Win a complete set of iPod accessories from Griffin

This issue, to celebrate the latest range of Griffin iPod accessories, we’ve been given a boatload of prizes to give away in our competition.

Four prizes are on offer. The main prize is a superb Griffin Evolve speaker system with a brand new iPod nano, plus a range of accessories for playing your iPod in the park, your car, or just about anywhere you can think off. Three runners-up will take away an iTrip Auto with SmartScan – an excellent in-car FM transmitter that won a MacFormat Choice Award a few issues ago.

Griffin is at the forefront of iPod accessory technology. The SmartScan is the first transmitter we’ve found that really nails automated station scanning, and the Evolve system also broke ground with its wireless speakers. The cube speakers charge on their base, but then lift off. The range is wide and you can add extra speakers, too.

The main prize reflects different areas of Griffin’s product range. There are iPod cases, earphones, power supplies, a sports armband, FM transmitters and speakers. For a complete look at Griffin’s range, please visit www.griffintechnology.com.

To enter this competition please click on this competition link.

Thought I'd do a bit of cross promotion for our sister title Digital Camera Magazine's Photographer of the Year competition. It's the leading contest for anyone with a passion for digital photography and is open to both amateur and professional photographers of any nationality. Its aim is to reveal the most inspirational and imaginative photographers from around the globe. Last year, the competition attracted more than 81,000 entries from around the world.

It’s completely free to enter and there is a main prize of £15,000 up for grabs.

There are ten categories, these include the usual: People and Portraits, Animals, and Landscapes. We have a few interesting categories this year, Hidden Britain which should expose the real character or spirit of Britain, Creative Vision; the 'anything goes' category and there is Urban which can open doors for bringing ordinary city locations to life and reflecting everyday scenes in a new way.

For more info, go to www.photographeroftheyear2008.

There is also www.youngphotographeroftheyear.com for people under the age of 17.

iLife expert

Become an instant master of iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD

WE all love iLife, but for many people it’s much more than a fun set of programs – it’s a key part of their everyday work. Our main feature shows you how to become an expert with the suite of apps, including easier iPhoto management, great tips for movie-making with iMovie, getting more professional results from GarageBand and then exporting and saving your finished project with iDVD, iWeb or MobileMe.

Elsewhere in the magazine, we investigate iPhone 3G and tell you everything you need to know about Apple’s second-generation iPhone. Plus we take an in-depth look at Microsoft’s Office suite and show you the wonders it can do with your word processing, spreadsheets and presentations.

Also this issue

Tutorials
Improve a group photo in Photoshop Elements
Master OS X’s Dictionary
Create the perfect Mac setup
Keep your laptop secure
Protect your Mac from viruses
And more…

Reviews
Realmac Software RapidWeaver 4
onOne Software Essentials 2 for Apple iPhoto
Western Digital My Passport Studio 320GB
Epson Perfection V200
Penax K200D
Group Test of six Mac email clients
And more…

Mac questions answered
Divert data from a Mac mini; fix iMac fan problems; strange media on PowerBook; screen sharing with a MacBook Pro; missing sidebar section on Macs; strange characters on iWeb pages and more…

On the disc
Three full programs: Spectasia 3, Artist’s Butler 2.8 and Stomp 1.3 plus Greek lessons, Flash CS3 training, freeware toolkit, hot demos and more…

It’s all in MacFormat issue 198, on sale now!

Visit the MacFormat forum by clicking here
Subscribe to MacFormat and never miss an issue again!

You can download the issue 198 Disc cover for printing out here.

In this edition of MacFormat This Week...

We take you on a guided tour of one of your Mac's hidden gems, the Dictionary. James Ellerbeck joins host Brad Gibson to review a brace of entry-level DSLRs and a handy little audio utility. Plus Trevor Middleton answers your technical support questions.

Here are your links for this week's show...

You can subscribe to the enhanced edition of MacFormat This Week through iTunes. To do this, click here.

Or you can download the files directly: For the enhanced edition of this show, click here.

For the MP3 edition of this show, click here.

If you'd like your questions answered in a future edition of MacFormat This Week, then please email machelpme-AT-futurenet.co-DOT-uk.

We'd love to hear your questions or comments regarding MacFormat This Week. E-mail us at macformatthisweek-AT-futurenet.co-DOT-uk.

Over the past couple of years, we've seen a slew of shareware bundles, but the problem with each of them is the same: there are always a number of apps you're not really interested in. Although the bargain-like nature of the bundles means this isn't a major issue, Mac Mix is trying a different method. It offers 29 apps over five categories, and the more of them you buy, the bigger the discount—up to 75% if you grab a dozen.

As always, there's some dross lurking, but Xyle Scope, Witch, TextExpander, iConquer and DrawIt are all decent apps. Grab all five and you still net a 40% discount. Be sure to use the 'lite' version of the website, though, to avoid the hateful standard version, which spangs back and forth when you check app descriptions.

You can download the issue 197 disc cover for printing out here.

