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By Steve Beyer:
This app really launched to the forefront last month with a press release from Aji, LLC the makers of iAnnotate.

I will quote a portion of the press release dated August 12, 2010

Aji, LLC has just announced that their popular iPad app iAnnotate PDF will be part of the required course materials for first-year medical school students at Stanford. Apple recently announced that educational institutions will be able to buy apps in bulk through iTunes, and as part of a trial program to integrate the iPad into academics, Stanford School of Medicine will now be providing all of their first-year students with iPads. Recently updated to include full Dropbox and VGA support, iAnnotate is optimized to be the ideal tool to improve the student learning experience.

Stanford also had a press release Aug 5th. They also have a provided a Google Docs summary of the iPad apps they have been reviewing at med.stanford.edu/estudent/apps.html.

Well enough press releases here is my first take.
iAnnotate highlights and underlines text as you would expect. It also provides the ability to add notes with a simple tap and review. Once the annotations are made, you can further edit them in place. You can also add annotations while reading the PDF’s in full screen mode.

One of the cool features I really like is a free form tool which allows you to draw right on the pdf and even add your signature to the document. All directly with your finger. iAnnotate has a customizable toolbar which allows you to show your most used commands. An integrated browser provides direct access to web available PDFs. Email and itunes file sharing provides a way transfer PDF’s from your computer. A Free windows or mac desktop companion provides a more direct means to move documents back and forth between your computer.

The couple of real killer features in this app are tabbed PDF Reading and a comprehensive search function. You can search by just about anything including tags, favorites, and new or recently read docs. My favorite feature is that the annotations are fully integrated right into the PDF. This means most standard PDF readers view the entire document, annotations and all. This includes Adobe’s Reader and Snow Leopard’s Preview.

Price for the app is currently $9.99. This seems a little high, but iPad apps are still priced at a premium over iPhone apps. I also tried out some of the competitors to make my final review.

This week we look at Kanex iAdapt HDMI V2, Elgato Turbo.264 HD, Batch Watermarks, Open Source, iCasual, Portable recording on the iPad, Freeware and more. I want to thank you for downloading and listening to the podcast. We have the best in Mac hardware, software and websites reviews. We have a lot of great folks on today’s episode with their reviews and comments on software, hardware and websites that make using the Mac special. Plus I’ll have the top freeware Mac apps of the week and much more.
You can email me at surfbits at Gmail dot Com. I love to hear from you.

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Sign up at O’Reilly.com for the top tech ebooks available, and listen to the podcast to enter the O’Reilly ebook give-a-way.
This week’s winners were:
Gregory Norton,
Jonathan Weeks,
Cindy Stockman

Here is the freeware and shareware I look at during the podcast:
Kanex iAdapt HDMI V2: http://www.kanexlive.com
Anomos: http://anomos.info/wp
10 Best Websites for Free AudioBooks: http://www.makeuseof.com
Inkscape: http://www.inkscape.org
Sweet Home 3D: http://www.sweethome3d.com
Aquamacs Emacs: http://aquamacs.org
Magical: http://www.charcoaldesign.co.uk/magical
File Sequencer: http://johnnarun.com/file_sequencer
WorldTimes: http://www.artisancode.com/WorldTimes

I am so happy to have my friend Paul Figgiani stop in with a segment on the new software release from:
Elgato: turbo.264 HD Software Edition

Then another old friend, Chris Marshall visits with his review of
Batch Watermarks: http://www.thebatchwatermarks.com

Michelle Lopez joins us today from the The Portable Gamer and iCasual Report to review the iPhone/iPod Touch game:
Title: The Incident
Developer: Big Bucket Software
Price: $1.99

Last, but certainly not least, Buster Nutz joins us this week for a review of:
AppleJack: http://applejack.sourceforge.net
CORD: http://cord.sourceforge.net
OSX FOSS: http://sourceforge.net/projects/osxportableapps

Try the new ENHANCED version of the MacReviewCast:
And now we have the Podcast in Bit-Torrent Feeds!
…
You can either click on the podcast link on the left and listen to it via QT from the browser, or you can right click on the podcast link and choose to “download linked file”. That will download the mp3 and you can play it from you hard drive with iTunes.
The right link below is the URL for the podcast RSS feed. Just right click it and choose to copy the address and then paste it in your podcast reader, or ipodder, or newsreader that will download enclosures automatically.

techpodcasts.com

Technorati Tags:
software, review, mac, apple, iTunes, Mac mini, podcast, Macreviewcast, podcasting, OSX, iPhoto,

By Steve Beyer:

How often do you find that you are downloading or uploading several files simultaneously? Have you ever wanted the ability to start and stop your transfers or maybe even schedule your downloads sometime in the future when you are away from your Mac? Are you tired of waiting for your files to complete downloading or notice that you Mac web browser crawls to a near standstill because you transfer are chocking you bandwidth? Wouldn’t it be great if you could use the same program to manage both your basic downloads and your torrent downloads too?

