It turns out the delay may turn out to be a blessing. You see, when I wrote my (much shorter) review for the Houston Chronicle I had only been using the new iPhone 3GS for a couple of days. And while I still agree with everything I said in that review, I now know a…
Bob LeVitus
Bob LeVitus, often referred to as “Dr. Mac,” is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on Mac OS X and one of the Mac community’s most trusted gurus for almost thirty years. He’s known for his trademark humorous style and unerring ability to translate ‘techie’ jargon into usable and fun advice for regular folks. A prolific author, LeVitus has written or co-written over 75 popular computer books with more than two million copies sold worldwide in a dozen languages. His most recent titles include: iPhone For Dummies, macOS Sierra For Dummies, and iPad For Dummies, all for Wiley Publishing. LeVitus is currently a columnist for the Mac Observer and has written the Dr. Mac column for the Houston Chronicle since 1996. While LeVitus has seen his work published in more than a dozen computer magazines over the past eighteen years, including: a three- year stint as Editor-in-Chief of the irreverent and unpredictable MACazine; and four different columns in MacUser magazine—Beating the System, Personal Best, Game Room, and the Help Folder (with Andy Ihnatko, and later, Chris Breen). Though best known for his writing, he’s also dabbled in broadcasting with a radio show (Inside Mac Radio, CNET Radio, 2001-2002) and a television series (Mac Today, Syndicated, 1992-1993). In addition to his writing, LeVitus runs a consulting business that provides expert technical help and training to Mac users anywhere in the world, in real time and at reasonable prices, via telephone, e-mail, and/or its own unique Internet-enabled remote control software. If you’re having a problem with your Mac or want to learn how to do almost anything with it, point your browser at: http://www.boblevitus.com. Always a popular speaker at Mac user groups and trade shows, LeVitus has presented more than 200 seminars, workshops, conference, and training sessions in the U.S. and abroad, including keynote addresses in three countries. (He also won the Macworld Expo MacJeopardy World Championship three times before retiring.) His most recent foray is Working Smarter for Mac Users, a site, newsletter, and more, all aimed at helping Mac users do more work in less time so they have more time for the things they love. Prior to giving his life over to computers, Bob worked in advertising producing television commercials, radio spots, and print ads at Kresser & Robbins and SelecTV. He holds a B.S. in Marketing from California State University and currently lives in central Texas with his wife, kids, and a plethora of pets
Articles by Bob LeVitus
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - Episode #84: When Good iPhones Go Bad...
Let me begin with this: I think the iPhone is the coolest and most useful piece of tech gear I’ve used in this decade. Nothing has stirred my geeky juices the way the iPhone has since… well, since my first Mac in 1985. And, just as it was with that first Mac, I’m doing everything…
Episode #82 - Read This Before You Install Leopard
It’s been roughly 72 hours since Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard was released. Many (if not most) users are reporting no problems installing or using Leopard. Unfortunately, a significant number of others are having problems, many of which are severe. If you haven’t installed Leopard yet, or if you have installed Leopard and are experiencing…
Read This Before You Install Leopard
I don’t want to be an alarmist but a good number of users are experiencing the extremely nasty Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) after installing Leopard. When the installation completes and they restart (or their Mac restarts itself), a plain blue screen appears and nothing more. Keystrokes have no effect on it and a hard…
In Which EyeTV 250 plus Helps Dr. Mac Enjoy Television Once Again
I’m not a huge TV watcher but there are a handful of (mostly cable) TV shows that I like to watch, including (but not limited to) The Family Guy, and Criss Angel: Mindfreak. I also have a penchant for HBO, which shows movies, specials and series I enjoy, such as Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and…
ProTouch keyboard protector
I admit to being somewhat of a clean freak, so products like the iSkin ProTouch keyboard protector naturally appeal to me. Fabricated from a flexible soft silicone and precision molded to fit over each key without affecting your typing, it protects your keyboard from crud both wet and dry. More specifically (according to its Web…
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - iTunes Plus: DRM Free or Not?
Episode #79 Surely by now you’ve heard about Apple’s new DRM-free iTunes offerings known as iTunes Plus. If you haven’t, here’s how I described it in my Houston Chronicle column earlier this week: Announced earlier in the month and launched last week, iTunes Plus provides the option of higher-quality music encoded at twice the bit…
Two Great Programs for Free
I spent last week on my 6th annual Mid-Atlantic Mac User Group Tour, making stops in Princeton, NJ, and Hershey and Philadelphia, PA. As always, I had a great time visiting with other Mac fanatics, talking about Macs and Apple, and presenting this year’s edition of my “State of the Macintosh” address. One of my…
H2O Audio Waterproof Headphones
H2O Audio Waterproof Headphones are just what their name implies–submersible waterproof headphones. The package says theyire recommended for surfing, swimming, kayaking, wakeboarding, snowboarding, and kitesurfing, and are waterproof in water up to 10 feet deep. Since I donit do any of that stuff, I tested them out in my Jacuzzi for around 30 minutes total,…
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - How H&R Block Frittered Away Big Bucks & Irritated Potential Customers...
