End User

Conversation Piece: Outlook 2010 on Windows 7

I’ve been testing Office 2010 for many months, and now that it’s out in public beta, I’m using it exclusively on my main workstation. My favorite of the new Office applications is Outlook; it’s the one with the most dramatic changes, and one of those is the default “Conversation” view of your email messages.

Outlook 2007 also had a “Conversation” view but it was turned off by default, and it was less sophisticated. You had to choose to display by Date or by Conversation; in 2010 it’s a combined Date/Conversation view.

The “Conversation” arrangement means related messages are grouped together in your Inbox (you can also move a group or an individual message to another folder, either manually or by using rules). At first, I wasn’t sure I liked this, but now that I’ve gotten used to it, I really appreciate the convenience of having the whole conversation thread together. When a new message in a thread comes in, the first one is moved from its chronological place in the Inbox down to the group, which now appears chronologically where the most recent message in the thread came in.

By default, a conversation is indicated by a small arrow that appears to the left of the subject line, as shown below in the conversation titled “Hello” that’s highlighted in yellow:

The names of senders are listed below the subject line. When you click the subject line, you expand the conversation thread to display the individual messages, as shown above in the conversation titled “bobble” that’s encircled in red.

If you don’t like the conversation view, you have several options. Right click “Arrange By: Date (Conversations)” at the top of the mailbox list and select Conversations, as shown below:

Here you can uncheck “Show Messages in Conversations,” or you can choose whether to show messages from other folders in a thread, whether to show the senders’ names above the subject line, select to always expand conversations, or just use the classic indented view.

If you do choose to keep the Conversation view, you might want to always expand the conversations. When I first started using 2010, I missed several new messages because they were buried inside conversation threads. The subject line will be bolded if there are any new messages in it, but sometimes messages end up in threads unexpectedly. For instance, if two different people send you messages with the identical subject line (this often happens with something generic such as “Checking in” or “Hello”), Outlook puts these in the same thread even though the messages really aren’t related to one another.

This could cause some consternation, making it appear that people have been cc’ed on a message when they haven’t, as described in this article.

Even though it’s not perfect, I have come to like the Conversation view in Outlook 2010, and I’m hoping it will be even better by the time we get to the final release version of the software. It’s just one of many features that makes 2010 the best Outlook yet.

- Debra Littlejohn Shinder, MVP
  deb@shinder.net   www.debshinder.com

Apple's Magic Mouse Cuts Largest Slice of Mouse Marketshare To Date

Amidst all the talk of speculation regarding iSlates tablets, new iPhones, and the success of the iPod Touch, Apple has another headliner as 2009 comes to a close: according to AppleInsider, for the first time, Apple's mouse sales have captured over 10 percent of the mouse market share. All thanks to the Magic Mouse.

The Magic Mouse debuted in October of this year, touting a buttonless, multi-touch sensitive shell, the first consumer mouse of its kind to offer such capabilities. And while, in general, reviews of the mouse have been mixed, there seems to be enough consumer drive behind the Magic Mouse to elevate the Apple share significantly.

BoingBoing's Rob Beschizza put it best, encapsulating just what is right and wrong with the Magic Mouse:

After the first minute I hated it. After a day I loved it. After a week, I'm on ibuprofen. I like the Magic Mouse, especially the touch-sensitive surface and flick scrolling, but am just not sure how long my metacarpals can take it.

The future of mice, it seems, takes quite a bit of getting used to, even for the most avid gadget reviewers. Like the Mighty Mouse before it, and the classic stylings of the original Apple USB Mouse (or, as it's lovingly called, the "hockey puck"), the Magic Mouse doesn't look like any other mouse out there, which is a hallmark of Apple design. Most consumers are so accustomed to using a two or three-button mouse that any derivation is difficult to get used to. Having used many of the Apple predecessors to the Magic Mouse, and ultimately using a Logitech run-of-the-mill in the end when the Mighty Mouse wheel started acting up, I'm approaching it all with skepticism.