Did I hear you say yes to any of these questions? Then I have an app for you!

The app is called Folx. I am not totally sure about the correct pronunciation but I am sure that the application should be on your short list of download managers. You can download the free or pro version of the application at mac.eltima.com/download manager.

Folx has the basics of download management well covered.

It provides five different ways to begin transfers. Drag and drop, double clicking, copy and paste, and menu selection are all provided. Folx also provides a great smart tagging option. You specify where your files are placed by file time. Pictures, movies, music, and applications can all get their own prescribed folders. Folx even goes beyond the standard file types and allows you to create your own custom tags to further refine file placement. Moreover each of your files can be located quickly using simple Spotlight searches.

With Folx you can download any file via HTTP, HTTPS and FTP. Folx also permits download using a Proxy server. Folx splits your download into multiple threads which are processed simultaneously thus substantially reduce transfer times. Both maximum number of threads and maximum transfer speeds are user definable.

Folx provides prioritizing, pausing, auto resuming from the last point. Even scheduling the transfers is provided. NOW you decide when and how much of you’re processing power is used. Growl notifications are provided to keep you abreast when transfers are started and completed.

A small download window provides visual feedback with information about current download speeds and percentage completion. Clicking on this window opens the larger and more detailed status window. This window provides great details and direct management of your transfers. Additionally, manual adjustments to threads and speed are provided to make changes on the fly as your requirements change.

But wait there is even more!

Not only is Folx a great download manager but it is also torrent client too. You can mix torrents with standard transfers in the same program. The Pro version even allows you search for torrents directly from application. No fuss its all in one place. I am not much of a torrent guy but I think they’ve covered all of the bases.

Overall, this is a great program. The only negative I found is that Folx opens up a new download task menu whenever you initiate a download. This mean you have to, at a minimum, click an additional button or even more if you want to make custom changes for this file. It’s probably a small nuisance given all the additional features and granularity, but you have to get use to another box popping up before you begin each new transfer. I also experienced some sporadic Safari crashing during the review. I think I created the problem since I had a total of 3 download managers installed at the same time. I think Safari became confused as I was until I removed the other two plug-ins. This seemed to cure the problem but if you see some instability you might check here first.

Folx is available in two version. The first is totally free and the Pro version cost just shy of $20. The Pro version adds the search for torrent feature, the schedule your download in future, the split the download into as many as 10 concurrent threads up from 2, and the nice to have smart speed adjustment. This feature automatically adjust the transfer speeds based on your current browsing. No more manual adjustments are required to keep everything humming along. I really think the pro version is well worth the $20 investment but you still get one heck of a download manager for free and of course, you can always upgrade later if you find you need. Bottom line, I recommend that you give it a try. This maybe the download manager for you.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a simple and inexpensive solution to get HD video from your Mac to your HDTV or HD projector or monitor? The new Kanex iAdapt HDMI V2 for $29.95 is your answer. At least it’s your answer if you have a newer model Mac that has the Mini DisplayPort. Which model Macs are included?

List of Apple Computers (Mid 2010) models with Mini DisplayPort audio pass through:
MacBook 13-inch: 2.4GHz (MC516LL/A)
MacBook Pro 13-inch: 2.4GHz (MC374LL/A)
MacBook Pro 13-inch: 2.66GHz (MC375LL/A)
MacBook Pro 15-inch: 2.4GHz (MC371LL/A )
MacBook Pro 15-inch: 2.53GHz (MC372LL/A)
MacBook Pro 15-inch: 2.66GHz (MC373LL/A)
MacBook Pro 17-inch: 2.53GHz (MC024LL/A)
iMac 21.5-inch: 3.06GHz (MB950LL and MC413LL/A)
iMac 27-inch: 3.06GHz (MB952LL/A)
iMac 27-inch: 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 (MB953LL/A)
iMac 27-inch: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 upgrade (MB953LL/A)
Mac Mini: Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (MC270LL/A)
Mac Mini (Server): Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz (MC438LL/A)

Connection was simple, just plug the Kanex iAdapt HDMI V2 into your Mac’s DisplayPort and then plug an HDMI cable from there to your HD display unit. There’s no external power needed, no software, simply plug and play. It’s about time! It’s perfect for your Mac Mini as your media center or your MacBook Pro as a second monitor. The uses are many, and for $29.95 the investment is little.

