie, which can then be burned to CD or DVD. All music and effects created within a slideshow project will also be exported along with the images as a Quicktime movie, which is a shareable format amongst both PC and Mac users.
iPhoto also comes equipped with a good range of photo editing tools that allow you to carry out both basic and advanced modifications to photos. Basic photo modifications include such things as cropping, straightening, red-eye correction, retouching to remove blemishes etc. You also have the ability to apply and combine several effects to photos, and the “Revert to original” command enables you to go back to a photo’s original state at any time – freeing you to experiment.
Advanced photo editing in iPhoto includes the ability to adjust levels and mid tones, and to attempt to correct levels of exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, sharpness and noise. A great time saver you’ll appreciate is the ability to copy-paste image setting adjustments to other photos shot at the same time under similar lighting conditions.
For the more advanced photographer requiring certain image functions beyond the scope of iPhoto, you can launch an external editor like Photoshop through iPhoto. However you must first set this up in your preferences.
So there you have it. In two months I think I’ve come a long way as a switcher. I now have a reasonable understanding of the essential features and file structure of my Mac, and have learnt to use one of its most commonly-used iLife applications - iPhoto. In my next article I hope to share with you new discoveries regarding another iLife application - iMovie, and also to report my attempts at using Exposé and Spaces.

by Brian Nielsen

Newbies and Switchers

Mac has always been a great computer for beginners. Over the years Macs have become more complex, but I think they’ve retained the title of the best computer for newbies. What is it that makes them more suitable for beginners? I think it’s partly the same attention to detail that Apple clearly has when they put together their computers, accessories and software. They clearly care about the user experience, and that shows in everything they do. The Mac’s operating system has been well suited for beginners since it first came out in 1984, and this “ease of use” has continued with Mac OS X. Yes it’s obviously a much more complicated system than it was over twenty years ago: Back then there was no internet, no email, no DVD, no wifi, etc. But Apple has kept the focus on making their system easy to use, as well as being capable of handling complexity. A good example is the Terminal. With Terminal you have enormous power over every aspect of your Mac, but it’s complex beyond what most users want or could handle without training. Apple hides that complexity from users, but makes it available to those who would want to attempt it.

In 2002 Apple Computer launched what was affectionately called the Switch campaign, featuring TV ads that showed users who had switched to Mac from Windows computers. Although it was a very memorable campaign, it wasn’t very effective and it only ran for about a year before being canceled. But the campaign gave birth to the switcher concept, which has long outlived the TV ads - and in recent years I think most of us have seen an increasing number of people switching from Windows to Mac. The reasons for their switching are many; ranging from wanting a more stable and secure computer experience to it being the cool thing to do (and everything in between). Whatever the reasons most Mac users realize that the more switchers there are, the better it is for us.

by Magnus Nystedt

Mac mini Saved by Wireless USB Adapter

We have a Mac mini that’s been acting up a lot lately, especially with wireless network connection. It has been getting really poor wi-fi reception, usually only one dot in the Airport menu, whereas other Macs have been getting full reception. So I naturally figured there’s something up with the Airport, perhaps even something wrong with the hardware. After trying everything I could think of to diagnose the problem and fix it, I had an idea; why not get one of those little wi-fi things that connect to the computer via USB?
So instead of bringing the Mac mini in for service I thought I’d try that first. I picked up a D-Link DWA-140 USB 802.11n adapter for AED220. It’s a small plastic thing that can either be plugged directly into the computer’s USB port, or it can be plugged in using a small extension cable. For one thing, this means you get an external wi-fi antennae which should mean improved network connections.

The D-Link doesn’t work straight away with Mac OS X and you don’t get drivers on a CD in the box, but with the appropriate drivers downloaded from the Internet it works fine. Basically what you do is connect the USB adapter, install the driver can you download from http://www.ralinktech.com/ralink/Home/Support/Macintosh.html, and reboot the Mac. After rebooting, you open the Network Preference pane and Mac OS X should say it’s found a new network service. Just set that service up with the appropriate settings for your wi-fi network; usually this means leaving everything to DHCP. Then start the utility application, which the driver installer puts in the Applications folder. With it, you create a profile for your wi-fi network - like security, passwords, etc. Don’t forget to turn your Airport wi-fi off, and you should be able to get onto the internet with the D-Link adapter.
With our Mac mini this works like a charm. The connection is really fast and it seems reliable as well. It’s now happily syncing with Apple TV, downloading podcasts and software updates, and more. Of course I don’t know whether I could have avoided paying the AED220 by fixing the mini myself, but that was a small price to pay to get a working mini. It may have been a simple thing to fix the mini’s wireless problems, but this way wasn’t very expensive and it works fine. As far as I’m concerned, problem solved.
by Magnus Nystedt

Saturday’s Apple: Education Take 2

Last week, I wrote about Apple (the Middle East representatives ABM or Apple IMC ME) in education here in our region and I presented my view that they’re not present enough in education and that teachers and students don’t know enough about Apple and their products.