Much of my reservation has to do with the swirling speculation regarding the purported Apple Tablet and not necessarily the functionality of the new Magic Mouse. With applications already available to turn iPods and iPhones into functioning computer touch mice, how viable is the mouse market going to be heading into the next decade? And while the Magic Mouse is certainly heads and shoulders above other mice on the market as far as capability, design, and functionality, it's no guarantee that the mouse will have staying power at all.

As AppleInsider points out:

Whether or not Apple can sustain its increased sales volume of mice sales over time remains to be seen. New Apple products are usually accompanied by publicity and buzz that pushes their sales through the roof in the early going, but often those sales die down over time.

If the tablet supports a mouse, as the iPhone blog cautiously rumors, then it's spectacular timing (assuming that the iSlate, or whatever it will be called, will be out in January); however, if the iSlate doesn't have any peripheral mouse capabilities, it's a bit of a head-scratcher. If consumers are ready for it, the iSlate could render the Magic Mouse, and all other mice, obsolete.

--Natania Barron

Bites from the Apple: You Say iSlate, I Say iSlab

One of many fanboi mockups of the iSlate/iTablet/iPad (via the iPhone Blog).

The unreleased 1990s MessageSlate prototype (via MacRumors).

Based on rumors and patent filing conjecture, this is what some thought the iPhone would look like back in 2006.

While visions of sugarplums and iMacs danced about in sleepy holiday heads this past week, the gadgetosphere was in rumor churn overdrive with some possible details on the coming tablet computer/device from Apple. Known up to now in the fanboi universe as the iTablet or iPad, MacRumors reported that the device might be called the iSlate based on Apple's acquisition of the islate.com domain name and potentially Apple being behind a dummy corporation called Slate Computing, LLC (with the latter potentially clouding things a bit with that company also trademarking "Magic Slate"). MacRumors also reminds us of an old prototype that Apple worked on in the 1990s called the MessageSlate, a tablet version of the Newton.

Whether or not the iSlate makes it as the final name for this device (certainly not my first choice), it's looking likely that we'll see it debuted to the masses by the end of January. The Financial Times techblog reported on December 23 that Apple would be scheduling an event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on January 26. Meanwhile, the Boy Genius Report went all in with a source saying there's a 100 percent chance of a 7-inch iSlab (my new favorite choice for nomenclature) getting announced. And today, AppleInsider reports that Apple has place mass orders for 10-inch display panels with a new "unidentified glass strengthening process" that is presumed by various sources to be the reason that the iSlab was delayed from coming out last fall.

Electronista reports that Kevin Rose of Digg.com--who hasn't necessarily been known for his spot-on pre-release proclamations--has proclaimed that the iSlab will make Amazon's Kindle a hit on eBay as owners rush to the new new tech in town. But Harry McCracken at Technologizer reminds us of the speculative prehistory of the iPhone and how wrong so many people were in the run-up to its announcement. We really won't know what the iSlab will look like or what it's primary function (e-books? newspapers and magazines? TV?) will be until late January, but with reports coming out that Steve Jobs is happy with his new product, it could very well be worth the wait.

• Aside from the hardware mysteries of the iSlab, another question to be answered is what form of OS X operating system it will run. TUAW highlights speculation from Apple consultant Michael Kimble wondering whether Apple will formally start to differentiate its various OS X flavors (such as OS X Mobile, OS X Touch, OS X Desktop and OS X Server)

• In other rumors, Wired's Gadget Lab notes a report from the Taiwanese Digitimes news site that Apple has ordered 40 milliion 5-megapixel image sensors, most likely destined for the next version of the iPhone (as well as possibly the iPod touch). And Public Radio International (via Boy Genius Report) reports that Apple is stepping up its efforts to sign up content providers for a subscription-based Apple TV service. And it seems CBS and Disney are interested.

• Macworld gives a positive review to Iomega's StorCenter ix2-200 network-attached storage (NAS) device, which offers 4 TB of storage right out of the box (it also comes in 1 TB and 2 TB flavors), Time Machine backup and iTunes server capabilities for Mac users, and an interesting BitTorrent download manager.

