While those in the professional Mac community often enjoy industry-standard content creation tools provided by powerful programs like Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Motion, and Logic Pro— there are also many Mac users in the educational arena who have long reaped the benefits of easy to use, intuitive and powerful educational software made by Apple.

Apple has long prided itself in the educational community, offering solutions for both educators and students alike for over 25 years. Because of their continued effort to produce fun yet powerful software like the iLife suite of applications, it’s no surprise that recently a group of 10 year-olds from schools in New South Wales, Australia have been producing some extraordinary material.

Recently The MacCast received a letter by Paul Meldrum, Senior Education Officer of the Catholic Schools Office, in Broken Bay. Paul wanted to write and let us in on the incredible work of the students of New South Wales.
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So you are all aware by now of the debate that Apple has opened up through their recent legal wrangling with the folks over at Podcast Ready (in case you missed it, you can catch up here). Now many people, myself included, had felt that Apple was getting a bit heavy handed in it’s quest to protect it’s iPod and related trademarks. The main source of debate seems to come when you ask the question, “Is Apple attempting to trademark ‘podcast'”? After reading the letters sent to Podcast Ready by Apple, which are posted on the Podcast Ready web site, my personal opinion is that Apple does seem to be objecting to the use of Podcast in the Podcast Ready name, but does not object to it’s use as a “descriptive term”. A quote from one the the letters reads:

“While Apple, of course, has no general objection to the proper use of the descriptive term “podcast” as part of a trademark for goods and services offered in the podcasting field, it cannot allow marks that go beyond this legitimate use and infringe on Apple’s rights in POD and IPOD“.

As near as I can tell, Podcast Ready has two applications at the US Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO) for the term “Podcast Ready”. One is a service mark (Serial number, 78813822) which Apple has no objection to and the other is a trademark (Serial number, 78761085) which is the one Apple is opposing. Now I don’t understand this from a legal perspective, but I think the basic argument is that Apple is OK with the term “podcast” being applied to services, but has chosen to go after any marks where the term “podcast” is applied to a physical product. The Podcast Ready trademark application is for, “Portable listening devices, namely, MP3 players”. Where Apple is choosing to make this distinction seems to be a fine line and one that has sparked a heated debate in the podcasting community.
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Recently, we let you know about the availability of a new armband for your iPod nano. I received a set of the Sweats in the mail and wanted to let the MacCast community know how they worked out.
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Many people nowadays are turning to laptops for their main systems, not only due to the power that is now available in these mobile machines, but also because it offers a very versatile set-up. Not having to look after two systems is very nice and the ability to connect your laptop up to an external display, gives you the best of both worlds.

Storage whilst on the move is very handy, but when your laptop comes with maybe only 60Gb of internal storage you may not have enough. When your mobile storage needs expand your only option is to either get a larger hard drive installed (often an expensive option) or invest in an external device. This is where the Lacie MobileDrive comes into play. It offers you 80Gb or 100Gb (as reviewed here) of external storage in a very neat package. This unit is very nicely styled, sleek curves to the front and no protruding feet to catch on things. It is small enough to easily fit into a large coat pocket or a normal bag pocket alongside your laptop. It does not feel cheap either, despite its’ very competitive price tag.
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If you haven’t been notified by software update already, Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.8 Update is now available for download, and offers a variety of enhancements, fixes and features for both PPC and Intel Mac users.

According to Apple, the update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies:

– Connecting to wireless networks using the EAP-FAST protocol
– Apple USB modem reliability
– Using OpenType fonts in Microsoft Word
– Compatibility with 3rd party USB hubs
– Scanner performance
– RAW camera support
– Printing documents with Asian language names
– Performance of the Translation widget
– Broadband network performance
– Security updates

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Publisher: Microsoft
Software Version: 6.0
Price: FREE
Processor: Universal (Intel/PPC)
More Information: Microsoft Messenger 6.0

Today, Microsoft released a new version of their instant messaging app, Messenger, version 6.0. This version brings Intel based Mac support as a universal binary, and packs a other new and notable features:
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Just as we suspected… Software Update just alerted me to the availablity of iTunes 7.0.1. According to the note it says, “iTunes 7.0.1 addresses stability and performance issues with Cover Flow, CD importing, iPod syncing, and more.”. So what are you waiting for, go grab it and let me know what is fixed and what isn’t.

