SGVMUG

These are exciting times for Macintosh users:  the new iPhone and “Mobile.me” software is about to be released, promising an expanded role of the personal portable “computer” coupled with mobile connectivity to the Internet, to make all of our lives easier and more productive.

This also is an exciting time for the San Gabriel Valley Macintosh Users Group.  With our new Board of Directors, we have a renewed enthusiasm for creating our meetings as the place to come not only to learn about Macintosh hardware, software, and applications, but also to network with other users who share your interests.  Our Website will continue to provide news and helpful hints how to make better and more productive use of your own computing environment.

For those of you who have been regular members and attendees of our meetings, on behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank you for your support.  For those of you who have yet to attend one of our meetings - or who do so only occasionally - I invite you to put us on your regular calendar of “must do” events:  the Third Monday of (almost) every month at the Pasadena Library Auditorium.  Check our Website - www.sgvmug.org - for details of the upcoming meeting and while you are there, browse through all of the other articles.

Please also feel free to contact us at info@sgvmug.org any time with your questions, comments, and suggestions.

I look forward to seeing you all at our next meeting.

Best Regards,

Ron Streicher, President

The Mozilla Group, makers of the popular Firefox and Thunderbird software are attempting to set a Guinness World Record for most internet downloads in a single 24 hr period with the release of Firefox 3.

Firefox 3 Download day will be Tuesday, June 17th. Why not give the new Firefox a try on June 17th?
Click the button below for information.

Apple announced at WWDC that the newest major update to Mac OS X will be available in a about a year. The new update called Snow Leopard appears to geared toward performance and will be the first Mac OS since OS X was released in 2001 to actually slim itself down. According to the Apple website http://www.apple.com/macosx/snowleopard/ - “Snow Leopard dramatically reduces the footprint of Mac OS X, making it even more efficient for users, and giving them back valuable hard drive space for their music and photos.”

The new OS won’t be just on slimming down, even though still a year from shipping, the website lists a few new features.

Multicore Technology -
Apple will include “Grand Central” a set of technologies to allow the whole OS (not just pieces) as well as Mac apps to better utilize the multiple cores of the processor(s).

Extended support for 64-bit technology will allow the Operating System to access “…up to a theoretical 16TB, or 500 times more than what is possible today. More RAM makes applications run faster, because more of their data can be kept in the very fast physical RAM instead of on the much slower hard disk.”

OpenCL -

Open Compute Library will allow programs to better access and utilize the extra processing muscle of the GPU on modern graphics cards. The processor the modern games use to render their highly demanding images will also be utilized for ‘everyday’ computing.

Finally, items from the iphones playbook -
Microsoft Exchange 2007 Support and Quicktime X.
Exchange support thru the OS not just iPhone and Quicktime streamlined and optimized to provide great playback of modern codecs and protocols online and on your system.

MOBILE INTEGRATION FOR THE REST OF US
Now Apple has created a new synergy of mobile communications and computing.

With the release of the new iPhone and the conversion of .Mac to “Mobile Me” Apple will combine both portable computing and mobile communications into an affordable, tightly integrated package.

Presenters Billy Chang, Gautam Godse, and Andrew Zima will discuss the release of the new iPhone and how this, in the new mobile computing environment, will affect all of us.

The meeting will be held at the Pasadena Library Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 16th.

Following the general meeting, we will hold an organizational session at the “Meeting after the Meeting” at Coco’s Restaurant, 77 North Lake Avenue (between Colorado Blvd. and Holly Street). Please join us to plan the future of our Group.

Here is an Update on the local Mac Event - MacDayLA…
(The piece below is from MacDayLA. Any “we” or “us” refers to them - MacDayLA)

The next MacDayLA is just 2 weeks away, on May 31 (which is not
Memorial Day this year).

If you’re planning on — or thinking of — attending, we ask that you
RSVP to let us know.

