Apple launches App Store, mostly exciting...

Today Apple launched the much-anticipated App Store that offers users an iTunes-like venue in which to purchase some current and upcoming application titles. The idea is simple and brilliant - put software in a familiar, intuitive  and downloadable arena and users will flock to the water hole. That seems to be happening, so far.


If you use iTunes, then the App Store layout will be more than familiar with Top Paid and Top Free apps running down the right and side and top new titles in a slideshow-like window at the top. There also New and Noteworthy titles, Staff Favorites, etc.

Apple Magic Mouse review

After waiting over a week for the Apple Magic Mouse to arrive, I finally received it over the weekend and had the opportunity to start working with it a few days ago. And in that time I've concluded that for the non-gamer it just might be the best mouse ever designed.

What makes the Magic Mouse so much better than its predecessor, the Mighty Mouse, is, well, everything.

In the previous rendition Apple added sensitivity to the click "buttons" and eliminated the actual need for an independent button for each side of the mouse.

That same philosophy carries over to the Magic Mouse with the entire device being really a single clicking button. The sensitive technology is still built in and though there are a few little hiccups that do carry over from its Mighty brother, the device overall is much better built and with a significantly more redefined sensitivity system.

Let's talk about the little issues that do carry over from the first generation all white mouse. For starters, as I've mentioned, there is only a single clicking surface. The mouse uses touch sensitivity to identify the intended task, e.g. the left or right click function. The one drawback of this - if it can be defined as such - is that for right-handed users you must raise your index finger in order to right click with your middle finger. If you don't the unit cannot distinguish your command and if anything will usually default to the standard left button click.

The mouse is ambidextrous programmable and because of its symmetrical design it is identical in use for both the left and right and, just tell the program (under system preferences) your desired orientation.

The mouse loses the twin side click surfaces found on the previous mouse. My opinion on that is - Thanks! They always activated undesirable features of the OS because I would accidentally grab them while working on a project or surfing the web. I finally deactivated those controls in the preferences menu. If you liked that feature, more power to you, but if you want the Magic you have to sacrifice that feature of the Mighty.

Though the most notable feature of the new mouse is the touch sensitivity, which I will discuss in a moment, one of the best features that I think new users will notice is the improved bottom design. The bottom is now almost entirely aluminum and smaller. The on off switch is very simple and the green light gives a clear indication of the connection - or lack there of. All of these nice design features out of the way however, and you'll notice what I think is one of the best features of this mouse - the sled base.

The previous base glided, and sometimes stuck, on a glossy plastic ring that ran the circumference of the mouse base. This would easily get covered in dirt and grime and you'd have to scrape it of with you nail or other hard instrument. Even then it never really "glided" to me.

The magic mouse rests on a pair of sled-like skis. These provide much smoother motion in my opinion and are better suited for extended use.

I have not idea if Apple redesigned the optical guide or not, but it seem more accurate and responsive.

Finally, we come to the touch sensitivity feature and the best feature not on the Magic mouse at all. The most improved feature of the mouse is without question the track ball. The previous version did let you do 360 degree navigation, but the ball would easily become dirty over time and it was virtually impossible to clean because Apple didn't make it user cleanable. I had both a wired and Blutooth version of the Mighty Mouse and both of them ran into this problem. One of them - the wired version - finally quit scrolling up all together.

The Magic Mouse eliminates this problem by incorporating Apple's touch technology to the mouse surface. Just like an iPhone or iPod Touch or the newer track pads on the MacBooks, the surface can respond to finger gestures. The sensitivity works effortlessly and is superb in both internet browsing and visual applications like iPhoto and Photoshop.

You will likely use it most often for scrolling up and down internet pages and for browsing through photos (left and right flicks), but you can also navigate around a large page or photo by simply directing your finger along the top of the surface. In addition, you can two finger flick to progress forward and back through pages in a single navigation window (i.e. you can two finger flick from right to left to view the previous page instead of clicking the "Back" button). You can also use the two finger gesture in other applications, but I find it really unnecessary at this time. Also, depending on your finger dexterity, you might actually find this task slightly complicated. Unlike a laptop track pad that stays still, allowing you to raise and lower your hand as a whole, you have to hold the mouse while doing it. I typically control the mouse with my thumb and little finger with my ring finger resting. When I try to two-finger flick, it is not exactly comfortable and the results can be interesting - depending on use - if you're not great at it like me.

So, if your a hand gymnast then you'll love this feature, but the two-finger flick is not my favorite part of the mouse and I rarely use it. Overall though, the scroll functionality is awesome, though sensitive and can cause unwanted moving in Photoshop at full screen or on the web.

In summary, the Magic Mouse is a more than worthy upgrade from the often problematic Mighty Mouse. The setup and functionality are very easy and the touch interface is incredibly useful and leave no more worry about dirt getting in the guide toggle. If you prefer more of an organic design with a higher rise to rest your palm or are a gamer who wants lots of buttons or a massive track ball, then look elsewhere. If you want a simple, elegant and well designed mouse that is likely to be maintanance free then the Apple Magic Mouse just might be for you.

Wacom Intuos4 review

I have been using a Wacom Intuos3 medium size graphics tablet for several years now. I have long been a fan of the benefits that the tablet provides, namely the pen/paper ergonomics for a more natural editing approach that a mouse, or worse, a track pad simply cannot duplicate.

The new Intuos4 offers more sensitivity, an elegant charcoal gray finish, illuminated task button indicators, a navigation wheel and convenient ambidextrous layout, an improved pen holder with multiple tips housed within and a thinner overall footprint.