To get iTunes 7.0.1 , just run Software Update or you can get it here. The update requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, or Windows 2000/XP.

Update: CoverFlow now seems to scream on my Dual Core Mac Mini. Anyone else?

Podcasters who use the Mac are very familiar with Rogue Amoeba‘s respected Audio Hijack Pro utility, which provides an excellent interface for recording Skype calls, iChat sessions, and similar internet communications applications directly to audio files. Once those streams are stored safely on disk, the next logical step is to edit captured audio to construct a completed program. Rogue Amoeba is positioning its new Fission utility as a lightweight audio editor capable of editing MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless and AIFF audio files. A typical application might include cutting and splicing files, but one very nice feature is the ability to produce a smooth crossfade between regions. Crossfades are used in audio editing to produce a smooth transition between audio events, and help prevent awkward splices and annoying audio pops when making transitions.

Rogue Amoeba notes that Fission can also be used to break up long audio recordings, create ringtones, and remove unwanted portions from audio files. Fission costs USD$32.00 direct from Rogue Amoeba’s online store. Existing users of Audio Hijack Pro can upgrade for USD$18.00 and both programs can be purchased together in a software bundle for USD$50.00. Fission 1.0 is released as a Universal Binary and a trial version is available for download at http://www.rogueamoeba.com/fission/download.php.

For many years now I have been a fan (and user) of LaCie hard drives. They have always proved to be reliable, the build quality is superb and if you ever need to ask them a question, support is very good too. So, I was please to learn that on September 12th LaCie announced increased capacities for it’s LaCie Hard Drives Design by F.A. Porsche. To quote from their press release, “New drives reach a phenomenal 500GB in a small, sleek case created exclusively for LaCie by the renowned agency Porsche Design GmbH. Exhibiting world-class style and elite performance, LaCie Hard Drives Design by F.A. Porsche allow people to easily add massive storage to a desktop computer. New USB drives are shipping now, and FireWire drives ship in October.”

LaCie Senior Product Manager Olivier Mirloup said, “LaCie’s awarded Design by F.A. Porsche hard drives are quiet, easy to carry and stack, and now have some of the largest capacities available at a low price per gigabyte. These drives are the fastest, easiest way to add storage to your computer, making room for lots of additional video, audio and music files. And our 1-Click Backup Software simplifies data protection.”

LaCie Hard Drives Design by F.A. Porsche offer the choice of a USB or FireWire interface for use with Windows, Mac OS or Linux. Cables are included for immediate use. Drives are durable and lightweight for transporting from one machine to another, and multiple drives can be stacked thanks to secure rubber feet underneath.

I hope to bring you a full review of a Lacie offering very soon.

Link to the new Lacie 500Gb Hard Drive.

To say I feel honored is an understatement, but when I  took the new 2nd generation iPod Nano out of the shipping box my jaw dropped. The new transparent packaging is fantastic and I  now know why Steve Jobs mentioned it in his keynote. Not thinking my jaw could get any lower I  removed the Nano from it’s packaging and was once again amazed at how much sleeker it felt than the previous generation.

This is the first review where I  just felt that I  wanted to give you two pages (or more) of high resolution photographs. They say “a picture is worth a thousand words” and with the new Nano those words could not be more fitting. The case of the Nano is now all anodized aluminum and is so nice to touch, a real smooth feel, no worries about fingerprints either, which is fantastic news. Colors have been introduced with the 2Gb model being available in silver only, the 4Gb version available in silver, green, blue and pink, and the new higher capacity 8Gb model in a sexy black. All have this wicked metallic look.
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