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 #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 #833 [58:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Adam Engst has just released the third edition of Take Control of Buying a Mac, and talks about what’s new and what hasn’t changed about buying a Mac since the Intel transition. Adam reviews why hard drive size isn’t important, but RAM is, and why an iMac may be your best choice. Laptop or desktop? Which laptop? Adam has the answers about where and when to buy, new or refurbished and more. If you’re about to invest in a new Mac, you need to listen to Adam’s advice and buy the book.

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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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 MacNotables #829 [35:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When Mac troubleshooting legend Ted Landau got his new new iPhone 3G, one of the first things he did was to jailbreak it. Should you? Ted talks about the two reasons you might consider jailbreaking your iPhone, whether it is a new 3G or an original Edge model, and the two categories of software that still require a jailbroken phone. What you lose (or don’t) by jailbreaking, what Ted misses from the original first round of unsanctioned iPhone apps (that no longer work with the 2.0 software), and why the incentive just isn’t there to create those programs are all part of Ted’s analysis, along with why some highly coveted features are best left to Apple to implement.

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 MacNotables #828 [45:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus has spent some time with the new iPhone 3G in preparation for his new book, and shares his thoughts on Apple’s iPhone priorities, compatibility of older iPhone accessories, and a new, must-have one. Bob also picks some of his favorite iPhone apps so far and gives some surprising advice on what protection you should or shouldn’t buy for your iPhone.

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