The editor ofMacworldhave scoured the show storey to find the most forward-looking products at this class ’s Macworld Conference & Expo . This year we have 14 products that we experience highlight the commitment Macintosh developers have for the platform . Here are the 2006 Best of Show winner .
Adobe Lightroom , which Adobe release on Monday as a public beta for the Mac , takes a Modern overture to working with your photos — and offer some interesting competition for Apple ’s recently released Aperture 1.0 . As competition is something that ’s been painfully lacking in the professional photo - redaction market lately , this clash of the heavyweight can only mean good news for digital photographers . Lightroom lets you take ascendancy of your photos — separate , valuation , editing , and publication — in a nondestructive way . The program is designed to complement , not replace , Photoshop ; while it extend an impressive collection of tools for the most essential editing task , it also bring in it soft to switch to Photoshop for compositing , masking , and like needs . honest of all , it does n’t require the a la mode and great Mac hardware to run swimmingly . Mac drug user can download it destitute from Adobe ’s site .
Apple MacBook Pro : Apple ’s PowerBook line has long been a intensity of the companionship ’s computer hardware offering . But late , even this revered laptop computer has been showing its years , with spicy - running PowerPC french fries limiting just how fast these machines could be given . Apple(booth # 1317 ) appear to have found the idealistic result with the unexampled MacBook Pro ( $ 1,999 for the the 1.67GHz manakin ; $ 2,499 for the 1.83GHz version ) . Powered by an Intel Core Duo C.P.U. , this new laptop should improve on the PowerBook ’s execution — Apple tell it will render up to four time the performance of its PowerPC - base laptops — without sacrifice any of aesthetic quality . Indeed , the MacBook Pro retains the PowerBook ’s striking metallic look , while managing to squeeze a function iSight camera into a laptop that ’s essentially the same sizing . At this pace , the Intel - base Mac epoch is off to a hopeful start .
Apple iLife ‘ 06 : iLife(booth # 1317 ) , packs a lot into a $ 79 package . The later version of Apple ’s medium suite add iWeb software for create Web web site and blog , but also updates the other programs in the caboodle . iPhoto includes meliorate its speed , adds full - silver screen editing , and includes higher - timbre volume ordain as well as young card and calendars ; iMovie adds quicken themes , real - fourth dimension effects , video podcasting , and permit you open up multiple project at once ; iDVD adds widescreen menus , salutary slideshows , and now work with third - party videodisc burner ; and GarageBand include podcasting create and iChat interview recording ( shipping now ) .
BrowsebackfromSmile on My Mac : If you ’ve ever want to retrieve a WWW page you previously catch but did not bookmark , Browseback is a handy way of life to search your web browser account . The program open you thumbnail of every page you take care at and you may seek your history with keywords , even if you reckon the page week ago or it has already been update . ( $ 30 )
Docktopus : One of the most underused features of Mac OS X ’s Dock is the power to add informational “ badges ” atop Dock icons . Startly applied science ’ $ 20Docktopus , booth # 1443 ) form the Dock more utilitarian by let you add badges to your Dock ikon . Your Trash can can tell you how many files are in it ; iCal ’s icon will sprout a miniskirt - calendar of event ; and any app can gain a processor ikon that indicate how laborious it ’s working . Docktopus finally gives us a understanding to turn off auto - skin and keep the Dock open all the time .
Elgato’sEyeTV 2works with all exist EyeTV - compatible hardware , but features a dramatically design port that mimics iTunes and iPhoto . you may make playlists of television recordings and favorite channel lists . An integrated program templet release you from bear to bug out your Web web internet browser to see what ’s on or schedule recordings . schedule television can mechanically export to iPod , integration has been tightened up with Roxio ’s Toast 7 , and myriad other enhancements have been made . Shipping now , EyeTV 2 costs $ 49 through March 31 , then it ’s $ 79 .
JBL On Time : Continuing its custom of make high - quality speaker unit organisation for the iPod , JBL upped the ante once again by releasing the On Time ( $ 299 ) . Not your distinctive verbaliser system , the On Time features a loop loudspeaker , two-fold alarms , a clock wireless and ambient light detector , so it reacts automatically to changing light conditions .
Google Earth , from Google : As a fan of maps , I ca n’t seem to get enough of this program . It ’s a gorgeous flyover program with very elaborated orbiter photos of some areas ( Europe , North America ) and less of others ( sub - saharan Africa ) . It also has options for boundry , building and even commuter runway overlayer . And , it ’s free .
iSee 360i , fromAdvanced Technology Office - ATO(booth # 2707 ) , lets you employ many pre-5 G iPods to play videos and regard photos . The $ 249 gimmick docks with your iPod and can not only flirt files stored on the iPod ’s hard parkway on the iSee ’s 3.6 - column inch people of colour cover , but also be used to record television from a number of different source . It gives new life to one-time iPods , and bestow functionality to even the latest video offering from Apple ( available afterwards this after part ) .
LightZone 1.0fromLight Crafts : This photo redaction covering , targeted to professional and advanced photographers , supply an alternative way to view , manage , edit , and redress digital photographs allot to lite values . LightZone is based on the Zone System , a photographic proficiency popularized by landscape photographer Ansel Adams , that let photographers visualize and control the tonic range of their icon . ( $ 250 )
Marware Project X : Marware ’s Project X fill a gap in the Mac industry by turn in task management software that is easy for anyone to empathise , but is still powerful enough for those substance abuser that desire and necessitate high-pitched - end feature article . Project X exact a true Apple approach to interface conception , providing an refined and easy to utilize workspace .
MemoryMinerbyGroupSmarts($60 ) lets you explore the kinship between the hoi polloi and home in your digital photos . The theme is to develop personal histories . Using an intuitive interface , you identify the people and places in your photograph and when the pic was take . The political platform uses this information to build up joining between exposure so you’re able to , with clip , hunt the movements of the single person ( or multiple multitude ) through time and around the existence , and research shared contact between people . All of this data can then be published on the vane for others to research .
Micromat Techtool Protégé : There are mass of prick out there that ’ll help you diagnose and fix a troubled Mac . Micromat ’s new Techtool Protégé , though , is one of the coolest : It ’s a FireWire fanfare drive that comes pre - load with a bootable copy of OS X , the late versions of Micromat ’s TechTool Pro and DiskStudio , and whatever other utilities you want to load into its G of store . You just plug the Protégé into that ail Mac ’s Firewire embrasure , bring up up , and use the built - in software system putz to regain out what ’s wrong and fix the trouble .
travelling bag FusionfromExtensis : fuse characteristic of the Suitcase and Font Reserve font managers , Suitcase Fusion can get and automatically activate accurate version of fonts in a document , including embedded EPS or PDF single file fonts . The program ’s Font Vault feature gives you more control condition over fonts to eliminate unnecessary font battle and twin typeface . The program also put up advanced hunting capableness based on keywords , foundry , and font classifications . ( $ 100 )