Episode #75 It’s been a while since I offered a genuine rant in this space, but I couldn’t resist sharing this incredible tale of what is perhaps the most inept promotion I’ve ever seen in my life (and I’ve seen a lot). It all began last month when the February issue of Macworld Magazine landed…
Crash Course: Recording
Do recording studios and their proprietors still offer value to their customers? Can a studio and its proprietor enhance an artistis strengths? Is a “real” studio always the best choice? It also claimed that audience questions would be answered with practical advice. Iim pleased to report that it did all that and more. The panel…
The SXSW Festival and Conference 2007: Film
Weire talking about three totally separate but overlapping festivals and conferences, spanning the course of ten days, and taking place in dozens upon dozens of different locations in downtown Austin. Most of the conferences take place at the cavernous new Austin Convention Center, while most of the music, movies, and multimedia exhibitions take over almost…
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - Glossy or Not?
Episode #72 So here’s the deal — if you buy a MacBook it comes with a glossy screen whether you like it or not. If you buy a MacBook Pro, however, you have a choice — glossy or not. Or, as Apple’s Web site describes it: MacBook Pro offers an antiglare widescreen display that’s perfect…
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - How I Save Time & Effort Every Day
Episode #71 I spend a lot of time in front of my Macs — 8 to 10 hours on most days. And this is the way things have been for the better part of the last twenty years. Since I’m inherently quite lazy and computers are supposed to improve my productivity, I’m always on the…
Redline: Virtual Racing w/Fast Cars
Redline: Virtual Racing w/Fast Cars In this episode, allow me to introduce you to an enjoyable game/simulation that won’t do anything to improve your productivity, sex life, or looks, but is inexpensive, fun, and worth trying. It’s called Redline and it’s Ambrosia Software’s excellent new race car simulation/game. I’m a sucker for fast cars. I…
Ultra-Cord Cable Kit for Road Warriors
Iive always carried a bag filled with a variety of different cables in a backpack with my PowerBook. This “bag oi tricks” used to be a disorganized, tangled mess, so when I saw an ad for a 13-piece cable and connector kit in an in-flight magazine I knew I had to have it. It contained…
Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000
Your choice of mouse, keyboard, or other input device is a very personal thing. Some people love Apple mice. Others, myself included, hate Apple mice. I encourage you to take this review with however many grains of salt you like. I love my Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000. Iive preferred trackballs over mice for years…
OmniOutliner 3 May Be the Best Outliner Ever
Iive been a huge fan of outline processors since time immemorial. Iive been using outlines to plan projects since before some of you were born. Iive used ThinkTank, MORE, Acta, Inspiration, and even Microsoft Wordis sorry excuse for an outliner over the years. But it wasnit until recently that I found a Mac OS X…
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - Five iPod Accessories Bob Really Likes
In the beginning, I was starved for iPod accessories to review in my columns and books. Weeks could go by without my receiving a single iPod add-on. These days it seems barely a day goes by when a new (or new and improved) iPod peripheral doesn’t land on my doorstep. It’s gotten so I call…
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - Killer Software That’s Either Free or Inexpensive
There’s nothing I like better than great software that’s either free or inexpensive; here are a few of my current faves: Mouse Locator (Free; www.2point5fish.com) My office Mac has two huge displays; my desktop measures a whopping 2,880 x 1,024 pixels. Both of my screens are almost always covered with a plethora of windows, docks,…
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - Audio Chatting Devices Compared & Contrasted
I recently realized that I’m doing a lot more "audio chatting" lately. By that I mean talking and listening to people talk using my Mac rather than a land-line or mobile phone. As some of you know, I am part of a podcast called "MacNotables," along with our fearless leader Bryan Chaffin and about a…
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - Boot Camp: One Man's Opinion
There is a new 17-inch MacBook Pro on my desk and it’s running Windows XP at full native speed, which is to say as fast as or possibly faster than a similarly equipped notebook from Dell, HP, or Lenovo. A year ago I’d have laughed hysterically if you told me that my next Mac would…
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - Easy to be Hard(ware)
I’m a nut for input devices – keyboards, mice, trackballs, tablets, etc. And because my job is to test Mac products and relate my impressions of those products to you, gentle reader, I have the opportunity to try a lot of different input devices. Apple does a lot of things right but I think their…
Dr. Mac: Rants & Raves - Convenience is my Middle Name...
Convenience isn’t really my middle name, but it should have been. I love for things to be convenient, and I love convenient things. It’s not uncommon for me to spend half a day tinkering with a macro or script or utility or whatever, hoping to make some repetitive task just a wee bit easier and…