Hello There Macintosh User!
If you are getting this email you have sometime been a client of mine — Thank you for your past custom!
1. MY NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: Please note that due to the imminent changing of my ISP I have a new email address. I am using Gmail and it is mrmacbyronbay@gmail.com Please change your address books accordingly…this one will run and run until Gmail falls over! Right now the thought of an online world without Google seems unlikely, but many strange things have happened in the last few internet years. You never can tell…I reckon that Gmail is the best around — which is why I’m using it, and doesn’t have the dork stigma of a Hotmail account!
2. Gmail Video Conferencing: GMail gets better and better! It now has a plug-in that lets you open a video chat like Skype or iChat but right in your Gmail browser window and anyone in your Contacts has a little green icon next to their name, click it and a window opens with your camera view and it calls them. Away you go, video conferencing with your email. But this is only if you are using Gmail in a browser like Firefox or Safari, rather than downloading the emails with Mail or Entourage. In that case use Skype.
3. Google Labs: Google Labs. Yes I know, the most successful company of the modern era is in almost every one of my updates and once again here we are. These are the technologies that the giant is working on but hasn’t yet released. You can look and often download pre-release versions for a look. Fun. http://labs.google.com
4. iPhone Apps: Facebook lets you add to your page, check messages, upload photos etc etc…Free StoryBook is an Aussie app that puts your kid’s name in the story and customises the plot to suit. For little-ies, should be fun. $2.49 CameraBag ads to the camera in the phone by letting you apply effects, filters and simulations of lenses and cameras. Enhances pictures really well and lets you output at high resolution. $3.99 Here I Am only has 1 button, it opens an email that has a link with your GPS location in it that you send to tell someone, anyone where you are. Simple and useful maybe. Free. Crayon Physics Deluxe gets raved about far and wide as a fun game and as a way to get kids hooked on physics. Many levels. $5.99
5. iPhone 3.0: Coming in the northern summer — June or thereabouts — is the latest iPhone software update just previewed. So we at last get copy and paste, forwarding text and email messages, sending pictures in text and email, better Bluetooth support etc etc. Many of these are long overdue but the beauty of the iPhone is that Apple can just write the software for anything it pleases as it is really a small computer. Over time expect to see all sorts of stuff. Video recording please… http://www.apple.com/au/iphone/preview-iphone-os
6. DropBox: Promises to synchronise your files online and across several computers and phones without any hassle! That is a big claim and it is still free, so if you need synching of several devices and don’t want to pay Apple $129 annually for MobileMe give it a try. http://www.getdropbox.com
7. Sync Your Bookmarks: Foxmarks is free syncing software that keeps your bookmarks sorted between multiple computers. It also keeps a copy on their server so you can even access them from other people’s computers! http://www.foxmarks.com
8. Babylon Translation Software: Babylon does a lot more than the free Widget translator that is built into the Mac. It is a professional translation service that adds a menu item, Translate so you can write something and then translate it right away in the word processor into any of 75 languages. It is context aware so that a word is not translated so objectively that it makes no sense! http://www.babylon.com
9. Typinator: If you write documents that use often repeated phrases, email addresses, web addresses or images you can use this application to make it easier. Works with any application and has the usual trial to see if you like it, then $40. http://www.ergonis.com/products/typinator
10. Wimpy FLV player: This is a freebie just for playing Flash Video (.flv) files which you have downloaded from YouTube or any other site using Flash, of which there are thousands. http://www.wimpyplayer.com/products/wimpy_standalone_flv_player.html
11. The Breathing Wall: A new type of media as far as I can see which is part book, part dream and part something else. Check it out when you have some time, it will reward you culturally! God knows we could do with some in this country. http://www.thebreathingwall.com
12. Safari 4 Beta: The fastest browser of all got faster! Unfortunately Apple have redesigned the interface with mixed results: you may like it but I don’t….but it is the fastest browser around at loading pages. http://www.apple.com/au/safari
13. Let Me Google That For You: LMGTFY is a simple website that can be used when people ask inane questions by email that they could have found out for themselves in the time it took to write the email! Not that I’m suggesting it ever happens to me of course. If you type the question you were asked into the regular looking Google search field and click continue, an animated cursor arrives, types in the question and the results appear. Excellent! http://lmgtfy.com
14. BSMUG: The Byron Shire Macintosh User Group (BSMUG) holds monthly meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of the month upstairs at the Mullumbimby RSL. Catering for Mac beginners as well as experienced Mac users. Visit the website and the forum for more information. http://bsmug.ozshop.net http://www.ozshop.net/ozforum/index.php
15. A Reminder of My Rates: I charge $88 per hour including GST. No call-out fee or travel charge in the Byron Shire. Half hour minimum. Telephone support costs the same in 15 minute increments. Email support is still free! Please include plenty of detail in your email inquiries! Serving the Byron Macintosh community for over 8 years. Until next time, Thank you Tommi ;>)
Mr Macintosh
Tom Hain
PO Box 1040 Byron Bay NSW 2481
6685 5504
041 840 886