MacVoices Video

Jim Dalrymple made a surprise virtual appearance at The Hershey Apple Core user group, and took on a wide variety of subjects, including the iOS 5 launch, the state of things at RIM (big surprise), the hacking (yet again) of Sony, why the Kindle Fire will sell, Audible dropping in-app purchases, and his first meeting with Steve Jobs. (Yes, there were problems with the first few minutes of the video, but what happens after the video comes on is worth it.)

Joe Kissell, fresh off a relocation in Paris, talks about his new place before explaining why his latest Take Control book, Take Control of Backing Up Your Mac, combines and updates several previous titles, and why it was time for the change. Joe takes us through how changes in the Mac OS and technology in general have affected backup strategy and design, some of the options that have fallen from favor, and why. The new book is for the person who wants to be told what to do, and also for those who want to explore the many alternatives available. Joe explains how he accomplishes the mix and outlines his current preferred backup methods.

Adam Engst and Chuck Joiner recently appeared via iChat at the Portland Macintosh User Group's September meeting to discuss how Apple will fare after Steve Jobs' resignation as CEO and Lion's first month performance. Along the way, Adam covers his move from Eudora, why he really doesn't really use the Mac OS, the end of the desktop metaphor and why Star Trek tech is "clunky."

Joe Kissell has been living with OS X 10.7 Lion for some time now, and shares some of the bleeding-edge wisdom from his new book, Take Control of Upgrading to Lion v1.1. Whether you plan to install Lion immediately, or wait a few weeks for the dust to settle, Joe can help you make the transition safely and easily. We talk to Joe about what the recovery petition can and can't do, some apps that require you to do data conversions before, not after, doing the upgrade, and why you may want to plan a night out around your Lion install.

Tonya Engst saw the WWDC keynote announcements through a publisher's eyes, and shares her thoughts on what things like Reader in Safari and the NewsStand app will mean for everyone involved. TidBITS is available through a number of channels now (at least one of which we didn't know about until Tonya told us). Tonya talks about what it will mean for their distribution model, and why Apple may be able to calm the maelstrom that has been the delivery of iOS content and ebooks. Switching sides, Tonya also provides some perspective on these changes from the advertiser and consumer perspectives, names her favorite WWDC announcement, and what we will remember about iOS 5 in the distant future.

Michael E. Cohen has added to the Take Control library with Take Control of TextExpander. Michael describes his transition from an author on a project to a TextExpander fan, then covers some of the features that make TextExpander appropriate for users of all levels, needs big and small. Able to handle not just text, but graphics, AppleScripts, Unix command line scrips and more, TextExpander can help you get your work done faster. Michael steers us through some real-world examples, talks about the iDevice version of the program, TextExpander touch, and what readers can expect to get from the book.

Joe Kissell is back to cover another in his trilogy of Mac performance books, this time covering the newest revision to Take Control of Troubleshooting Your Mac. Things keep getting more complex, so your troubleshooting skills have to match. Joe discusses how his own experiences drove this revision, how he selects what topics to cover, and why it is important to learn how to think like a troubleshooter. To get started, Joe talks about corrupt pref files, Time Machine problems and why running Disk Utility isn't necessarily the second thing to do when a problem arises.

In what turns out is the third book in a trilogy of Mac performance information, Joe Kissell has released Take Control of Speeding Up Your Mac. While it didn't start out as a series, this book joins Take Control of Troubleshooting Your Mac and Take Control of Maintaining Your Mac to help you get and keep the best performance possible on your Mac. Joe explains how he applies the scientific approach to the subject, and makes the techniques accessible to both geeks and non-geeks alike. Hardware, software, defragmentation and off-the-shelf maintenance utilities are just some of the points covered in this discussion, and are only a small sample of what is in what might be Joe's most important book yet.

Mark Fuccio is off on a new adventure, helping tech start-ups...start up. There are many challenges facing anyone trying to bring a product, hardware or software, to market. Mark discusses some of those, including determining the right price, finding funding through a variety of sources, and some of the pitfalls that are and are not obvious. He shares his thoughts on the Kickstarter model, and covers how his new company, Tactics will offer consulting on all of this and more. If you have a product or even just an idea, you'll want to hear Mark's thoughts on your next step.

Jeff Gamet caused some confusion during a recent MacJury appearance when he revealed that he had adopted a Google-free lifestyle, and we wanted to get to the bottom of it. Jeff explains what he meant by his comment, what Google apps he has removed from his Macs, and what pushed him to do it. Jeff and host Chuck Joiner also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of keeping your data in the cloud, and whether it is time to start rationing your bandwidth.

A look at the versatility that makes the Case Genius for iPad by ZooGue an excellent choice.

Karelia Software just released the latest version of their web publishing software Sandvox 2, and Dan Wood is anxious to show it off. In a discussion that is part interview, part screencast, Dan demonstrates just how easy it is to build a gorgeous, sophisticated web site in minutes, all without catching even a glimpse of HTML (unless you want to). Don't let the clean, sleek exterior fool you. Sandvox 2 has plenty of horsepower under the hood, and can handle audio and video files with drag-and-drop ease, embeds from YouTube and other video services with ease, and all of the social network niceties that are required in today's web publishing environment. Find out all that Sandvox has to offer, who it is best suited for and more.

Bob "Dr. Mac" LeVitus is back to catch us up with his two latest books, Incredible iPad Apps For Dummies and iPad For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)), tell us about why some apps are great no matter how new or old they are and names some favorites and some classics. Bob also talks about his upcoming user group appearances in his Mid-Atlantic MUG Tour.

Jeff Carlson has been busy updating his Take Control of iPad Media to the second edition, and talks about the changes iOS 4.3, Airplay and the iPad 2 have brought to Apple's tablet. If you want to get the most from your iPad 1 or iPad 2, find out how new and optimized tools for media conversion, key apps and the evolution of the platform has made it an even more capable and useful device.

Steve Sande has updated his Take Control of iWeb '09 to version 1.1 to reflect the changes and additions to Apple's web publishing program, even though it didn't get a full update in iLife '11. Steve talks about where iWeb is and where it is going. Even if you don't plan to use it as your main web authoring solution, iWeb '09 has a place in your toolkit. New additions from both Apple and third parties have upped iWeb's game; find out how you can get more out of the program under Steve's guidance.