I still stand by this, but what I left out was to give them credit where credit is due. Perhaps my piece gave the impression they are not doing anything and that’s not true. In the piece I wrote that they had a demo at the HCT college I work at last year of Apple’s podcasting solution, there is an Apple Authorized Training Center at Dubai Women’s College, they are appointing Apple Distinguished Educators (ADEs), and a special Apple booth is being set up at Dubai Men’s College. They’re also starting up an Apple on Campus program, where representative students on campuses can make a little bit of money representing Apple. In coordination with them, we’re also trying to expand our own Campus Reps program, and more details on that will be in future Shuffles. All these, and more, are great examples of what is being done already, and that I failed to mention last week.

That doesn’t take away the point I was making however, that more could and should be done.

It seems to me students by and large, as well as teachers, don’t know enough about Apple and their products and what they have to offer. In my experience, there’s a serious lack of knowledge and understanding of Apple solutions, and that goes all the way from school administrations to students. And as my wife like to remind me, we need to start very early to make any profound change, and get the kids comfortable with technology at an early age. That’s where Apple should be, as well as through all other stages of education, because they present a better alternative than Windows.

And my other point, that we need a public debate about these issues, I also stand by. Even though it’s not a common thing in this region to discuss things in the open, the preference seem to be to do it mainly at closed meetings, in this case it’s too important not to have it public so that anyone can join in. These are matters of our children and the future of all of us and shouldn’t that be debated openly and in a way so as many people as possible can take part? I’m all for anyone to talk about these issues here on the site, for example.

So, I apologize for leaving out some examples of what good Apple are doing in education, but I also think my main points are still valid. What do you think?

Saturday’s Apple: Apple in Education

If I have any profession, it would be teacher. I’ve been teaching for about twelve years, mainly IT, at colleges and universities in four countries around the world, including the UAE. And we know Apple has always been very prominent in education, but here in the UAE they seem absent from many areas, apart from the usual suspects, so to speak, like design and media.

So why is that?

I’ve been teaching at one of the HCT colleges in the Emirates for almost three years now and the only visit from ABM (or Apple IMC ME, Apple’s representative in the Middle East) that I’ve been aware of is one demonstration of podcasting for a small (about 5) group of people. That’s it. There’s been no larger demonstration or awareness-campaign, no attempt at spreading word about Apple and Macs, etc. Admittedly something might have been going on that I didn’t know about, but as a teacher in IT, you would think that Apple would do more to make me aware of the options.

And it’s not like there is no market, even among IT students. Whenever I take my Mac to class, students look at it longingly saying the want one, and often it happens that a student wants to try it out. That’s why I have a demo account set up in Mac OS X on my MacBook Pro, so even if they want to try it, they don’t end up accidentally see the upcoming exam paper. Whenever I demo Mac OS X or some applications like iLife to my students, they go “wow”, “amazing”, and “I want one!” There’s an interest there that’s not being capitalized on.

One reason usually given for Apple’s apparent lack of presence in education here is that Macs are more expensive than PCs. And it’s true, you can buy a PC a lot cheaper than a Mac, at least if you just look at sticker price. And that’s probably even more of a problem here in the Middle East with Apple prices higher than the US, but that can’t be the only explanation.

I suspect education is the key, no pun intended. If I look around me at my IT-teaching colleagues, hardly anyone has a good idea of what Macs are really about, what Mac OS X is, and what software is available. The usual myths and misconceptions are everywhere, like Macs are only for designers, Macs are not compatible with anything, etc. And that’s among IT teachers who really should know better. But I’m not sure we can blame them. It seems to me that ABM should have been doing more to educate the teachers about Apple and Macs, and they’ve lost out on a great opportunity to spread Macs to more classrooms, more teachers, and more students.

It’s time for a change.

Education of the market is something we’ve believed very strongly in when starting EmiratesMac.com the EmiratesMac Apple User Group, and Shuffle. And it’s something that is not being done enough. I’m not necessarily talking about the traditional mass marketing now, even though it would be cool to see an Arabic Mac versus PC ad on TV. I’m talking about being out there among customers, talking to them, engaging them in discussions and debates online on web sites as well as offline at meetings and gatherings. Those are interactions that are not happening right now and if they are they are not in public which means they are not being noticed. It’s time to change that, and we’re going to do our part.

