Specifications

www.ausom.net.au AUSOM News April 2009 v 27
Steve Cooper <[e-mail]>
Disconnected Jottings
Sweepings from the workshop floor, with an emphasis on the basics
Mac OS News
Recent updates from Apple have included
iTunes 8.1, Front Row 2.1.7, Time Capsule
and AirPort Base Station Firmware Update
7.4.1, AirPort Utility 5.4.1, iLife Support
9.0.1, AirPort Client Update 2009-001, iPhoto
8.0.1 Update, Battery Update 1.4, and Digital
Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.5.
Remember that you can see if your Mac
requires any of these by choosing Software
Update from the Apple menu at top left
of your screen, and if you'd like further
information about any such updates, you can
check <http://support.apple.com/downloads>.
Click the title of any item to see an expanded
description.
File sharing with MobileMe
Apple recently announced a new feature of
MobileMe that enables subscribers to send files
easily to friends and colleagues, in cases where
those files would be too large to transmit via
email.
The process is simple enough. Assuming that
the file of interest is not already on your iDisk,
proceed as follows:
Go to <www.me.com> and log in to your
MobileMe account.
Click the iDisk button (a folder icon on a
purple background) and then the Home
button to see the files and folders on your
iDisk.
Click the Upload button (a small upward-
pointing arrow near the centre of the
toolbar) and select the file to upload.
When the upload is complete, click to select
the file, then click the Share File button.
Enter the email addresses of the people you
wish to be able to download the file, and an
appropriate message.
Select the time period for which you'd like
to make the file available for download.
Nominate a password to allow access to
the file. (Of course, you'll need to advise
your correspondents of the password in a
separate message.)
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Click the Share button.
Your correspondents will receive an email
message containing a notification, your
message, and a Download button to retrieve
the file.
At <http://www.apple.com/mobileme/
tutorials/#idisk-share> you'll find a video
tutorial covering this new MobileMe feature.
Movies on your 'still' camera
Have you investigated the movie function on
your nominally 'still' digital camera? If not,
you should probably try it, if just to see how
well it works.
It's important to understand that in most
cases, this movie function is not intended
to substitute for a dedicated video camera,
but for quick movie 'snaps' of events that
lend themselves to this treatment you may
be pleasantly surprised, particularly if your
camera is a relatively new one.
Older cameras may operate in movie mode
only with fixed settings for lens zoom,
exposure and focus, whereas newer ones
may allow you to zoom as you shoot, with
automatic adjustment of exposure and focus
just as happens in a dedicated video camera.
Some even have stereo microphones, though
you can expect these to pick up a little
mechanical and/or electrical noise from the
camera itself.
Newer cameras will also capture a larger movie
picture with a higher frame rate — some even
offer High Definition output with surprising
quality. An increasing number offer one-
button movie activation, enabling you to grab
a quick movie 'snap' without having to fiddle
with mode selector dials and the like.
The movies are transferred to iPhoto along
with the still photos, and iPhoto displays the
movie when you double-click its thumbnail.
The most common formats for such movies
are .MOV (QuickTime) and .AVI (a PC
standard), and while iPhoto doesn't 'do' file
conversions, a minor investment in QuickTime
Pro will enable you to convert your movies
to just about any format your correspondents
may need, if the standard one doesn't suit.
•
Many
updates
this month,
topping up
the 10.5.6
pot ready for
(yes!) 10.5.7,
due soon.
MobileMe
now offers
a simple
mechanism
for sharing
large
files with
colleagues via
the Internet.
You might be
surprised by
the quality
of movies
produced
by your still
camera. The
process can
be fun, too.