I don't know about you, but for me the 'upgrade' to MobileMe has been shambolic. The switchover was delayed, the online web apps have been sluggish, and I found myself acquiring a whole new Sent and Drafts folders on my MobileMe email server that necessitated some protracted message moving. Outlook sync has been a bit weird and unless I'm missing something incredibly obvious, I can't so far see my server-side Sent and Drafts folders in Outlook on my MacBook's Vista partition to allow me to save sent and draft messages.

At least, however, I've just been pinged to let me know that the MobileMe update is available which should, I hope, make things run a bit more smoothly on the Mac side at least.

How about you? What's the transition been like?

Like a few other people I've spoken to, my new iPhone 3G's location-fixing technology seems a little erratic. Though it quickly behaved itself, the first time I used it to pinpoint my lcoction, it decided I was over a hundred miles south-west of my actual position.

How many of you braved the long queues this morning? Where I was queuing, there was a really pleasant camaraderie, even though many of us waited for more than two hours. It was my first Apple queue!

Even though the fact that the 2.0 firmware hasn't been released means that you can't actually install anything on your iPhone or iPod touch yet, the App Store is now open for business. You can browse, buy and download the apps; presumably they'll just install when you're able to put the 2.0 firmware on your device.

I've already spent £32. What about you?

In this edition of MacFormat This Week...

We talk you through the pros and cons of buying refurbished Macs and discuss the iPhone tariffs in detail with moneysupermarket.com's mobile expert, Rob Barnes. Plus, Craig Grannell gives us his shareware picks, and Trevor Middleton answers your technical support questions.

Here are your links for this week's show...

You can subscribe to the enhanced edition of MacFormat This Week through iTunes. To do this, click here.

Or you can download the files directly: For the enhanced edition of this show, click here.

For the MP3 edition of this show, click here.

If you'd like your questions answered in a future edition of MacFormat This Week, then please email machelpme-AT-futurenet.co-DOT-uk.

We'd love to hear your questions or comments regarding MacFormat This Week. E-mail us at macformatthisweek-AT-futurenet.co-DOT-uk.

Give your latptop a new internet connection in remote places

This month, MacFormat has teamed up with Vodafone to offer one lucky reader a brand new MacBook and Vodafone USB Modem Stick. The prize does not include a data package, but these are fairly cheap to pick up these days and you will probably want to shop around. They cost anything between £15 and £25 per month, depending on your bandwidth needs.

What impressed us about the Vodafone USB Modem Stick, aside from the Vodafone service that we have used for years now, is the compact, elegant design and reliable reception. It slips into a side pocket in a laptop bag with no bother at all, and can be trusted on the road, whether you’re in the UK or roaming further afield.

Once configured, you can initiate a new connection in seconds. When connected, it smoothly steps the speed up and down, depending on the best-quality connection available in your location.

The main appeal, though, is the convenience. Whether you need to get in a last-minute bid on an eBay item, or keep your email inbox up to date, it’s an incredibly useful bit of kit that’s also Mac friendly.

To enter this month's competition please click here

The ultimate Mac survival guide

Essential hints, tips and kit for your iLife apps, mobile, design and music

No matter what kind of Mac user you are, our ultimate survival guide will tell you what you need. We’re not talking about buying the most expensive or most beautiful kit, but the stuff that you’ll really need to use your Mac to its highest potential. We have kit lists for iLife gurus, mobiles workers, troubleshooters, music makers and design professionals. Make sure you check it out!

If you’re looking for a new Mac but the credit crunch has gotten to you, then read our great feature on buying refurb Macs. You could save hundreds on your latest Apple purchase with our help. Plus we also show you how to get more from Apple’s great iWork ’08 suite.

Also this issue

Tutorials
Restore photos in Photoshop Elements
Take control of Apple Mail
Uninstall apps properly from your Mac
Make and upload video blogs
Work smarter with Spaces
And more…

Reviews
Apple iMac 3.06GHz 24-inch
Canon EOS 450D
Griffin RoadTrip with SmartScan
OpenOffice.org 3.0 beta
Toon Boom Studio 4
Savvy snappers for less than £150
And more…

Mac questions answered
The backup Time Machine forgot; importing US software to the UK; quick and dirty network security; mysteriously corrupting files; banish the startup bong and more…

On the disc
Three full programs: Citra FX 2.0, skEdit 3.6.3 and TimeSlice 2.8, plus Japanese lessons, Leopard video training, freeware toolkit, hot demos and more…

It’s all in MacFormat issue 197, on sale now!

Visit the MacFormat forum by clicking here
Subscribe to MacFormat and never miss an issue again!

In this edition of MacFormat This Week...

Christopher Phin and Misha Sakellaropoulo join host Brad Gibson to talk iPhone 3G and round up all the news and opinion from this year's WWDC. Plus, Trevor Middleton answers your technical support questions.

Here are your links for this week's show...

You can subscribe to the enhanced edition of MacFormat This Week through iTunes. To do this, click here.

Or you can download the files directly: For the enhanced edition of this show, click here.

For the MP3 edition of this show, click here.

If you'd like your questions answered in a future edition of MacFormat This Week, then please email machelpme-AT-futurenet.co-DOT-uk.

We'd love to hear your questions or comments regarding MacFormat This Week. E-mail us at macformatthisweek-AT-futurenet.co-DOT-uk.

You can download the issue 196 disc cover for printing out here.