The last time Apple refreshed the Cinema Display was in 2008 when it unveiled the 24-inch LED model, so it’s been a long time coming. The new one has a 16:9 aspect ratio, which should make it perfect for watching movies. The resolution is 2560×1440, meaning a whopping 60 percent more pixels than its 24-inch predecessor (which had a max resolution of 1920×1200). The new display is IPS-based, giving users a much wider viewing angle, up to 178° horizontal and vertical. This follows Apple’s trend with the iPad and iPhone 4 towards IPS technology.

The rest of the features are standard fare: three USB 2.0 ports (sadly, no 3.0), built-in iSight and microphone, and a Kensington security slot.

The new Cinema Display will set you back $999. No word on when it’ll be available to purchase. It should be available sometime in September. In the meantime, the 24-inch model is still available for $799.

I was crushed. My monitor was smaller than his monitor. How embarrassing!

Since that day I have always strived to use the largest monitor possible, and usually two of ‘em side by side. And while dual monitor setups are not so common in most homes, at least we’ve come a long way since the primitive days of 15 inch CRTs. The first flat panels ordinary people could afford were tiny, low resolution, low color saturation, low-light things. The contrast (pun intended) to today’s cheap, bright and capable LCD screens is remarkable, but it has been a very short journey from one to the other.

I always knew that Apple made amazing displays. Perhaps they haven’t always been the first choice of graphics professionals, but at least they’ve been consistently better than the cheap monitors offered by PC manufacturers. So early this year, as I switched completely from PC to Mac, I made sure I bought the biggest and best displays Apple could offer. And that meant the gargantuan, beautiful, breathtaking 30 inch Cinema HD Widescreen Displays. Two of them, as it happens.

And they are amazing. Positioned side by side before me, I practically swim in Cinema Display goodness. To clarify; when I work on my 15 inch Macbook Pro, despite the beauty of that glossy screen, I’m acutely aware that it provides a limited, narrow view of the digital world, a little like peering through the mail slot in my front door. With these enormous cinema displays, I don’t need to peer through the mail slot because the door has been thrown wide open. Sometimes, it feels like the door has been taken off its hinges. And sometimes, I feel a little silly having all this display. In fact, unless I’m doing some graphics/video work, I don’t maximize windows. Doing so feels… I don’t know… over the top, somehow.

So why does anyone need more than one monitor? The answer falls conveniently down to a single word: productivity. Quite simply, people who (properly) use multiple monitors work more efficiently and productively. Don’t take my word for it — look at this report (PDF) from Pfeiffer, which goes into extraordinary depth examining the virtues of extensive screen-space.

There’s Always a Down Side

The Cinema HD Display isn’t perfect. Sure, Apple generously endowed it with two USB ports and two Firewire 400 ports within easy-reach, and if you’re using a Mac Pro, those ports are fantastically useful, saving you from making trips to the mysterious, cable-strewn world Beneath the Desk. But FW400 is old now, and since these displays were launched they haven’t been refreshed. Newer standards, such as HDMI, are unsupported. Even Apple’s own Mini-DV standard isn’t supported without an adapter.

But by far the biggest problem with the 30 incher is its price. At $1,799 it’s a fantastically expensive monitor. Our own James Dempsey compared Apple’s behemoth with Dell’s 30 inch UltraSharp Widescreen and concluded he preferred the Dell. Read the article to see his reasons why, but I’ll tell you now that price was an important factor.

But I have no regrets — and a good job, too, considering how expensive these things still are. Whether you buy from Apple or elsewhere, they’ll set you back a painful $1,799 each! Personally, however, these displays are by far the most impressive non-television panels I’ve had the pleasure of using. Call me insane, but I enjoy needing to slide my chair a little to the left to more comfortably see what’s going on on my other screen.

The Future

As with all things Apple, there’s the knowledge that what’s top-of-the-line today will be old-hat tomorrow. Buy a brand new MacBook Pro and enjoy the pleasure of being at the cutting-edge while it lasts — because new models will be out before you know it. Well, the 30 inch Cinema HD Displays have yet to be surpassed. But Apple does have some very nice new LED screens on the market. It makes me wonder what might be happening with the ageing 30 inch line.

A quick visit to both the American and UK versions of the Apple website revealed that, at some point since April this year, Apple quietly removed the dedicated microsite for the 30 inch display. The only link you’ll find now is to its product page in the online store. My old bookmarks no longer work. So — what’s happening? Is Apple discontinuing the 30 inch Cinema HD Display, perhaps planning to replace it with a refreshed new line based on their LED monitors? I emailed no fewer than four of my contacts at Apple who, two weeks later, have remained utterly silent on the matter.

But I’ve never quite gotten over that brief period of monitor envy in 1999. I’ve always hated it when I’ve walked into a room and discovered, to my silent horror, bigger and better monitors than my own. So I’m going to enjoy my beautiful cinema displays while I still can, because I know it’s only a matter of time before Apple makes them feel like that old, beige 15 incher that started it all.

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I’ve had my eye on CinemaView monitors since they were announced, but was a little put off recently by the lack of any forthcoming news. Now, Collins America, the makers of the upcoming CinemaView Mini DisplayPort compatible monitors that you can actually afford without selling any of your children, are letting us know that they’re not only still in the works, but that they’ve already undergone a refresh.

That probably means that the displays have yet to see a production line, since major changes in product offerings after you’ve already produced a thousand units isn’t generally regarded as a profitable approach. And Collins America’s changes aren’t minor, either. It’s dropped the 19- and 20-inch models entirely and added a new, high-end offering that makes me drool and is actually priced very reasonably, in line with previous offerings. Finally, it’s added an external HD TV tuner, too, so you can use your CinemaView as your television.

