Macenstein

Adobe updates After Effects to 8.0.2

Well, unfortunately it doesn’t fix Apple’s QuickTime 7.4 debacle, but Adobe has finally released After Effects 8.0.2. The update’s big feature is the newly added support for content from Panasonic P2 equipment, without transcoding or rewrapping. Adobe After Effects supports the Panasonic Op-Atom variant of MXF, which is the format used by Panasonic DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50, and DVCPRO HD video cameras to record to P2 media. We recently picked up an HPX-2000 and an... Read More

Apple’s website, circa 1997

Gizmodo recently ran a feature showcasing how lame the internet looked back in the mid 90′s. Naturally our first thought was, “What did Apple’s site look like back then?” Unfortunately, the answer is, “It looked more or less like the Power Macintosh 6500“. So with that, let us take you back to a simpler time in Apple’s web history… a time when the Macworld Expo was held in Boston, “Leopard” was called “OS 8“,... Read More

Finally, an iPod accessory even Greenpeace can’t bash (too much)

Sure we all love the environment, but the iPod is just so cool… If only there were a way to listen to our iPods while killing the planet… more slowly… Faithful Macenstein reader meggert turned us on to Bird-Electron EZ17-B iPod Recycling Speaker, the most “green” iPod speaker you can buy make yourself. This unique speaker relies on the well known fact that Apple’s customers almost always save the packaging their gadgets ship in (they are,... Read More

Write a caption, win a prize

[THANK YOU, WE HAVE A WINNER. THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED] Early MacBook Air prototypes didn’t quite cut it. Think you’re funny enough to be the next Margaret Cho? Well, now’s your chance to prove it to the world. Write your best caption for the above photo, and if we think it’s the funniest, we’ll send you off a $20 iTunes gift certificate. The contest is open to everyone in the US (sorry, iTunes won’t let us buy gift certificates to non-US... Read More

Sure, the MacBook Air looks great, but how does it taste?

(iPhone users click here to watch the video) It took all 4 Today Show regulars to properly gush over the MacBook Air, but only one, Meredith Viera, chose to lick it. Good thing they kept it away from Al – no telling what would have happened.  Read More

Current generation refurbished iPods nanos hit the Apple Store

Those of you who do not fear refurbs may be interested in knowing that Apple has begun selling refurbished current generation 8GB iPod nano for only $169. The 4 GB is only $129. Both models have free shipping. Not bad. All Apple-certified refurbished products: · Undergo a stringent refurbishment process prior to being offered for sale · Perform and look like new Apple products · Come in new packaging and include all manuals and accessories, nothing... Read More

Apple choosing iTunes Movie Rentals over its Professional customers

Is QuickTime 7.4 the worst QuickTime update Apple has ever released? That’s a tough question. It certainly has produced the most problems for me personally. I have mentioned before that I am an Adobe After Effects user. It’s how I feed my family, and pay for my house. Having a working copy of After Effects is a close third behind food and water on my short list of things I need to survive. Unfortunately for me, and many other professional users, Apple’s newly... Read More

iTunes: Pre-selling songs from the past, in the not-too-distant-future, NOW!

Due to some poor musical choices I have been asked to buy for my family, my weekly iTunes “My Alerts” newsletter has been poisoned, and is full of all sorts of lame upcoming releases. Apparently, Mandy Moore, Natasha Bedignfield, AND The Backyardigans all have albums dropping next week, and iTunes thinks I want to know about it. Above: The Hives’ Barely Legal album, as displayed in “My Alerts” However, one group I was happy to see mentioned in... Read More

Steve Jobs has lost $214 million $220 million $1 billion since Macworld

Owning 5.4 million shares of Apple stock is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you have a huge fortune. On the other, you can lose $214 million in a week. This is just one of the reasons I have chosen not to own 5.4 million shares of Apple stock. “Poor” Steve Jobs Apple’s stock has been riding high for nearly a year heading into Macword, and had briefly peaked around $200 a share. On Macworld Eve (January 14th) the stock had a listed price of $178.78, making... Read More

MacHeist ends tomorrow – What will Diggers write about?

MacHeist 2, perhaps the most widely over-publicized conglomeration of software in the history of the Mac, will see its shadow tomorrow and go back in its hole for another year. I have been strong, and managed to resist the bundle’s siren song up ’till now, but it looks like I will be breaking down tonight and picking it up. I’m a sucker for deadlines, and I have bought more than one horribly overpriced bit of animation art at auction because of my tendency... Read More