• Considering an Apple hardware purchase in the near future? Gizmodo offers its opinions on whether or not now is the time to buy (based on historic release patterns and such). I always say, if you have the need (i.e., more than just desire), there's no need to wait (unless you're a month away from a guaranteed Apple event).

• If you're a MacBook or Magic Mouse owner and want more control over multitouch gesturing, check out the BetterTouchTool, which lets you add and configure more gestures (via Lifehacker).

• The Apple Blog lists its top 11 iPhone apps for 2009, which sadly leaves off my fave for the year--the FIFA 10 footy (soccer) game.

• And finally... I'm not sure who really needs this Frankenstein of a Mac mod that combines a coffee maker, subwoofer and Mac mini in the body of an original iMac, but it's pretty frakking cool (from Kiwidee via TUAW).

  
  

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

VideoLAN (of VLC Fame) to Release a Video Editor

In one of the best pieces of open-source software news this month, VideoLAN, the organization behind the popular cross-platform video player/encoder VLC, has announced that they are working on a cross-platform movie editor dubbed the VideoLAN Movie Creator (VLMC).

The VLMC will be open-source software released for Windows, Mac, and Linux, just like VLC.  And because VLC is, hands-down, the best video playing app in existence, it's fair to expect that VLMC will be a strong competitor against Windows Movie Maker and iMovie, with active development and frequent feature updates.  And Linux users will finally have a truly decent basic movie editor.

Not a lot of info is available just yet as the pre-alpha software hasn't been publicly released, but early reports show nonlinear editing, history undo/redo, and an easy-to-understand GUI.  An early version that the public can play with is supposed to come out "very soon", but you can take a tour of the basic features by watching the video below, made by the development team.

--Aric A.

Week in Windows: Tech support tips and links for Windows 7

Microsoft has launched a new site to help lead people through the process of installing, uninstalling and/or upgrading Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. ZDNet blogger Mary Jo Foley notes that the site could be helpful and timely for people who get Windows 7 or a new PC -- or both -- as a holiday gift.

Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 is tough enough that tech blogger Shaun Nichols gave the new operating system an honorable mention on v3.co.uk's list of the worst tech presents, at least for people running Windows XP as opposed to Windows Vista. "Between the screaming children, eggnog hangovers and cheesy Christmas specials, the holidays bring enough headaches without having to perform a complete wipe and reinstall of your operating system," he explains.

For more on the process, see our earlier post: Leaping from Windows XP to 7? Some important stuff to consider.

So what types of glitches are early Windows 7 users running into? Installation problems represent the biggest hurdle encountered by new users of the operating system, according to Ars Technica's detailed analysis of data from consumer tech services company iYogi. The second-biggest problem: Missing applets or components. Next on the list is the Windows Aero interface failing to run properly.

Even so, Microsoft is seeing fewer support calls since launching Windows 7, according to a report this week by CNet News.com, quoting Microsoft support VP Barbara Gordon saying that "call center volume is down significantly more than we expected." That's another sign that the new operating system is less troublesome than Windows Vista, but CNet's Ina Fried notes that the new Microsoft Answers site and Microsoft Helps Twitter feed are also playing a role by helping users resolve problems without calling.

What if you're still determined to talk with a real person about your Windows problems? Start at this Microsoft "Assisted Support" page, and provide information about the problem you're encountering to connect with a support staffer by email, online or via phone.

But the big Windows news of the week -- for PC users in Europe, especially -- was an antitrust truce between Microsoft and the European Commission. The commission's decision will allow the company to continue incorporating its Internet Explorer browser into the operating system, so long as it addresses antitrust concerns by distributing a "ballot screen" letting Windows users. For more background, see my interview with Brad Smith, Microsoft's top lawyer.

And in other notes from the week, Windows 7 is leading the pack in voting for Tech Platform of the Year in The Flashies, the year-end community choice awards on  TechFlash, where I'm managing editor. Windows 7 is beating out the iPhone, Facebook, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and others. But the race isn't over yet. You can cast your vote for any of the nominees here.

