The 2004 Archive

• Why a Flash iPod makes sense, 2004.12.23. There are plenty of buyers who don't want to spend $249, don't need 4 GB of storage, or don't want a fragile hard drive in their digital music player.
• Adium, a great free multiservice chat client for OS X, 2004.12.20. Connect to AOL, MSN, and Yahoo messaging services with a single client program.
• Best Web browsers, word processors, and MP3 players for the Classic Mac OS, 2004.12.10. These may not be the latest and greatest programs, but they're definitely good enough.
• Upgrading a Power Mac G3 from Mac OS 9 to Panther, 2004.12.04. Is this 1999 Power Mac really up to the task of running OS X or it it too slow to be useful?
• Picking the right replacement for a dead mouse, 2004.11.24. Multiple buttons, optical tracking, wireless - what's the best low-end replacement for a dead Mac mouse?
• iTunes is great but still trails SoundJam, WinAmp in some areas, 2004.11.19. Free music player software has killed off most of the competition, and that's not good for innovation.
• Firefox 1.0: Try it, you'll like it!, 2004.11.12. Whether you're using Internet Explorer or Safari, the Firefox browser is worth checking out. It may even convert you.
• iPod Photo and U2 iPod: Is Apple resting on its laurels?, 2004.10.29. Do the new iPods really offer anything important for the extra price, or is Apple simply assuming anything with the iPod brand will sell well?
• Firefox, a better browser for OS X and Windows, 2004.10.22. Firefox is fast, compatible, more secure than Internet Explorer on Windows, and prettier than Safari.
• Image previews, one more place where Windows trumps Macs, 2004.10.15. Windows may have more viruses, spyware, and crashes, but it also does some things better than Macs. Image preview is one of them.
• Adware, spyware, and security updates: Isn't it fun, 2004.10.08. Windows users have it bad, but Mac users aren't completely safe from privacy-prying on the Internet.
• Laptop keyboards fragile, hard to clean, prone to fail, 2004.10.01. Laptop keyboard use smaller, more fragile parts than desktop keyboards. They can also be much harder to keep clean.
• With Word 2004, Microsoft finally gets everything right, 2004.09.24. Previous versions of Word were frustrating for taking notes, but Word 2004's Notebook feature addresses that - and then some.
• Problems with cable modems and home built Windows PCs, 2004.09.20. The joys of losing your Internet connection - and of getting Windows PCs to work as you want them to.
• Macs ready to be productive right from the box, 2004.09.10. Not only do Macs come ready to use from the factory, but they don't include a lot of the second-rate extras that come with Windows PCs.
• The Ericsson T610, Bluetooth, and Mac OS X 10.3, 2004.09.03. Ericsson's T610 isn't just a great phone, it also works very nicely with the Mac using Bluetooth and iSync.
• Getting connected to broadband service in Montreal, 2004.08.27. McGill only offers Internet access to those in student housing. time to look at other broadband providers.
• Whether you're running OS 9 or X, bad RAM can crash your Mac, 2004.08.20. If your Mac starts having problems after a memory upgrade, bad RAM is the most likely culprit.
• Low cost photo scanning and image editing on your Mac, Apple Archive, 2004.08.13. Whether working with new shots or old photos, scanning and tweaking them on your Mac doesn't have to cost much.
• Switch to a digital camera, stick with film, or use both?, 2004.08.06. Sometimes a digital camera is the right solution, but other times a film camera is the more sensible choice.
• How should Apple respond to Real's iPod hack?, 2004.07.30. Apple may not like Real's Harmony Technology, but could there be ways for Apple to turn it to their benefit?
• The iPod goes back to basics, 2004.07.23. Smaller and less costly, the 4th generation iPod's best feature is the restored simplicity of the original iPod.
• How long is the useful life of a laptop computer?, 2004.07.16. Threee years? Ten years? How long can you expect to keep using a laptop before you consider it obsolete or wear it out?
• Sony just doesn't get it - the digital Walkman can't compete with the iPod, 2004.07.12. The digital Walkman has enough drawbacks that is simply won't be able to go head-to-head with Apple's market-leading iPod.
• Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) looks promising, but what about the little stuff?, 2004.07.07. The Dashboard, Spotlight, and RSS Safari sound like winners, but there are several parts of OS X that could use a tweak or two.
• How to listen to your iPod on your car stereo even if you don't own a BMW, 2004.06.23. It's nice that some recent BMWs support the iPod, but what about all those other cars and trucks on the road?
• Apple launches iTunes Europe, but where are the indie labels?, 2004.06.18. iTunes users in France, Germany, and the UK can download music from the Big Five labels, but not offering tunes from the indies will hurt Apple.
• Cell phones, AOL Instant Messaging, and the Mac: Not a good combo, 2004.06.04. "In the Windows version, you can enable or disable a mobile device right from the preferences box. But if you're using a Mac, you have to go through AOL's confusing website...."
• They can take your personal information, but they can't take you, 2004.05.28. "...while people can steal your credit card numbers and social security numbers over the Internet, they can't steal your personality."
• Less frequent major OS X uprades: Good or bad for Mac users?, 2004.05.21. Less frequent upgrades should mean a more stable OS and reduced long-term expense for Mac users.
• Another year, another OS X update - How about a price break?, 2004.05.14. Apple should reward loyalty and give discounts based on how many times we've paid to upgrade OS X in the past.
• A better portable solution: Bluetooth instead of wires, 2004.05.10. Bluetooth has the potential to replace many wired connections, reduce cable clutter, and make portable computing more user friendly.
• How to beat iTunes copy restricions legally, 2004.05.03. Want to avoid the ten copies per playlist or five authorized computer limits of iTunes 4.5? Avoid the iTunes Music Store.
• Windows PCs seem to break a lot, but Macs just keep working, 2004.04.23. Adware, spyware, viruses, Trojans, registry corruption - so many things can take down a Windows PC.
• Macs, the virus scare, and safe computing, 2004.04.16. "...full time antivirus software really isn't necessary on any platform, as long as you take the proper precautions."
• Media players for OS 9 and X: The good, the slow, and the ugly, 2004.04.09. Competition has given us QuickTime, Windows Media Player, and Real Player, but some are better than others.
• Upgrading to AIM 4.7: Two steps back, 2004.04.02. One step forward, but bigger windows and reduced performance makes it more of a downgrade.
• One area where Microsoft's standard is a good thing, 2004.03.26. By using a consistent file format since Word 97, Microsoft has made their .doc files a de facto industry standard.
• The video iPod, Apple's next logical step, 2004.03.19. Adding the ability to store images and video on a color display could also pave the way for an iMovie Store.
• Nice as they are, PowerBooks still have some room for improvement, 2004.03.12. Heat, battery life, and squeaky hinges are some of the things Apple should try to fix in the next generation PowerBook.
• What's more important, physical screen size or screen resolution?, 2004.03.05. Why display resolution is much more important than physical size for most users.
• What gets bigger as it gets smaller? The hard drive, 2004.02.27. Remember those old 20 MB 5.25" hard drives? The iPod Mini stores a whole lot more on a drive so small that it can be used in a Compact Flash slot.
• Migration issues in moving from a Beige G3 to a Blue and White, 2004.02.20. Using an older printer and a SCSI scanner, ejecting a CD, and dealing with a system freeze.
• Stepping up from a Beige G3 to Blue and White,, 2004.02.16. Why it was time to upgrade, benefits of the newer computer, and troubles caused by the Rev. 1 motherboard.
• Panther, Virtual PC 6.1, and cheap Windows computers, 2004.01.30. When you have to use Windows software, sometimes Virtual PC is your best choice, other times it's a low-cost Windows PC.
• Macs last and last, but what about Apple monitors?, 2004.01.23. Old Mac monitors were built like tanks, but more recent ones seem to have more limited lifespans.
• iPods and Dells and the Apple Store, oh my, 2004.01.16. Getting an iPod working with a Windows machine isn't quite the plug-and-play Mac users are used to.
• The colored iPodMini, iLife '04, and prospects for GarageBand, 2004.01.09. Do the iPodMini and iLife '04 offer enough to entice users to ante up for the new products?

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