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The BIG Reason

Music, opinions, and portfolio of Mark Eagleton, musician and web developer in Northern CA.

My Trip to Macworld 2008

My buddy Ivan and I ditched out on work at the last minuted yesterday and tooted down to San Francisco for Macworld. We missed out last year. Both of us had started new jobs and were wary of bringing up the subject of a frivolous day off to our employers. That was completely lame, though. Since both of us actually use, and make/help make purchasing recommendations for just the kinds of things they hock at Macworld, there is an actual professional benefit to us going. So we did, and these are my impressions of the things we saw.

My buddy Ivan and I ditched out on work at the last minuted yesterday and tooted down to San Francisco for Macworld. We missed out last year. Both of us had started new jobs and were wary of bringing up the subject of a frivolous day off to our employers. That was completely lame, though. Since both of us actually use, and make/help make purchasing recommendations for just the kinds of things they hock at Macworld, there is an actual professional benefit to us going. So we did, and these are my impressions of the things we saw.

Apple MacBook Air

Apple MacBook Air

It's actually thinner than it looks on TV/internet, and the display is much brighter than my MacBook's. As someone who has only used his DVD drive in his Macbook a handful of times, I think the removable media drive is the perfect thing to omit in a sub-compact notebook. Especially considering the alternatives Apple has provided. The ambient light sensors are in the top of the display, near the camera. This makes the dimmer behave in a much more usable way. Setting papers on the keyboard, for instance, has no effect on the display.

Belkin TuneStudio™

Belkin TuneStudio(tm)

A sweet 4-channel mixing console for your iPod, perfect for recording live shows and rehearsals with a minimal amount of equipment. Most working bands I know bring along an iPod to run through the board during breaks when doing their own sound. The TuneStudio™ allows you to use the iPod as the recording medium while you're playing, and switch to playback during breaks. Belkin also has a baby version of this sucker for about $99, due at the end of the month. The little guy has two stereo mics, as well as two XLR/quarter inch inputs. It looks like a robotic sleeve for your iPod with blinking lights, dials and a threaded tripod hole on the bottom. Both machines require an iPod with the voice recorder feature in the, like the nano's, classics and the first iPod video.

Rogue Amoeba Live Disc

Rogue Amoeba Live Disk

The best free-bee I got at the expo has to be Rogue Amoeba's Live Disc. Besides containing trial versions of all of their incredibly bad ass titles, the CD is smart enough to check the version on the disk to see if it's the latest. If it isn't, it downloads and installs the newest version. This is just as badicle as the software that comes on the disk.

TCG 2008 Salary "Check" Book

TCG Salary Checkbook

You don't make enough money. The Creative Group is the one who would know, and they tell you in their 2008 Salary "Check" Book—which takes the form of an actual check book. Cute, sobering, and the most popular chotchkie I brought back.

Thirstybear E.S.B

It wouldn't be a trip to Macworld without hitting up the Thirstybear for lunch. They went all organic since the 2006 Macworld. Their beers are featured at the Hoes Down Harvest Festival in Guinda, of which I had plenty there. I was very excited to try the nitro E.S.B.. Lightly hopped, British style ales are not all that common in California, so it's a treat when a small brewer does one. It was served way too cold, but was quite tasty once it warmed up. Definitely a winner.

Conclusion

Macworld is getting noticeably more crowded as the years and iPods roll on. There are lots of bigger booths these days, and there seems to be quite a bit more representation by the boring markets, like the QuickBooks folks and stuff. Lots of really lame crapware on the outskirts still, but all and all, a nice showing.