Read more of Todd Bishop's posts at TechFlash.com, and follow him on Twitter @toddbishop

Bites from the Apple: Last-Minute Shopping (and Savings)

A fairly slow news week on the Apple front, what with holiday falderal moving into overdrive, so let's get right to the Apple-y goodness (and get back to gift shopping before it gets too late)...

• If you're considering a GPS app for your iPhone, now's a great time for purchasing as the competition has been driving down the price in time for holiday giving. Currently, the TomTom iPhone app is $50, while the Navigon app is down to $60 and Magellan has lowered its price to $80. To sort through all the GPS possibilities for your iPhone, check out this Macworld review of nine of the big navigation apps (written by my pal/colleague Glenn Fleishman), which surprisingly puts the subscription-based AT&T Navigator at the top of the heap.

• The Apple Blog reminds us that the latest crop of MacBook/MacBook Pro models are also a great companion to your HDTV these days, with a little help from a DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter and an HDMI cable (perhaps an affordable option with Amazon Frustration Free Packaging).

• And speaking of seasonal savings, the entire catalog of Take Control e-books is on sale for 50 percent off--including the e-book version of publisher Adam Engst's iPhoto 09 Visual QuickStart Guide (a great resource for Mac newbies). If you're new to Take Control books, check out some of the highlights at TidBITS.

• Looking to try out some new software? Check out Lifehacker's list of most popular free Mac downloads for 2009 (including the not-exactly-free, but very affordable Snow Leopard OS X update).

• TUAW points to a new file sharing site--Droplr--which resides in your Mac's menu bar for quick access and provides up to 1 GB of storage space. The site seems to do well for smaller files, but it choked a couple of times on my attempt to upload a 100 MB file.

• With the release of the beta versions of Google's Chrome Web browser, Apple's Safari browser has been knocked down to 4th place in worldwide market share behind the new kid on the block (via MacRumors).

• Some worrying news about VLC, the Swiss Army knife of media players (and one of my most used pieces of software)--development has been stalled on the Mac 64-bit update as Mac developers are involved in this volunteer open-source project have dwindled to nil. If you know C, Cocoa and Xcode and are interested, be sure to hit them up on their Developers page (via multiple sources, including MacNN).

• Verizon continues to tweak AT&T by saying that it's ready to handle the data demands of iPhone users once Apple's exclusivity with AT&T is over in the coming year (via Boy Genius Report). But if this is the kind of service that iPhone users can expect from Verizon, maybe it's best to stick with the devil you know.

• Continuing in the rumor vein, it looks like we would be seeing 64 GB iPhones and 128 GB iPod touches with Toshiba launching new 64 GB NAND flash memory chips in early 2010 (the iPod touch, which isn't saddled with some of the additional hardware of the iPhone, can pack two of the memory chips).

• And finally... Apple received several accolades from AdWeekMedia this week in its review of the past decade's advertising, including ad campaign of the decade for its Get a Mac series (as well as brand of the decade and product of the decade for the iPod). The Get a Mac campaign has been running since 2006, and here's a reminder of a couple of the ads from that first year:

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Review: Nikon D3s

(All photos by Ryan Brenizer, click on any picture for a larger version)

I'd say I know the ins-and-outs of the Nikon D3 pretty well -- after all, I've taken more than 200,000 photos with one. And I knew that Nikon had a big problem: The camera is so darned good, how do you make it better, especially with an incremental upgrade? The D3 isn't perfection -- the AF sensors are too closely grouped, the default white balance is a little too cool, the … AF sensors are too closely grouped -- but, as you can see from my struggling, it's generally close enough. If you can't do most jobs really well with a D3, it's probably your fault, not the camera's. So how do you convince people to buy something more expensive?

The obvious way was to stick video in it, and so they did. And that would probably have been enough to keep people at bay until the D4 came out, but some intrepid designer decided that the D3, previously pretty much the best low-light camera around, needed to get better. And so they changed the microlens array and modified the sensor in all sorts of ways, most of them secret or impossibly geeky, but long story shot, the D3s IS better, by about 1 and a half stops (or allowing about three times greater shutter speeds): ISO 12,800 looks better on the D3s than the already-crazy IS0 6400 on the D3.