Your RSVP:
• helps us plan.
• encourages vendors to attend for you.
• makes it easier for everyone to get onto the CBS in time for the
presentations, discussions and fun.
(No log-in or registration.)

http://macdayla.com/

Agenda: http://macdayla.com/agenda/
Classes: http://macdayla.com/classes/
Party & music: http://macdayla.com/party
Free photo scans too: http://macdayla.com/Vendors/1888ScanVan/

Arrive at any time.
Come and go as you please.
Enjoy good food at great prices while you easily meet new people and
learn all sorts of things that’ll help your Mac life and impress your
friends and co-workers.

Easy freeway access (101 at Laurel Canyon).
Lots of free parking.
We even have a Notary Public on site.

SGVMUG General Meeting - May 19th, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm Location: Pasadena Public Library, Main Branch Auditorium

Topic: To Be Confirmed
Presenter: To Be Confirmed

Our own Billy Chang will be talking about ‘Leopard’ the latest and greatest operating system from Apple. So if you have not upgraded to Leopard find out why you need to.

Same place, same time. Roaaar !

The premiere of MacDayLA has a lot to offer. Even a couple of things for Windows users.

• If you’re into music you’ll enjoy trying the Mandala 2.0 - a drum that attaches to Mac or PC via USB and becomes your audio input instrument. Set it to sound like any type of drum, or a piano, or a guitar…. It’s not in stores yet so this is a rare opportunity to try it for yourself. We even have a discount price for you. We discovered the Mandala at a private press event at CES and thought it very worth sharing with others.
Have a friend into music? Share this opportunity. The guys will be there all day and into the evening.

• If you’ve been wanting a MacOS tablet computer, you’ll love the Axiotron Modbook. It’s approved by Apple and is a MacBook at its core - but it’s more. Perfect for graphic artists. It can only be purchased by web/phone from Other World Computing so there’s no store to try it in. But you can sit with it and try it at MacDayLA! All day and into the evening.

• Wondering what iPhone apps have in store for you? Come see a jailbroken iPhone full of apps and learn from an iPhone-using pro.

• Looking for a fast, easy way to stash and be able to find your myriad notes on your Mac? See TopXNotes one-on-one in Carla’s Cafe all morning.

• Much more.

• A unique something special for Mac users that we’ll announce during the day. If you have a shirt or cap that boasts your MUG or an Apple logo, wear it or bring it along!

• Games! If you have an iPod and are staying for the evening, bring it along.

• Door prizes and game prizes, proving all attendees with an excellent chance to win something.

Optional photography class for both Mac and Windows users:
Now That I Shot These Digital Photos, What Do I Do? $99 for 3 hours. Please register in advance.

We even have a Notary Public on hand so you can get business done too!

Just $15 at the door ($12 online today).
Free parking.
Great food at better-than-fast food pricing.
At CBS Studio Center, Studio City, CA, off the 101 at Laurel Canyon.
Doors open at 8:30am and we’re there til around 9pm for you to spend part or all of your day with us.
Full info at http://www.macdayla.com/.

Our Monthly General meeting will take place on March 17th.

Presenter: Allan Kiesler from BlueLounge Inc. (www.bluelounge.com)

Topic:

An overview of the design firm - Bluelounge - talk about the products they have developed in the past 3 years - cableyoyo, POP, Cool Feet, Notebook Kit, SpaceStation.  In addition, members get a sneak peek at 2 new upcoming products - The Sanctuary and the CableBox.

BlueLounge will be donating the following products to the raffle - a Notebook Kit (Value $19.95) and 2 cableyoyo Gift Packs (Value $19.95).

Location- Auditorium of the Main Branch Pasadena Public Library

Time- 7-9 pm

Hope to see you there.

Mac author and journalist Deborah Shadovitz is currently working on a new one-day, all-day Mac event.

Dates: 4th Saturday of every odd month starting Sat, March 22, 2008.
Location: CBS Studio Center, Studio City, at Laurel Canyon & Ventura Blvd.

Cost: $15 or 12 if you pre-register
($10 at the door if you belong to a User Group that has a membership fee)
Parking: free, and plenty of it.

Event site: http://www.MacDayLA.com

For more info please check out their website at the link above.