MacNotables #840 [52:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The MacNotables team of Adam and Tonya Engst and Chuck Joiner hit the road, virtually, to visit the Huntsville Macintosh Users Group. What’s new is that this was a video session, and even better, we captured it for you to enjoy. Adam and Tonya Engst answer questions about their attempts to make the Take Control books available to the visually challenged, why to upgrade (or not) to Leopard on older Macs, some server challenges, their pair of brand new MacBooks, and more.

(Due to a technical issue, the video goes into watercolor mode later in the show, but the audio is unaffected.)

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 MacNotables #839 [56:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus has been spending some quality time with Apple’s new MacBook Pro, and has some thoughts on the new feature set. Bob provides his impressions of the glossy LED screen, the glass trackpad and the unibody construction. Bob reviews the benefits of the graphics systems, and has some advice on how to configure your new MacBook Pro with RAM and drive space, and what else you might want to get to complete the package.
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 MacNotables #838 [33:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Dennis Sellers joins host Chuck Joiner for a free-form conversation about all the Mac news that is news at a time when things are usually quieting down. Dennis provides his thoughts on rumors and Apple’s apparent lack of interest in enforcing silence, the ad duel between Microsoft and Apple, and the MacBook’s lack of FireWire. Chuck and Dennis also discuss some of the silly analyst thinking that is going on, Apple’s financial results, and the case against an $800 Mac laptop.
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 MacNotables #837 [52:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ted Landau is back and describes his experiences traveling with the iPhone and MacBook Pro in Japan. Ted discusses the realities of the high price of phone calls, the higher prices of data usage (unless you play AT&T’s game), an amazing lack of WiFi access and more. Tech myths, cheap electronics, $100 cantelopes and more are all part of Ted’s tech adventures, along with some Apple Store experiences and Macworld Expo predictions. Read the rest of this entry »

 

 MacNotables #836 [57:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tonya Engst discusses some new changes and enhancements that are in store for Take Control ebook owners and customers. The pace of change in the Apple product and software world is increasing, and even the regularly updated Take Control books can’t always keep up. Tonya talks about how they will be delivering online supplements to Take Control titles that go beyond their current update, updating the production process to address their current and future plans to make Take Control books available on many different mobile platforms and more.

Tonya then turns her attention to Apple’s announcement of new MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops, the feature sets of each model, and why she will soon be the owner of a new MacBook.

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 MacNotables #835 [47:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Riding the financial rollercoaster that has been Wall Street, The MacNotables discuss the slide in Apple’s stock price and why it isn’t reflective of facts or Apple’s present and future. Hint: there will be iPods in plenty of holiday stockings. After solving that problem, the panel moves on to deliver the final word on the issues surrounding the rejection of applications in the App Store. What Apple’s doing, why they may be doing it, and what they need to to do fix the situation are reviewed by the panel of:

Adam Engst	Dan Frakes	Jason Snell	Chuck Joiner

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 MacNotables #834 [24:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Planning a trip? You can ease your security checkpoint time by investing in a “checkpoint friendly laptop bag…or can you? Dan Frakes talks about what the Transportation Safety Assocation (TSA) is trying to accomplish with their new bag guidelines, and how the popular media have missed some of the most important points. Dan explains why, even with a checkpoint friendly bag, there are no guarantees and aren’t going to be in the near future, and some alternatives to help protect your laptop when you have to take it out for inspection.
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 MacNotables #832 [40:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Macworld Senior Editor Christopher Breen tantalizes us with what he thinks we will and won’t see at Apple’s September 9 “Let’s Rock” special event in the way of iPods. A new widescreen iPod nano? An enhanced iPod Classic? New features for the iPod touch? Chris talks about the viability of all of these, why more features dictate performance compromises, and his thoughts on what should happen to iTunes to make it a bit more approachable. Not just an iPod guy, Chris also talks about his newest title from lynda.com that covers MacOS X 10.5 Leopard “Beyond the Basics,” and some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of producing a top-notch training video. On a more personal note, Chris also shares some news about personal acquisitions, and why we may soon introduce him as a banjo hero (yes, *banjo* hero).
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 MacNotables #831 [41:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It isn’t often that Andy Ihnatko lets his guard down and talks seriously about his methods, his mindset and his career. This is one of those rare times. Andy discusses “new media” and why it really isn’t that new, how the current political process is being affected by new media (or vice versa), and what being a journalist really means. How “Max Headroom” predicted the current state of journalism, why he feels teaching is part of his mission, and how the many new media options increase his reach are included in Andy’s comments, along with some advice for young people who are contemplating journalism as a career.

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 MacNotables #830 [41:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

After a few weeks of evaluations, Mac troubleshooting expert Ted Landau shares his conclusions on some of Apple’s latest offering. Ted provides his thoughts on MobileMe and what it delivers to both individuals and the enterprise market, covers the iPhone’s battery life, and discusses the iPhone 2.0 software’s stability. Just in case you think all the news isn’t good, Ted also tells us about some of his favorite things about the state of the iPhone, and how it stacks up against the compeition. (Hint: there is no competition.)
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