From the Kanex Web site:
Technical Specifications
Supports Mini DisplayPort input and HDMI output
Supports full 1080p HD digital video
Supports HDMI 225MHz/2.25Gbps per channel (6.75Gbps total) bandwidth
Supports HDMI Deep Color 12bit per channel (36bit color depth)
Supports uncompressed digital LPCM 7.1, 5.1 or 2 channels and compressed digital Bit-Stream (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD Master Audio) through HDMI Input.
Powered via Mini DisplayPort source

One point of note, if you have an older Mac with a Mini DisplayPort, the adapter will work but only for the video and not the audio. However, Kanex carries a product that can provide a workaround to that problem in the Kanex iAdapt 51 which you can find here.

The iAdapt V2 from Kanex is a real no-brainer for anyone with a mid 2010 Mac. HD from your Mac is finally here for a reasonable price.

So what has changed?

Nothing really, other than the application that I have been more than happily using to add watermarks to my photos iWatermarks has aways felt a little clunky when it came to setting up the watermarks, and as result I have never really bothered to change the templates or add new ones when I really could have done with doing so. This is my only criticsm of iWatermarks though! It does a great job, is easy to use (drag and drop) and has been a perfectly adequate companion over the years.

I will be sorry to see it go, but that is what must happen I am afraid having recently had the opportunity to test drive The Batch Watermarks

As you can see from the screen shots below it really is a very simple process. Add or drag your photo into the application, and then the real beauty of the application, type in the text you want to use as the watermark (I use Text Expander to store a range of standard ones), select the position that you want the watremark to be on the photo, and Apply Watermark.

There are a few advanced settings which are primarily font style, size and colour, and if you want to watermark multiple photos just drag them all in, which is exacty the same as iWatermark.

I would love to tell you more, but it really is as simple, fast and easy as that. Great application that costs $27 and works on Windows and Mac

As it says on their site:

“This watermark software is so simple to use that even my ten year old can operate it” – Kathy, Homemaker

And finally ……..

For anyone wanting to read the story of Fleur our latest rescue cat you can do so here, or check out her photos and videos along with those of Moreno, Oscar, Saidi, and bless her Orla at www.morenosworld.com

This week we look at Tom Bihn Co-Pilot, iAnnotate, Folx, Quirky Case, iCasual, Portable recording on the iPad, Freeware and more. I want to thank you for downloading and listening to the podcast. We have the best in Mac hardware, software and websites reviews. We have a lot of great folks on today’s episode with their reviews and comments on software, hardware and websites that make using the Mac special. Plus I’ll have the top freeware Mac apps of the week and much more.
You can email me at surfbits at Gmail dot Com. I love to hear from you.

Get DropBox Free and Get an extra 250 Megs too!

Here is the freeware and shareware I look at during the podcast:
The AppObsessed Podcast: http://appobsessed.posterous.com
Tom Bihn Co-Pilot Carry-on Case: http://www.tombihn.com
RadioAunty and TellyBox: http://whomwah.github.com
iChatSuite: http://www.yreuxsoftware.com/iChatSuite.html
iTunes Alarm: http://www.johnnarun.com/itunes_alarm
iPhoto to Disk: http://www.iphototodisk.com

Michelle Lopez joins us today from the The Portable Gamer and iCasual Report to review the iPhone/iPod Touch game:
Title: Dark Nebula Episode 2
Developer: 1337 Game Design
Price: $.99
Then Michelle tells us about using her iPad, a Yeti Mic, the Camera connection kit and a couple of apps to record on the fly with her iPad.

Then our Enhanced Podcast Producer Steve Beyer reviews two apps:
Folx: http://mac.eltima.com
iAnnotate for the iPad: http://www.ajidev.com

Next, James Hicks reviews
The Quirky Cloak iPad Case: http://www.quirky.com/products/30-Cloak-iPad-Case

Try the new ENHANCED version of the MacReviewCast:
And now we have the Podcast in Bit-Torrent Feeds!
…
You can either click on the podcast link on the left and listen to it via QT from the browser, or you can right click on the podcast link and choose to “download linked file”. That will download the mp3 and you can play it from you hard drive with iTunes.
The right link below is the URL for the podcast RSS feed. Just right click it and choose to copy the address and then paste it in your podcast reader, or ipodder, or newsreader that will download enclosures automatically.

techpodcasts.com

Technorati Tags:
software, review, mac, apple, iTunes, Mac mini, podcast, Macreviewcast, podcasting, OSX, iPhoto,

Tom Bihn has always been at the top of my list when I recommended bags, cases or backpacks to anyone. Their products have always been made rock solid, look great and are the definition of functional. So why am I mad at Tom Bihn and their Co-Pilot Carry-on Travel Bag? Well, they simply lied to me when they said they were sending me a carry-on traveling bag. The Co-Pilot is easily one of the most functional gadget and gear bags I’ve ever used. I don’t know how they did it, but the Co-Pilot holds more of my “stuff” then the Ristretto I just reviewed. It’s about the same size, just horizontal instead of vertical.

