I do not know a lot of background about Accountz, but they certainly have some great sounding products on offer. Personal Accountz (£39.99), Business Accountz (£69.99) and Professional Business Accountz (£169.99) all offer varying feature levels. Topping the range is the multi-user Enterprise Business Accountz (£349.99).
The applications look very well laid out and even the entry level Personal Accountz offers features like scheduling of recurring transactions, unlimited accounts and entries, plus the ability to import Money & Quicken files.
Looks like I am going to busy reviewing over the next couple of months, as this will be added to Geekanoids review list. Until then, check out the features at www.accountz.com
Gear4 launch BluEye for iPod
Gear4 launched their new BluEye gadget today at Mac Expo. This £49.99 device connects between your iPod dock connector and your headphones. Then, via Bluetooth 2, connect the BluEye to your mobile phone and you have some really nice features on tap.
First up, an FM radio, plus remote control of your iPod tunes. Where the features really excel is when used in conjunction with your mobile handset. If a call comes in, press the BluEye button, the tune you're playing mutes and you take the call. In addition to this, you also get caller display on your iPod screen, last nine number redial direct from your iPod and voice dialing.
The BluEye works with the iPod Mini, Photo, both Nano's and the 5th Gen iPod. It will be available in 14 days from all good resellers.
Full details from www.gear4.com
Mac Expo London - End of Day One
Wow, what a busy day, trying to split my interest with the big players and the smaller vendors too. My day kicked off with the Quark launch of "Quark Interactive Designer" posted online earlier today. The most important note of this launch (apart from a great product) is the pricing. Grab it now whilst it is on special offer for just £69, but fear not, even the full asking price of £139 is very good.
Onto the main Mac Expo show floor and things are very busy from the off. There is a lot of buzz and visitors seem genuinely enthusiastic. The one thing I picked up on very early was the number of people I heard discussing a MacBook purchase. Asking a few of them after their initial questions to Apple revealed that they were new to Apple. I must have spoken to at least twelve new users that had made their first Apple purchase at the show.
Apple's stand was very busy. They had banks of MacBooks, MacBook Pros and iMacs. The MacBooks were generating the most interest. My eye strayed to the massive screen real estate of the 24 inch iMac. I had not seen one in the flesh before today. I must say, this iMac is absolutely stunning. The screen is bright and just how the stand supports it is amazing. Another one for the shopping list.
There were plenty of Apple staff on hand to ask questions and give demonstrations. Alongside was the Apple Theatre, where apps were demonstrated throughout the day. This was broken up by product showcasing to bring visitors up-to-date with all of the current line-up.
One stand that I really loved, because of their friendly attitude, was Crumpler. The bags from the Crumpler camp are great (I use one myself). They had a few new bags at the show (names may be different in the US).
The Glory Box is specially for the new MacBook. It is a very light bag, with a removable laptop sleeve and just about enough room for a few accessories. It is available in red, black/white and olive, sporting a reflective strip on the front. Retail price is £85.
The Double Charge is slightly bigger, again with a removable sleeve. This bag is suitable for upto a 15.4inch widescreen and again weighs in at £85.
Crumpler bags are made specially for Apple laptops, so be sure to check out their website when choosing something to carry you pride and joy!
Of the smaller vendors a few stood out. Razorlab were there showing their iTattoo service. Laser engraving on your iPod or laptop, it looked really impressive and not too expensive. Apart from adding an individual look to your gear, it also makes it pretty unique, so not as appealing to would-be thieves.
iTango, also covered in an earlier post, launched their iTango dock. This was very neat, with an integrated cable tidy and the ability to dock your iPod whilst it remains in a silicone or hard case.
There were so many vendors to get round, that to write one long post it is probably better I sign off now. Check the individual articles that will be up online over the next 24 hours for more in-depth details. Plus a show roundup featuring the 'Best-of-Show' on Saturday. Until then... enjoy the coverage.
Adobe Sing Aloud at Mac Expo
Adobe's presence at the Mac Expo is stunning, with two separate theatres. Each one running at the same time, with great tutorials and demos of all of the Adobe range. I watched the After Effects 7 demo from start-to-finish and must say it was great. Noise is pretty high on the showfloor, so some parts were hard to follow. Overall though, it was a worthwhile watch, with things moving along at a nice pace.