The most notable improvement is the button layout and indicator lights. Previously, you had to remember which button did what and there were only four really. There where eight total, but only four could be used by the free hand on the appropriate side of the tablet while the other hand did the pen work. The new model offers eight buttons all on the same side of the device and the blue lit LEDs to the right of each button tell you what that button is designated for - a very helpful feature. The illumination can be adjusted to four different levels of brightness ranging from off to fully bright - also a great feature.

Images are from Wacom. Click on any image to go to the Wacom website.

The other thing missing from the previous generation is the touch sensitive slide groove that zoomed in and out of images and up and down pages and the like. It has been replaced by a rotary dial with a center select wheel. This not only zooms in and out of images, but also acts as a jog dial when accessing extended options with some of the other button sets. For example, in Photoshop CS4, when you select the first of the four jog indicator lights (there are four), the scroll wheel zooms in and out of the image. When you select the last jog dial indicator light, the scroll wheel rotates the image. The wheel is touch sensitive and does not actually move. The wheel also scrolls up and down on web pages. Each of the settings is fully customizable as is the touch sensitivity and speed.

I use the default settings, but the buttons are customizable to a wide variety of settings. The default are a question mark which gives you a heads up display on the computer monitor of the button configurations. The second button down brings up a virtual navigation menu on the monitor that features options for "command," "www", "media" and "e-mail". These will give you quick access to some of the most used sources on your computer. The latter three are pretty straight forward, but the Command feature might not be. It basically gives you quick access to features like save, cut, paste, undo, etc. Personally I don't use this button. I prefer keyboard shortcuts, well, on the keyboard.

The next button down is "Precision Mode" followed by "Display Toggle". The former, when activated, makes for more precise and less figity movements on-screen. This can help tremendously when drawing or outlining in a graphics program as it slows down the pointer for more control. This function only works while holding down the button and is not designed for prolonged use - it would tremendously slow down your work flow.

The later is a toggle that can be used when using multiple displays. This is hugely beneficial. If you have ever worked with multiple displays you know that the Wacom mapping stretches both screens by default. So, if you are working on a large display for example and want to move over to a palate on another screen, you could drag all the way back and forth. This can cause problems because you effectively change the range of motion when you spread the mapping over two monitors. The Toggle button can jump your mapping between screens and eliminates this problem. working on one display and want to access tools on another, just hit the button and the mapping jumps over to the other monitor. Press it again to jump back. The previous version might have offered something a little similar, but I never used it and it certainly was not this simple.

Below the wheel is another set of four function buttons that default to your most used options: shift, option, command (Apple) and move (hand). I leave my tablet to the default setting (but increased the brightness of the LEDs all the way up) and I have no problems with the standard setup. If you are used to the previous version the button layout will take a little getting used to, but will be better - I think you'll find - in the long run.

Other differences are in the actual sensitivity area. The surface is more of a matte finish and less smooth and glossy than the previous version - which I really liked. It might take some getting used to and I'd recommend trying all of the different pen tips to figure out which is best for you. I found that the standard black tip works best for me. You get on in the pen itself and five replacements. It also comes with three gray tips, one spring-loaded white tip and a slightly rubberized tip. They fit conveniently in the base of the pen holder so they wont get lost and the tip removal tool is there as well.

The pen is excellent and is over an inch shorter than the previous pen. The grip is not as slick as the version 3 pen and provides a more secure fit. The pen is fully customizable as well when it comes to the buttons and the grip cover. The Intuos4 also comes with a variety of ring colors that can be added to the tip area of the pen. This not only gives a color splash, but if you purchase additional pens and keep each supplied with a different tip, then you could color code which pen is which. Just a thought.

The unit also includes a mouse, but I never use it. It functions much like a normal mouse on the Wacom surface. I prefer just using the pen for everything or using my Apple Magic Mouse. I put mine back in the box.

Moving back to the tablet, there are a few other features that many users will really like. For one, the USB cord is REMOVABLE! On the Intuos three, you could not do this and had to wrap the cord around the tablet when you wanted to transport it. The new version is completely separate and you plug it in when you need it. Another great feature is the ability to choose your USB connection port. The tablet has two separate USB outlets that are selected by sliding a trap door up or down to reveal the appropriate port. This is excellent since right and left-handed users can now have the SAME tablet set up. For example, right-handed users will place the buttons and scroll wheel to the left and select the upper right USB port and choose the right-handed option in the system preferences menu. For left-handed users it's the opposite. The buttons are to the right and switching the trap door now allows the USB cord to be at the top on the left side of the unit. Selecting left-handed use from the preferences menu will tell the tablet to flip the LED icons properly.

Overall this is an exceptional tablet and superior in every way to the Intuos3. Does that make the previous version obsolete? Absolutely not. But it does make jumping to the newer version more worth the investment. At $350-400 for the medium size unit, the Wacom tablets are by no means cheap, but if you've never used one and do any type of photographic retouching or graphics work, you'll quickly wonder how you every worked without one. If you have an aging Intuos3 and are considering the upgrade, it is, in my opinion very much worth the cost. If you have no issues with your current unit and don't need the increase sensitivity or the increase button layout, then stick with what you have.

Conclusion: This is a wonderful accessory that is simply a must-have for professional photographers and graphic designers. It's feature set is the most complete of any tablet I've ever worked with and there are no drawbacks to mention save the slight difference in surface texture - which you get used to. The medium version is the perfect size for most users and the unit quickly pays for itself through precise selections and time saved. I wholeheartedly recommend the Wacom Intuos4 series graphics tablet.