When I thought of a travel bag, I thought about a small carry-on that you can shove some deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, underwear, socks and a clean shirt in and kick it under the seat in front of you on the airlines. I suppose you can do that if you want, but then you can still shove your iPad, iPhone, a book, some magazines, chargers, cables, pens, notebooks, and a water bottle in it if needed. This little bag is the epitome of what a multi-purpose bag should be.

Let’s look at the details from the Tom Bihn Web site first:
The Co-Pilot is made with an exterior of 1050d U.S. ballistic nylon, which has twice the abrasion resistance of 1680 denier fabric, and an interior of ultra-lightweight Japanese Dyneema/nylon ripstop fabric, custom produced in Japan. The front of the Co-Pilot features piping to help it keep its shape and smart looks – no matter how full or empty it is. The Co-Pilot features #8 YKK splash-proof zippers with metal pulls. Included with the bag is are five Cord Zipper Pulls, allowing you to add them to the metal zipper pulls or replace the metal zipper pulls entirely.

The Co-Pilot has three front pockets and one main, back compartment. The front left compartment has an Ultrasuede-lined pocket sized to fit your iPhone or cell phone, and is sized to fit a toiletry kit or similarly sized item. It has one o-ring to which is affixed a Key Strap – a handy strap that keeps your keys securely tethered to the Co-Pilot. Additional and optional Key Straps, Guardian Light, Clear Organizer Wallet, and Clear, Padded,Cork, and Cordura Organizer Pouches can also be affixed to the “o-rings”, of which there are four total in the Co-Pilot.

The middle front pocket of the Co-Pilot is designed to fit a small water bottle or compact folding umbrella. The bottom of this pocket has an eyelet so that any condensation, spills or leaks won’t puddle in the bag.

The right side front pocket of the Co-Pilot has four pen pockets and one o-ring and is the same size as the left side front pocket – perfect for things like a digital camera, snacks, or even a very light wind shell or down vest.

The main compartment of the Co-Pilot is wide, open, and ready to accept larger items, like more clothes and your netbook, iPad, Kindle, or book. Inside, two open-top pouches of equal size aid organization.

The back of the Co-Pilot features a wide, open-top pocket for a magazine or newspaper.

The Co-Pilot has a comfortable handle padded with Poron foam, centered above the center of gravity. Shoulder Strap attachment points are on the left and right sides of the Co-Pilot. A Standard Shoulder Strap is included with the Co-Pilot. You have the option of upgrading to the Absolute Shoulder Strap for an extra $20.

This bag can be almost anything you need it to be. I’ll use it as my iPad case, my gear bag, my traveling bag, my office carrying case, and more. At $110 you can find a cheaper bag, but I don’t see how you’ll find a better made or more versatile bag then the Tom Bihn Co-Pilot.

By James Hicks:

Well, it seems like we’ve been waiting for the iPad case called the Quirky Cloak since day one when numerous sites hailed it as the “Best iPad Case” sight unseen. Is this the case (so to speak)? As I looked at the early iPad cases, any one I considered needed to function as a stand as well. The appeal of the Cloak with it’s multiple options was obvious. Though there are an increasing number of case choices out there, on paper the Cloak seems to have it all. We’ll see.

Quirky is a “social product development site.” Anyone can submit a product idea, along with a $99 submission fee, and have the Quirky community comment on the product’s design, logo, target market, etc. If, after all this concept honing, your product is selected for production, Quirky’s industrial designers and engineers take over. After production, you collect a portion of sales. As a Quirky community member, I was able to follow numerous design and manufacturing pitfalls which ultimately delayed the Cloak’s release from the initial date in late May to the actual release about 2 months later.

The Cloak comes in 4 colors: blue, pink, green, and black. The appearance is sleek and slim, much smaller in form than the Marware Eco-vue leather portfolio I had been using previously. The material that covers the cloak is a soft non-stick rubber, with a texture reminiscent of a bicycle tire. It feels nice in the hands, and the non-slip surface does two important things: it keeps the iPad from sliding out of your hands, and keeps it from slipping on smooth surfaces when folded in landscape mode. This was a problem with my Marware case . On the kitchen counter the folded back cover would slide on the smooth surface under the weight of the iPad. With the Eco-vue I ended up gluing a piece of rubber on the edge to prevent this. The Cloak has no such trouble and feels fantastically stable on the counter. I can even press the home button without the iPad moving in response.