Saturday’s Apple: Gulf Photo Plus

Today is Apple Day at Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai, and I’m going to a session on Aperture later today. Yesterday was Photo Friday and EmiratesMac was there giving out Shuffle, talking to people, and generally tried to capture as much interest for Apple as possible.

It always amazes me that, when we participate in events like this, we’re usually the most organized and the most passionate about being there, among all participants. And the other participants are usually companies that have something to do with computing, media, etc. with a focus on Apple things naturally.

When members of the EmiratesMac Apple User Group turn up, they’re always ready to go and interact with people, stick a Shuffle in their hands and ask them “Are you a Mac user?” Regardless of whether the answer is no or yes, or “I’m thinking about it”, we’re there with a smile, ready to discuss whatever the other person wants to discuss.

I guess that comes from being a user and a member of a user group, and not a paid employee of a company. That sort of interest and passion is not easily achieved just by paying someone. It’s achieved by believing in something and feeling like you’re a part of a community of like-minded people.

But if that’s true, that the best sort of passion comes from being a part of something like a user group rather than being a paid employee, why don’t more companies take advantage of that and work together with groups like EmiratesMac?

As far as I’m concerned we at EmiratesMac, as a web site, user group, and newsletter, are the primary authority on Apple stuff in the UAE. We’re also the largest, if not only, Apple-focused community here that is organized in any way. So why is it that companies are not more interested and willing to work with us on different things, ranging from Shuffle to events, to other things?

Perhaps it’s that they don’t understand what we are and how we work. I think if we could only say that “our revenue is x Dirhams and we employe x number of people” they’d be more willing to collaborate. But we’re not like that. We don’t operate like that and when we describe what we are and what we do, we usually get a very glazed-over look from the other person. They simply don’t get it.

If that’s true, that they don’t get it, we have to work double-hard on spreading the message about us. And we do that through participating at events like Gulf Photo Plus, and we do that by publishing a monthly newsletter called Shuffle.

And ultimately we do this because we believe in what we do, and we believe that others who are not yet in the Apple family so to speak, deserve to know about the alternatives so they can make an informed decision. It’s not that we want to brainwash them, it’s that we want them to know that there is something better available to them, than the usual Windows stuff they know and use.

So if were at Photo Friday yesterday and talked to any EmiratesMac member, or if you are there today, we appreciate your time, and we hope to be able to convince you to become a member. Because the more of us there are, organized in our user group, the better chance of influencing what they do (businesses) we have.

by Magnus Nystedt

Illustration: Copyright 2008 iStockPhoto/prawny

Adobe Tutorial: Down and Dirty With Photoshop

In the recent Adobe D-Day event, which was held in Dubai’s Knowledge Village, we had a very enjoyable forty minute session with the well known Photoshop Guru, Scott Kelby. I was holding my pen to write some notes while Mr. Kelby was demonstrating his Down and Dirty tricks, as he puts it. His pace was so intense and his style was so attractive, that it was hard to get even two minutes during that time to write down my notes. Here is a tutorial inspired by Mr. Kelby’s Down and Dirty Tricks.

Zaid Al-Hilali is an Adobe Certified Instructor operating from Dubai. You can reach him on +971 50 736 2306. You can also find him hanging out at www.emiratesmac.com and 
www.digitalmediame.com.

Step 1
Type the text that would go eventually on a poster or advertisement. It is recommended to use a sans serif font. In this example, I used Impact here.

Step 2
Open a suitable photo that has good contrast and distinctive elements.

Step 3
From the menus choose Image > Adjustments > Threshold.

Step 4
Drag Threshold slider at the bottom of the dialogue window until you get main details showing in black and other parts in white. Hit OK button.

Step 5
With the Magic Wand Tool, click on a black part of the image to select black areas. Then to select all other black areas, simply choose Select > Similar to select all other black areas in the image.

Step 6
Now, We shall copy selected black areas into clipboard by choosing Edit > Copy.

Step 7
Back in our original image with text, we need to place copied black details into our text. Hold down the Command key on your keyboard and click with the mouse on text layer’s thumbnail in the Layer Panel to select its contents. (You should see moving dots around text).

Step 8
Paste copied black details into our text by going to Edit > Paste Into.

Step 9
Finally, adjust pasted graphics to reveal desired parts through your text by scaling it, and add Drop shadow if desired.

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