Shiverware’s David Gerhard talks about their development of the official Star Trek™ Vulcan Harp. Not just a toy, the Vulcan Harp is a real iPad musical instrument taking its inspiration from our favorite sci-fi series. David explains how it was made and why they went to such lengths to make it perfect. Revealing a little known piece of Trek trivia, David also talks about why it is iPad only, the licensing process to make it “official,” and a developer’s eye view of app pricing. David also discusses Musix Pro, their “Epic Isomorphic Harmony Music Instrument” and why both are not just apps, but also music research. Need an app of your own? David can help with that too.

Jeff Gamet and John Martellaro took on science fiction tech on a recent edition of The Mac Observer’s Daily Observations Podcast, and take that discussion to the next level on MacVoices. What we were promised and what we got, why we got it, and how start things off. The group looks at the issues of whether we ask too much or not enough, the social implications of certain technologies, and then go off the deep end into the world of robots, intelligent assistants and even avatars.

This edition of MacVoices is sponsored by Smile, the makers of the brand new PDFpen Scan+, the best way to scan and create PDFs on your iDevice,  PDFpen 6 and PDFpenPro 6,  PDFpen for iPad, PDFpen for iPhone, as well as TextExpander for Mac, TextExpander touch and DiscLabel.

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Take Control Books brings you this edition of MacVoices. Get the answers you need now from leading experts.

Command-Control-Power is a podcast for Apple Consultant Network members (ACNs) by ACNs, covering not only the technical side of things, but also advice on how to be a responsible, successful consultant. The team consists of Joe Saponare, Sam Valencia and Jerry Zigmont, and all three stopped by to share some information about what ACNs can do for you, your home gear, and even your office technology needs. They talk about the topics they cover on their show and share some interesting stories from the front lines. Hiring a consultant isn’t as simple as it might appear; Joe, Sam and Jerry talk about how to go about it to find someone qualified and why that is critical in today’s privacy and security conscious world.

This edition of MacVoices is sponsored by Smile, the makers of the brand new PDFpen Scan+, the best way to scan and create PDFs on your iDevice,  PDFpen 6 and PDFpenPro 6,  PDFpen for iPad, PDFpen for iPhone, as well as TextExpander for Mac, TextExpander touch and DiscLabel.

Take Control Booksbrings you this edition of MacVoices. Get the answers you need now from leading experts.

With all the buzz, The MacJury convened to discuss what is most wanted and most needed in the next iteration of Apple’s iPhone. No rumors here, just a serious examination of what we can realistically expect to see, and what is most important. Screen size, battery life, weight, materials and even the need for a case are all on the docket for discussion by the panel of Kelly Guimont, Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Jim Tanous and host Chuck Joiner.

This edition of MacVoices is sponsored by Smile, the makers of the brand new PDFpen Scan+, the best way to scan and create PDFs on your iDevice,  PDFpen 6 and PDFpenPro 6,  PDFpen for iPad, PDFpen for iPhone, as well as TextExpander for Mac, TextExpander touch and DiscLabel.

Joe Kissell explains one of the most under-used, under-appreciated security measures you can take with your Mac in Take Control of FileVault. With the flick of a virtual switch, your data can be safer. So why don’t more people do it? Because they are scared. Joe tells us why there is nothing to fear, just how secure our data is, and then serves up a taste of some of the more advanced parts of FileVault that he bets you didn’t know about.

 

This edition of MacVoices is sponsored by Smile, the makers of the brand new PDFpen Scan+, the best way to scan and create PDFs on your iDevice,  PDFpen 6 and PDFpenPro 6,  PDFpen for iPad, PDFpen for iPhone, as well as TextExpander for Mac, TextExpander touch and DiscLabel.

David Sparks shares some of the wisdom he has obtained in his new MacSparky Field Guide, Presentations. As someone who does presentations for a living, David has gained a great deal of information on what makes (or breaks) a great presentation. With a focus on Keynote, David addresses not only the “nuts and bolts” of presentation creation, but also the mindset of the presenter and some simple tips that helps set you apart. Sharing some of the book’s content, David tells us what you’ll find there, why he felt it was important to include a huge amount of video, and how you can benefit from Presentations even if you aren’t an iBooks user.

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Ted Landau has a lot on his mind, and we help him get it off. A real-world test of the adequacy of the iPhone’s camera, what the Mac mini does and doesn’t bring to the table as an adequate computer, whether one should feel guilty when another tech company doesn’t deliver and more are all part of a diverse conversation.

This edition of MacVoices is sponsored by Smile, the makers of PDFpen Scan+, the best way to scan and create PDFs on your iDevice,  PDFpen 6 and PDFpenPro 6,  PDFpen for iPad, PDFpen for iPhone, as well as TextExpander for Mac, TextExpander touch and DiscLabel.

The MacJury convenes to discuss some of the recent examples of good and bad corporate communications from Microsoft, Apple, Google, Yahoo and Samsung. There have recently been some stellar examples of how to do it right and how to do it wrong. Those examples, along with their impact on users, investors and corporate credibility are examined by the panel of Mark Fuccio, Jeff Gamet, Jon Seff and host Chuck Joiner.

This edition of MacVoices is brought to you by Harry’s, the shaving gear you will respect, not throw away. Use the promo code “MacVoices” to save $5 on your first order.

For the adventurous among us, Joe Kissell has just released Take Control of Beta Testing Yosemite, and just in time to help guide you through the best way to work with the newest version of the Mac OS. Joe gives us some options on how best to install Yosemite to prevent problems, what you need to do before diving in, and what to expect when you take your first walk in the park. Why would you want to try a public beta? Joe explains the benefits and risks, what is working and what isn’t yet, and more.

This edition of MacVoices is sponsored by Smile, the makers of the brand new PDFpen Scan+, the best way to scan and create PDFs on your iDevice, PDFpen 6 and PDFpenPro 6, PDFpen for iPad, PDFpen for iPhone, as well as TextExpander for Mac, TextExpander touch and DiscLabel.

Digital photography expert Derrick Story shares his thoughts on the discontinuance of Aperture and what we should all do next. Is Adobe Lightroom in your future? Or the successor photo app from Apple, Photos? Is building a new photography app from the ground up a good idea? Derrick discusses the options, the costs associated with each, and his rationale for his personal choice.

This edition of MacVoices is brought to you by Harry’s, the shaving gear you will respect, not throw away. Use the promo code “MacVoices” to save $5 on your first order.