The iPad slips into what is essentially a soft rubber skin. The fit is easy, but a little too loose in my opinion. The skin deforms too easily, shifting under traction, but not to the point of allowing the iPad to displace or fall out of the skin. The port holes remain open, but the skin otherwise covers the iPad completely, including the ambient light sensor. I don’t know if this is important or not. I haven’t directly observed any difficulties. The skin is rather thin, and while I would expect good scratch protection, there isn’t a lot to protect a falling iPad, much like any other gel or skin cover. The skin case is then hinged to a much firmer front cover which folds, book like, over the iPad. While not padded itself, the cover actually contacts the far edge of the skin, so there doesn’t appear to be any contact with the iPad screen. A screen protector is not included. The cover folds completely around for reading, but there are problems with this position – more on that in a bit.

Inside the front cover are two plastic tabs. One folds out to create a stand for portrait mode. This doesn’t feel sturdy, but seems to get the job done. Having lived with the iPad for a couple of months now, I’m not sure when I would actually use it propped upright in portrait view, but I’m sure I thought it was important at the time. Are there cookbook programs out there that function in this position? Do you read in portrait view while eating your breakfast? I wonder if it would buckle if it was on a bouncy surface, like on a turbulent airplane? The other tab is the same sort of prop we’ve come to love in other cases which allows for a decent typing position in landscape mode. This feels just fine. The tabs are held in position by a little snap, and my one unfounded (so far) concern is that if one of the plastic props were to loosen or otherwise dislodge, it would bounce against the ipad screen, and might cause scratching.

There is nothing to hold the cover closed, no latch or magnet, but in my backpack it seems to be secure, though I keep watching for flexing of the front cover. I think that I may get that screen protector…

The biggest, perhaps deal breaking, problem with the Cloak is that it is really heavy. It is 1.2 lbs, and at first blush it isn’t obvious why. My guess is that the hinge and the reinforced front cover bear the lion’s share of the mass over the relative flimsiness of the skin case. In the past several days, holding the iPad has been frankly unpleasant and fatiguing. Similarly, reading in a seated position, was uncomfortable with the weight of the hard plastic backing and around two pounds of case and pad pressing into my fingers. I ended up quickly shifting the iPad onto my knee. In this position or otherwise resting on my lap, (or belly for in-bed movies and reading) it’s fine. But I use my iPad all over the house, often typing or manipulating with one hand while holding with the other. Maybe I’m just a wimp, but supporting a pound of iPad and a pound of Quirky gets really tiring really fast.

Overall, the Quirky Cloak is a sleek, functional case that suffers from a weight problem. A casual overview of case-plus-stand offerings on Amazon suggest that the Cloak is a good 6-8 oz heavier than the competition. The initial offering of the Cloak was $42, but now is on the site is listed at $54.99 US. There are numerous photos and videos on the site which can be accessed at quirky.com

If you’ve had the opportunity to listen to the latest (#249) episode of the MacReviewCast you’ll know I mentioned my strange passion for something more “analog” then “digital”. When I’m not in front of the keyboard or iPad, I’m enjoying using one of my expanding collection of fountain pens. Along with fountain pens, you find that I’m slowly amassing a vast selection of inks and papers.

I started collecting the cheaper priced Chinese made pens, brands such as Jinhao, Hero, Pilot, Wing Sung and others. Shortly after I found that I enjoyed the older vintage Parker 51 pens and I enjoyed trying out the introductory line of Lamy fountain pens. I have not purchased the more expensive fountain pens made by the well known names such as Montblanc, or Pelikan, Esterbrook, Waterman and others, but I’m certain I’ll reach that point soon.

So today was one of those enjoyable visits from the mailman when my new Red Safari Lamy I bought on eBay arrived, along with my bottle of J.Herbin 1670 Anniversary Edition Ink and version 3.0 of the Rhodia Webnotebook from Brian at Gouletpens.com. It’s the little things in life that can make you smile the most, and I was smiling as I inked up the Lamy with my J.Herbin 1670 and wrote my first line on the 90g Clairefontaine paper of my Rhodia Webnotebook. I was lost in the moment.

Are there any Mac users out there that enjoy fountain pens and inks as much as I do? Let me hear from you. Whether in the comments section below, or via email, send me some pictures or list the pens and inks you’ve tried or that you really enjoy. Let me know if you have any pens you want to sell or where’s your favorite location to buy pens and paper. Just like with the Mac, I just love to hear from you.