The software you should focus on are Inkscape, Ipe, ConceptDraw, Drawit, Jfig, ZeusDraw, Nodebox, Scribus and SK1. All of these offer Mac versions.

Check out the review here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Vector Graphics Program Rundown

[image courtesy of Apple]

Apple recently began shipping its new 24″ LED display. Macworld reviewed the display and gave it a 4 out of 5 rating.

The new display currently has a limited audience, it being owners of the new aluminum MacBooks and the the new MacBook Pros. Both of which sport the new Mini DisplayPort.

Since the new display is using LED panels, startup or warm-up times are faster, energy consumption less and it should last longer. The glossy screen also should give a more vibrant image although it also comes with glare.

Macworld says its strengths lie in great viewing angle, usb 2.0 connectivity and a 3 headed cable that supplies power, display and usb connectivity. The power connection will negate your needing to use the Magsafe adaptor that comes with your portable. You can keep that in your bag.

At $899, it’s not cheap. Then again Apple products aren’t meant to be cheap. If you’re a new MacBook/MacBook Pro user and you’re in the market for a new monitor to extend your desktop or just to have a bigger workspace this might be a good choice. It is pricey though but it just looks so darn good.

Here’s some unboxing pics from AppleInsider.

Post from: EveryJoe

Macworld Reviews the Apple 24″ LED Display

Scott wrote his review on the new MacBook Pro. The jist of his review says that as a whole he loves the MacBook Pro but there are some issues with the trackpad and Photoshop that are preventing him from fully embracing the MacBook Pro.

Having been able to play with a MacBook, I understand the trackpad issues. It’s a great trackpad but there are still somethings that bother me about it. It also takes a bit of getting used to.

If you’re a Photoshop user and if you are considering the new MacBook Pro, Scott Kelby’s review might be worth a read.

Post from: EveryJoe

Scott Kelby’s Thoughts On The New MacBook Pro

Together with the Air Manila sleeve, I was also loaned a Radiator case for the MacBook by a friend of mine who just bought these two. I borrowed both cases from him to do a mini-review. The review of the Air Manila can be found here.

When I found out that I was going to have a chance to look at both products I must admit I was more excited to see the Radiator than the Air Manila. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes and no.

Yes because it looks as nice in person as it is in pictures. Like the Air Manila, the Radiator is also well made and uses high quality materials. It’s rugged and offers protection for your MacBook. Although I’m not convinced it’s padded enough. It kinda also reminds me of the Panasonic Toughbook with the way it looks. It just looks tough and rugged. It’s not as big as I thought it was going to be and that’s a plus.

Another thing I liked about it was the fact that you could strap it around your neck and actually use the computer standing up. That’s cool. I tried it but after awhile it does get heavy around the neck. Still, for people who are on the field a lot and need to bring their laptops this is a great feature.

The suction cups on the inside of the case secure the top lid of the MacBook in place. When you open up the case the MacBook’s lid sticks to the case making it easier to use coz the lid doesn’t fall back.

Here comes the no part… There are some things I don’t like about it. I’m uneasy about the fact that it opens from the bottom going to the top. This is fine when you place it on the table or horizontally. I know it’s designed this way so that you can open it up going away from you when you’re using it in the standing position. However it just makes me uneasy that the zipper might open suddenly and the MacBook might fall to the ground. I know there are ways you can zip it so that it lessens the risk but then again, I don’t want to always be thinking about that.

Another thing I don’t like about it is that it’s too small. It will fit the MacBook and remote.. That’s it. nothing else. No space for the power adaptor or other accessories. It was ok for the Air Manila because it’s just a sleeve. But the Radiator is a case.

Granted there are things I don’t like about it, overall it’s still a pretty decent case. It looks really well with the black MacBook. For $57, it’s reasonable.

Check it out at the Civilian Lab web site.

[Images courtesy of Civilian Lab]

Post from: EveryJoe

Radiator: Take Your MacBook Outdoors

I just got my hands on an Air Manila Sleeve for the MacBook Air. It was loaned to me by a friend who recently bought one. This particular sleeve is manufactured by Civilian Lab. Now, a sleeve for the MacBook Air is a fairly simple product. There’s not much bells and whistles you can put on it. Rightfully so.