Show offers included a free 10 hour tutorial DVD "Total Training Adobe Creative Suite 2 from Design to Delivery" with every Creative Suite 2 purchase. A great give-away, but could do with a shorter title.
Stunning monitors from Eizo - Mac Expo
Eizo have a really nice stand, showing off their high end LCD monitors. Really aimed at professionals (or casual users with deep pockets). The two that caught my eye were the ColorEdge CG221 and CG211 (both pcitured), 22.2 inches and 21.3 inches respectively. The larger of the two, the CG221 displays at a resolution of 1920x1200. The colour uniformity and brightness seemed to be spot on. Backed by a 5 year warranty it may well be worth a look.
Special offers at the show for the FlexScan S2110W, 21 inch, at £499, or the larger 24 inch, S2410W at £749, seemed like a pretty good buy. The image quality on these two were definitely on a par with the more expensive offerings.
Link to Eizo's website.
FileMaker How-To - Mac Expo
FileMaker Inc. are running live demos throughout the three day Expo event. Their stand has ten MacBook Pros for visitors to use and follow the demonstration. A real hands-on feel to the whole thing, with plenty of time to ask questions.
The main focus seems to be on Filemaker Pro 8.5, but the other incarnations are also available to check out.
Company website here.
RouteBuddy - GPS Software for Mac - Mac Expo
RouteBuddy, a first siting for myself, is a GPS solution for the Apple Mac. Gone are the days relying on Route 66 (which has not seen an update for many years). Routebuddy delivers one standalone app which intergrates with Garmin GPS devices (more device support to follow). Once purchased, all updates are free, with new maps available at an additional cost.
Geocaching is built right into the software, with topographical data being added at a later date.
Head on over to www.routebuddy.com for the full lowdown.
Price: $99.50
MacFormat Labs - Podcast Away @ Mac Expo
MacFormat Labs are giving visitors the lowdown on GarageBand. Nine iMac stations surround the presentation, which focuses around the podcasting features of the application.
Taking a back seat to see how things are panning out, really showed that visitors were enjoying and following the demo.
Well done MacFormat, I love your magazine, website, and now I praise you for your Mac Expo Labs stand.
iTango Dock for iPod Launched - Mac Expo
iTango launched its' new iTango Dock today for the iPod Nano and full size 5th Generation iPod (with video). A few things make this neat looking dock unique. You can actually dock your iPod whilst keeping it in the case. On the stand were docked iPods in silicone and hard cases. Both of the docks are in a nice domed shape, with an integrated cable tidy.
The smaller Nano dock comes with two inserts for use with or without an iPod case. The larger dock comes with five inserts. The unit looks very pleasing to the eye and is available now in white, with a black version shipping at the end of November.
iTango Dock for iPod Nano will retail for around £23.
iTango Dock for the 5th Gen iPod will retail for around £25.
Check out full details here.
New launch "Quark Interactive Designer"
Today, Quark launched their new product to the world. In a packed Apex Suite, right next to Olympia, London, all was unveiled.
"Quark Interactive Designer" allows the use of Quark Xpress 7 and Server Edition, to build fully interactive content. Design for web, print and interactive multimedia, all from within Quark. With full support for flash, multiple video formats, with nice add-ons like zooming in on an image, the package mean "No more need for a separate web app or Powerpoint."
It is available to order today, for windows and as a Mac Universal application.
Retail price: £139.
Special intro price for next 6 months: £69.
Students get the best deal when they buy Quark Xpress 7 for £130, they et the new "Quark Interactive Designer" free of charge.
Mac Expo Starts Here
Well, the Mac Expo starts today and things are pretty lively. My first post today, slightly later than anticipated due to wireless issues. The halls are packed, plenty of visitors, so enjoy the coverage.
Mac Expo London - Coverage Starts Tomorrow
The Mac Expo London starts tomorrow, running from Thursday 26th to Saturday 28th October. Taking place at the National Hall, Olympia, London. It promises some great product announcements, workshops & giveaways, promising lots of fun for everyone.
Amongst the announcements is a surprise product launch from Quark Inc. They are not giving any details away, so I guess we will have to wait until tomorrow.
Check back throughout the next three days, for regular updates and photos of the event.