Mac Edition Radio

Mac Edition Radio produces reviews and news stories about the latest technologies, digital imaging, music, & photography.

Review – X-Rite ColorChecker Passport

When I first saw X-Rite's ColorChecker Passport under NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) last fall, I honestly wasn't quite sure what made it that different from other similar tools. After all, X-Rite already had an arsenal of respected color test targets that had recently been optimized for the demands of digital photography. The ColorChecker Passport itself is very handy design - a small set of three test areas in a small, easily pocketed black plastic case, slightly larger than a deck of cards, but much thinner, containing three interior panels. But, the magic wasn't in the plastic, but in the software's interaction with those targets. It runs on Mac OSX and Windows, with full integration with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. If you are serious about color in digital photography, then this extended review is for you!

Harris Fogel, Posted 7/8/2010, updated 9/10/2010

Review – Lexmark Platinum Pro905 and Prestige Pro805 Inkjet Printers

Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show Lexmark introduced a new printer product line that promised something other companies didn’t dare. Did it have wireless printing? Did it have the ability to connect to the Internet? Was it programmable? Was there a color touch screen on the front panel? Was it able to print on a variety of media? Was it able to sheet feed, make copies, PDFs, and send faxes? The answer to all of the above is “Yes”! So what is so daring? A guaranteed low cost for ink! Read more for our full review.

Harris Fogel, Posted 11/10/2010

Olympus' Micro Four Thirds Camera Line Grows by a Third with Sally Smith Clemens – Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas 2010

Olympus introduced the E-3 Digital SLR camera in late 2007 as a successor to their flagship E-1 camera introduced several years earlier in 2003, and in 2008 came the introduction of E-30 with it's unique Art Filters, and in 2009 came the introduction of the Micro Four Thirds format and cameras. In this interview with Sally Smith Clemens of Olympus we learn what the priorities were in the design of the new camera format, and new technologies that it introduced. In late 2009 came the first Pen E-P1, 2010 introduced the Pen E-P2, and finally at CES Olympus unveiled the E-PL1 a consumer friendly, affordable entry into the new format. Is there a Micro Four Thirds camera in your future? Olympus is betting there is! Recorded at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in January 2010 by Harris Fogel. (12.49)

Harris Fogel, Posted 7/14/2010

Noel Lee, Monster Cable’s Head Monster on the challenges posed by High Def – CES Conference 2010

Thirty years ago, a small company started selling extra thick, see-through, coated, shiny copper speaker cable that promised to make your system sound better. Most audiophiles already had their special formula for speaker cables and interconnects, but Noel Lee's introduction of his cable product to the general consumer market turned the accessory world upside down overnight. Soon, Monster Cable became synonymous with improved quality speaker cable and now the company features more than 3,000 products. But, in the digital age of HDMI, does the quality of a cable really matter? Listen to this story to hear Noel's view of the controversy. Recorded during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in January 2010 by Harris Fogel. (15:23)

Harris Fogel, Posted 7/6/2010

Review – Windows 7 – Redmond Strikes Back! Take That Mac Guy!

Have you ever been curious about what it would be like to join the dark side? Is it still the dark side? Or, in simpler terms, to become a Windows user after a lifetime of being a Mac user? Well, using an HP Pavilion Dv6 Artist Edition 2 laptop, we started with a preloaded version of Windows Vista Home Premium and crossed over to Windows 7 Ultimate. We kept track of our experience and this is our comprehensive review of Windows 7 from a Mac user's point of view. Read on to find out if a Mac Gal and Mac Guy could be happy as a PC Guy!

Thomas Fogel with additional reporting by Nancy Burlan, Posted 7/4/2010

AppleCare, the Apple Store, ioSafe Solo, and Time Machine Have My Back – by A. D. Coleman

In late December of 2009 I hurt my back seriously enough that I needed to take to my bed for ten days. As if to test me, Job-like, no sooner did I become ambulatory again and start to catch up on heaps of postponed work than my trusty 15" Apple MacBook Pro began presenting me with psychedelic screen displays and inexplicable system crashes. When it rains, it pours. Read on to find out what happens next!

A.D. Coleman, posted 7/2/2010

Review – Can a Blue Mikey, a Joby Gorilla, and Heather Save the Day in Scotland?

Mikey, Gorilla and Heather went with me to Scotland this spring. My accomplices were two gizmos and a mouthpiece, the last with a sweet Scottish Highlands brogue. They kept me company while waiting for the skies to reopen under the volcanic ash cloud. Can they save the day? Can two small pieces of hardware, that fit in your hand take the place of a set of much heavier, expensive, and complicated gear? Can a Mikey, Gorilla, and iPhone become your next on-the-road video and audio studio? Read more to find out!

Andy Alm, Posted 7/1/2010

Review – Sam & Max: The Penal Zone – The Freelance Police Return!

After a fifteen-year absence, Sam & Max return to the Mac! The Freelance Police's new adventure brings with it oddball characters, sidesplitting dialogue, and a very distinctive visual style. And to make things more interesting, a few new tricks are thrown into the gameplay. But can the game live up to a decade and a half's worth of expectations? Read more to find out about Telltale Games latest effort!

Thomas Fogel, Posted 7/1/2010

Review – Twelve South's BassJump Portable Subwoofer Brings Bass to your Apple Laptop!

Apple laptops are swell for a lot of uses, but the one area in which most of them fall down is audio. Their tiny little built-in speakers even at their best can't reproduce bass with any true semblance of the original bottom end leading to a tinny unconvincing sound with little musicality. Is there a fix for music lovers with an Apple laptop? Twelve South thinks so, with their new BassJump Portable Subwoofer. Read our full review to learn more!

Nancy Burlan & Harris Fogel, Posted 6/21/10

Reviews – Software –Mac Edition Radio – Holiday Guide 2009

With so many wonderful products out there, it's dang near impossible to create a list that doesn't leave out more then it leaves in, so, here is our short and incomplete list of some of Mac Edition Radio's favorite software products from 2009.

We take a look atAdobe Photoshop Lightroom 3-Beta, Microsoft Office 2008 Business Edition, BusyCal and BusySync, Synium CleanApp, FileMaker Pro 10 and Bento 3, eMedia GuitarMethod 5, Ergonis PopChar X, and TextSoap 6, with more reviews to come!

Harris Fogel, Posted 12/10/2009

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