What it lacks in features though it makes up for in quality. The premium waterproof leather used for the sleeve gives it a sense of luxury. The padded lining gives it a sense of protection. Although I’m not sure it will completely protect the MacBook Air if dropped. It’s made of great material and very well constructed. It uses snap-on buttons to secure the lid as well as the traditional string and leather button similar to the Manila Envelopes it was patterned after.

Like the MacBook Air, this product is a no-frills but elegant product that might not be suited for all people. However if you own a MacBook Air, you’re not most people are you? This is the sleeve for you. There’s a classic elegance to the sleeve. I know it’s patterned after a simple envelope but when you add the leather material and classic design it just works.

There’s not much else I can say about this, the only downside I can see to this is that it costs $55. Quite pricey for what is essentially a padded envelope. Somehow despite that slightly high price tag, I’m still drawn to this product. I can’t imagine owning a MacBook Air and not owning this or a similar product. It’s a perfect partner to your MacBook Air.

Check out the Air Manila here.

[Images courtesy of Civilian Lab]

Post from: EveryJoe

Air Manila: A Sleeve Fit For The MacBook Air

The new MacBook Pros feature the new 45mm Penryn processors from Intel. Delivering significant increase in performance, battery life and less heat.

The MacBook Pros still feature the same design and that’s one reason why some perceive it as just a speed bump rather than an upgrade. Granted there’s the new multitouch trackpad and the new keyboard configuration. To the untrained eye it still looks pretty much the same.

In my opinion as long as the case design still works, why change it. However I agree that a redesign should be done soon. It’s going to be a tough job though as the MacBook Pro’s design is one of the best I’ve seen on portables. I’m not being biased.

Should you upgrade to the new MacBook Pros? Here’s a quote from the MacWorld article.

If you’ve been waiting to buy a new Apple laptop, or you’ve been hesitating about upgrading from your G4 PowerBook, wait no longer. The new MacBook Pros are Apple’s speediest laptops ever. The higher-end models are loaded with both system and video RAM and better L2 cache capacities, which directly affect performance. It’s disappointing to see that the Apple remote, needed to operate Front Row, now costs extra, but on balance, $20 is not a high price to pay for something that many people never use. While the 2.4GHz model is a fine value for the money, the higher-end 15-inch and 17-inch models are outstanding top-of-the-line models for any professional, artistic, scientific, or scholastic application.

My thoughts on this matter is, if you have a core 2 duo MacBook Pro, hold off until you need to upgrade. While there’s a significant speed boost unless you really are a power user, then just wait and maximize your current machine. They’re bound to upgrade it one more time this year. If you’re coming from a Powerbook then you should have upgraded a long time ago. I love the PowerBook but Intel is where it’s at right now. The speed difference is just too much of a reason to upgrade.

Go check out the review here.

Post from: EveryJoe

MacWorld Reviews New MacBook Pros

The MacBook Air is a thing of beauty, a sliver of modern sculpture you could be happy just to look at or to stroke. You may not need it, but you’ll want it; when you see it, you will.

That’s the line in an article written by Prof. Jose Dalisay Jr., Butch as he is known to most, that caught my attention the most.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting Prof. Dalisay through PhilMUG. He is one of the Philippine’s modern literary greats. Prof. Dalisay is a multiple award winning author, esteemed professor and Mac addict.

He recently replaced his aging 12″ Powerbook G4 with the newest and thinnest laptop offering from Cuppertino. Prof. Dalisay wrote a review for his column and blog about the MacBook Air. It’s not a technical review rather it’s a look at how he as an everyday user adapts to his new toy.

He titled his article “Digital Slimming” because he literally needed to trim down his files to fit it in the MacBook Air. He went down from 100 something Gigs to less than 80 GB giving him room to add more data to his MacBook Air.

