Take Control News/30-Oct-06

Move to a New Mac with Adam’s Latest Ebook — Last week, we released the second edition of my “Take Control of Buying a Mac,” which now features complete details about the Intel-based Macs that have taken over Apple’s product line. The ebook continues to provide detailed advice for how to determine which Mac you need and how to buy it without wasting money, but now it also includes a significant new section that explains the best ways to move user data – documents, applications, and settings – from an old Mac to a new one. That task has become easier of late, thanks to Mac OS X’s Setup Assistant, but I include an explanation of exactly how it works, along with advice for what to do if the old Mac lacks a FireWire port.

Up-to-Date Help for Holiday Camera Purchases Now Available — The third edition of “Take Control of Buying a Digital Camera” is also out, updated especially for anyone looking to buy a digital camera for the holiday season. Written by professional photographer and instructor Larry Chen, the ebook helps you sort out the latest camera trends and marketing jargon in order to find a camera that matches your budget, needs, and style, whether you want an inexpensive snapshot camera or a professional digital SLR camera system. Goodies in the ebook include a printable, customizable shopping checklist, specific model suggestions for different types of cameras, 25 color photos illustrating important concepts, and tips for taking better photos.

Owners of previous editions of the ebook should click the Check for Updates button on the cover of the ebook for more information or check their email for how to upgrade.

Create and Manage Passwords without Taxing Your Memory — If you’re feeling confused or distressed by the many times your Mac asks you to enter or create a password, help is at hand with our latest ebook: “Take Control of Passwords in Mac OS X“. Written by Mac expert Joe Kissell, the 96-page ebook helps you assess your risk factors and prepare a plan for generating different types of passwords, using a special system that enables you to create strong passwords that are easy to remember but virtually impossible to crack.

Once that’s done, Joe sets about helping you create and use the many different passwords on your Mac, including the login password, the master password, the firmware password, and the root password, plus your email, keychain, and AirPort passwords. But even more boggling are all the passwords that many Web sites require to protect your personal data, ranging from the trivial (your New York Times Web site account) to the truly important (the PayPal account that’s directly linked to your credit card and bank account). Joe explains how to deal with each, and how to use Apple’s Keychain Access password manager to ease the tasks of wrangling all these different passwords. For those who want to go beyond Keychain Access for additional features or cross-platform capabilities, the ebook suggests several other password management utilities and provides money-saving coupons for two of Joe’s favorites: 1Passwd ($5-off) and Web Confidential ($10-off). “Take Control of Passwords in Mac OS X” costs $10, and is available in a discounted bundle with “Take Control of Your Wi-Fi Security” for $17.50.