ISO 12800, 52mm, f/3.2, 1/50th

In most other ways, the cameras are exactly the same -- the finish on the D3s is slightly more matte than that on the D3, the thumb joystick is a little snappier, and there's a quiet mode for the shutter that still isn't all that quiet, and there's an info button for quick review of the settings on the back LCD, but that's about it. The real user-interface changes came with a much, much better way to trigger Live View mode (which is important for video operation). Instead of having to move a mode dial to a certain position, which virually required you to move your thumb and look at the camera to see what you were doing, there's a simple button. Press it, it's on! Press it, it's off! Even for those who don't use movie mode ever, live view has some great tricks, and it's nice to be able to access it easily. My favorite Live View trick is that it shows the effect of white balance. Since on the D3 you can dial in the exact K-value, all you have to do is turn on Live View and look at the LCD while you get the white balance exactly perfect. You can do this on any camera with Live View, but the interface improvements make it a lot easier and faster.

Let's discuss the big changes in detail, with more photos and video:

Hands-On With the ioSafe Solo

For the uninitiated, the ioSafe Solo is really the Helm's Deep of external hard drives. For those among us with the desire to preserve data in the face of total meltdown, ioSafe does just that: according to the company the ioSafe Solo can withstand temperatures of 1550F for a half an hour and can be fully immersed in 10 ft. of water for three days (with their DataCast and HydroSafe Technologies respectively). Coming anywhere from 500GB ($149) to 2TB capacity (around $280), the ioSafe Solo isn't too shabby with storage space, either.

Other features include USB 2.0 data transfer, up to 480Mb/s, and total compatibility with Windows, Mac, and Linux alike. It also utilizes what they call "physical theft protection", i.e. the ability to physically bolt and/or lock the unit to a table or wall.That, and it's really, really heavy, which I'm sure is a decent deterrent for theft.

Yes, the ioSafe Solo packs a punch—literally. It weighs 15 pounds. Had I looked at the details a little more closely I might have been a less surprised, but removing it from the packaging was an amusing experience to say the least. As someone accustomed to relatively flimsy technology, setting up the ioSafe does indeed give a feeling of solidity, permanence, and presence.

Setup was a cinch, easier than some of the external hard drives I've used in the past. Though it needed a quick format in order to make it play nice with Snow Leopard, I didn't run into any problems (save that initially I forgot to plug in the USB… and couldn't figure for the life of me why the drive wouldn't mount). User error aside, everything spun up perfectly, and before I knew it, Helm's Deep--as I lovingly named it--was ready to go, fully fortified. Bring on the Orcs.

In spite of its size, and my assumption to the contrary, the ioSafe is extremely quiet. It may have something to do with the physical size of it, but it hardly makes a noise in comparison to my old MyBook, which would often send the whole desk to shaking when it revved up. The glowing blue LED lights are a nice touch, and the surprisingly sleek and almost retro styling prevents it from being an eyesore which, with so many hefty specs for its fireproof and waterproof design, is quite an accomplishment.

My only criticism of the unit is that it doesn't yet allow for home networking (NAS), which is a significant drawback for me. Since we live in a three computer household, it would be excellent to synthesize all the data into one nigh near indestructible unit, especially considering my laptop isn't exactly media central. Not to mention that wifi capabilities would be really sweet, too, just to make it that much easier. Hopefully the makers will include such integration with future models.

But as it is, ioSafe certainly has a good grasp on their own market niche. To set the minds of those of who worry about the worst case scenarios, the ioSafe is a very solid, easy-to-use, high-performance hard drive. It may not be at the front of the class in regard to networking and wifi, but it certainly is heads and shoulders above the rest in terms of durability and resisting destruction.