We’ve been spoiled with the digital era that we keep tons and tons of data we don’t actually use. Such as thousands of photos we’ll never look at again or songs we’ll never listen to again.

Check out Prof. Dalisay’s review of the MacBook Air here. As far as I know he’s the first one here in the Philippines to get his hands on the MacBook Air.

Post from: EveryJoe

Digital Slimming: A MacBook Air Review

They were able to compare the base 1.6 Ghz 80GB version vs. the 1.8 Ghz 64GB SSD variant. The conclusion? The SSD version while fast in some aspects it was also not a big improvement in some. The .2 Ghz speed bump didn’t seem to translate into a substantial speed gain.

While the SSD is indeed faster in boot time and experiences less beach ball moments, the $1,300 price tag doesn’t seem to justify it. The base model is the most bang for the buck model.

The battery life improvements of the SSD version isn’t that much to justify the substantial increase in cost as well.

I’m trying to work out getting a demo unit of the MacBook Air, once I have a chance to play with it, I can give a more honest opinion. Right now, I’m still relying on great folks such as those from Ars to give me a preview.

Post from: EveryJoe

Ars Technica Reviews the MacBook Air

One of the recent Apple products that I got really excited about was the new Apple Wireless Keyboard. When I first saw it I was stunned. From the pictures that I saw posted on the Apple web site, it looked like it was a thing of beauty. The problem was that when Apple announced it, the keyboard wasn’t ready to be shipped it. It would take weeks before they hit the stores. So people forgot about it. Well, not me. It’s one of the products I’ve been lusting for. Thanks to my friend who recently came from a trip to the States, I got one.

It’s a thing of beauty. The pictures didn’t do it justice. I have to take my hat off to Apple they took a simple thing as a keyboard and designed the hell out of it. Not in an over-the-top kind of way but in true Apple simplicity. It’s sleek, compact, well designed and it feels like it’s really well built.

Setting it up is easy and painless. I got mine up and running in less than two minutes. It took that long coz I didn’t bother to read tha manual and put in the batteries facing the wrong way. It already came with 3 AA batteries. After sorting it out, it was just as easy as turning it on, pairing it with your computer and that’s it. You’re ready to type away.

If you’ve used a Macbook, typing on the Apple keyboard feels pretty much the same. Some people don’t like it and some do. I’m one of the people who like it very much. I miss the indentations of the regular keyboard but the soft strokes make up for it. I feel like I’m typing much faster on this keyboard rather than on my Macbook Pros keyboard.

My only complaint was that I wish they also included a backlight feature same as the one that’s found on Macbook Pros. Now that would be awesome.

A few hours into using it and I must say I’m really really happy. When I’m sitting on my desk I don’t feel like typing on my Macbook Pro’s keyboard since if have to do something I always have to move the MBP away if I need the space on my desk. Now it’s much easier. I’ve got a 19″ LCD hooked up to my MBP and my Apple Wireless Keyboard and my bluetooth mouse set up and my desk feels so much better.

So.. If you’re in the market for a new keyboard, I would really suggest you give this one a try. It’s worth the $79 I tell you!

Post from: EveryJoe

Apple Wireless Keyboard: Keystroke of Genius

Admittedly it was the picture above that got my attention. I love a clean workspace. Well because mine is a bit messy. I want a clean workspace but I can’t seem to keep it that way. Anyway, a clean workspace is even better when it has a 30″ Cinema Display on it and powered by a Mac Pro.

This is exactly what Glenn Wolsey has. Who’s Glenn? Honestly I thought he was some 30 year old computer nut who does programming or a 30 something web/graphic designer. I based this just on the looks of his workspace. I was wrong. He’s a teenager who lives in New Zealand. He also happens to love Apple. Read his profile here.

Basically he’s all praises for the Mac Pro. It was a choice between this or a 24″ iMac. He suggests that the extra dough is worth it because he can upgrade it. It will last him a longer time.  Read his full review here.  He also has a comparison between the iMac and Mac Pro and why he chose the Mac Pro. Read it here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Review: Mac Pro 2.66 Ghz