However, while most reviewers out there are in agreement with me about the impressive performance and ease of use, the current trend appears to be a little more experimental than I'm willing to get with my unit. Be it fire, flood, or flame throwers, these reviewers have really put the ioSafe to the test. Apparently, it can even fry eggs at blistering temperatures. Now, only if it had slots for toast...

• ioSafe on fire: via Gear Diary
• ioSafe with eggs: via Gadgeteer
• ioSafe torture tests: via Macworld

DoubleTwist for Windows Now Has Amazon MP3 Store Support

DoubleTwist, a free download that aims to make iTunes play nice with your non-Apple hardware, has added support for Amazon.com's MP3 Store in its latest update, in addition to a few tweaks with playlist importing and device support.

DoubleTwist is a media manager app for Windows and Mac that acts as a go-between for all of your music libraries (including iTunes and Windows Media Player) and your portable devices.  Whereas iTunes will only recognize and sync with iPods, DoubleTwist will act as a wrapper and sync your iTunes library with your PSP, BlackBerry, Android phone, and more.

Grab the latest beta of DoubleTwist (or learn more about how it works) at the DoubleTwist site.

--Aric A.

Cooking in the Clever Kitchen: Gadgets for the Culinary Mind

The gadget world is a multi-faceted place, as exemplified by the current trend for smaller, more powerful, more versatile technology. But speaking as someone who once lost an iPod Touch for three days only to find it folded neatly into the Joy of Cooking, the kitchen is also one of the best places for smart technology (albeit slightly more conspicuous, perhaps). And it's not just a matter of making good food, it's creating gadgets that serve multiple purposes and functions, working to change the way we go about making, preparing, and purchasing food.

Here's a look at some of the promising tech primed for the culinary-minded gadget geeks among us:

• The SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer - The SmartShopper (at left), both in its original incarnation and a newer deluxe version, attempts to rectify some of the issues inherent in grocery list making (bad handwriting, missed items, multiple lists/requests) by centralizing the process. With voice recognition, auto-categorization, and a nifty little thermal printer, as well as reasonable pricetag, this handy gadget looks to force even the most disorganized shoppers into submission.

• Oster 4207 Electric Wine-Bottle Opener - Winos rejoice along with me. While there have been many oft-lauded wine openers in the past, few seem to get it right. Oster's shiny little number is just under $20 dollars and does those "rabbit" openers one better: it's rechargeable, wireless, and sleek as sin, not to mention it's got a slew of great reviews. A shorter time between me and my wine? Sign me up.

• Taylor Digital Measuring Cup and Scale - Behold, the king of multi-taskers (shown at right). While I'm not exactly sure how it works, it does look promising. Basically it combines a measuring cup with a digital scale, meaning you can weigh items directly in the cup instead of using another gadget (and, in my case, incurring more mess). It has an impressive 4.4 pound capacity and can weigh and measure both wet and dry ingredients. Pretty darned handy, I say.

• Eastman Outdoors 38229 Reveo MariVac Food Tumbler - As many good cooks know, the key to flavor, in many cases, is a good marinade. But what happens when you have a hankering for something meaty and marinaded, and you don't have the 24 hours to let it soak? That's where the MariVac Food Tumbler comes in to play. Though it's got a bit of a hefty pricetag, just under $200, it does seem like a great way to get good flavor in a short time. Plus, something about spinning and vacuums make it feel all space-age. From Popular Science's review:

This vacuum tumbler cuts marinating time by hours, first extracting air to expand the meat´s fibers and then spinning it so that every area is exposed to your sauce of choice.

And for a glimpse at the future? How about this prototype of a cutting board with a built-in LCD screen? Hard to forget the recipe when you're staring straight at it. With planned wifi capability, this looks a bit like a curvy Apple Tablet you can cut on (if you want to take a knife to it, that is...).

Which begs the question: which way are gadgets going to go, kitchen wise, in the next few years? It seems that integration with local networks and smartphones might be the next plausible step. While there have already been some DIY hacks and jaw-droppingly expensive models available for some time, I wouldn't be surprised to see some real integration in the market as we head into the new decade that's both functional and cost-effective.

Cue fantasy of programming the coffee maker from my iPod.