So, the lineup now stands at only two display choices (a 24- and a 47-inch) and a supplementary HD TV tuner that will work with either. Both displays feature 1920×1080 max resolution (read: 1080p), VESA-mount compatibility and four USB ports built in. They also connect to your Mac via a supplied single cable, and are made of aluminum (frame), and optical glass (screen), so they should be in aesthetic harmony with any current gen Mac owner’s setup. They’re priced at $499 and $1499, respectively.

The last piece of the puzzle, the CinemaView TV, will cost you another $399, but it does seem to pack quite a punch into a small package. It boasts four HDMI inputs, a Mini DisplayPort in/out, a composite/component in, and a digital audio in/out. Combined with the 47-inch display, it’s almost the perfect companion to a living room-based Mac mini, which is why I’m leaning towards it. For users who’d rather use their own existing TV, but wouldn’t mind having a little mini A/V receiver (which is what the CinemaView TV basically is), the device also has one HDMI out for connecting to traditional televisions.

Expected ship dates for the entire CinemaView line are also now posted. People looking for the 24-inch display will only have to wait until October, while those hoping to get their hands on the 47-inch and the CinemaView TV will have to cool their heels a little longer, since both have an anticipated street date of January 2010. You can place a no-obligation reservation for the device of your choice now via the CinemaView web site, but international customers might be in for some sticker shock, since there are some pretty hefty markups for orders from outside the U.S.

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In my quest to upgrade an aging dual-monitor setup (a 20” main screen with a 17” screen off to the side to house application palettes, iTunes, etc.), the only real decision to make was choosing between an Apple 30” Cinema Display and a Dell 30” UltraSharp Widescreen.

I decided to go large with a 30” LCD to give me as much screen real estate as possible, cut out the extra set of cables that litter the floor behind my desk with a dual-monitor setup, and banish forever the annoying gap between the two displays. After reading numerous reviews on tech sites, soliciting advice from fellow designers, and seeing both in action, I ended up choosing the Dell 3007WFP-HC over the Apple 30″ Cinema Display. The Dell simply offered enough bang-for-the-buck to satisfy me.

Rather than give a run-down of tech specs you can get on your own, I decided to give you a comparison from a user’s perspective. Keep in mind that I’m a designer by trade, and my use and requirements of an LCD monitor may be different than yours, so what I consider an “issue,” you may not. Below are my comparisons of a few key areas and my results of using both monitors after a month of owning the Dell as well as using the Cinema Display fairly regularly.

On the Desk

Believe it or not, a single 30” LCD actually takes up much less space than my previous 20”/17” dual setup.

The Apple Cinema Display uses a single curved stand to support the display, offering a hole in the stand to manage cables. The bezel around the screen is thin, but due to the brushed-metal finish, it is “in your face” at all times. You definitely know you’re using a Cinema Display. The only adjustments available to you is tilting the monitor slightly forward and back.

The Dell Ultrasharp uses a more standard single arm stand with two legs that jet out to the sides for added support. The stand is sufficiently heavy enough to support the large screen, and just felt more substantial (read: safe) than Apple’s display. The black bezel around the screen is thinner than Apple’s, and simply disappears into the background because it’s black — I don’t even notice it’s there. Where the Dell shines in comparison is the available adjustments. Not only does it match Apple with tilt, but you can swivel the monitor from side to side, and adjust the height of the screen as well. Making any of these three adjustments requires two fingers and a small amount of force. At no time does the base move on the desk.

Winner: Dell Dell 3007WFP-HC, no contest.

Getting Connected

I have a Mac Pro tower; I do no gaming; and I don’t hook up my TV to my Mac, so my requirements for connections were fairly simple. While many people criticize the Dell for its lack of VGA, HDMI and other connection methods, it simply wasn’t an issue for me. Both LCDs require a dual-link DVI graphics card capable of supporting the resolution of the display (2560×1600 in both cases).

The Apple Cinema Display uses DVI to connect to the Mac, and offers two Firewire 400 ports, and two USB 2.0 ports. This is more than adequate for most users. The ports are placed rather inconveniently on the lower back of the display, but that’s fairly typical. The main cable is hard-wired to the display, something I don’t like at all. If something goes wrong with the cable, you’re returning the entire monitor for repairs.

The Dell Ultrasharp also uses a single DVI connection, but the cable is not hard-wired to the display. A 9-in-2 media card reader is available on the side of the monitor, as are two USB 2.0 ports. I really like the placement of these. Having them on the side of the display means I can just swivel the monitor to use them. On the back of the UltraSharp are two more USB 2.0 downstream ports, and a single USB upstream port. No FireWire ports are available on the Dell 3007WFP-HC. The ports on the back of the display are rather difficult to get to because they face downward. However, these are really made for connections of a more permanent nature, so it’s not that big of a deal.

Winner: Dell 3007WFP-HC. The card-reader and two USB ports placed on the side of the display make it infinitely more useful in this respect. The extra 2 USB ports put it over the top.

Looks Are Everything

Both companies are known for offering displays that have a great picture, and my use confirms that. But there are differences. If you’re concerned about color accuracy, you really should have a hardware calibration device. Both monitors offer a 178-degree viewing angle for smooth and accurate picture from any reasonable sitting position.

The Apple Cinema Display is about as color accurate out of the box as you can get for a consumer monitor. And, of course, OS X ships with color profiles for the Cinema Display to make calibration as simple as possible. If I have any complaint about Apple’s 30” LCD, it’s that it’s not bright enough.

The Dell UltraSharp does not ship with any calibration profiles, and out of the box it’s not as color-accurate as Apple’s display. Colors appear much more saturated on the Dell, but even running a simple calibration in OS X’s Display Preferences can quickly bring it up to par. The display is much brighter than Apple’s as it ships, perhaps even too bright. Again, you can adjust this to your liking.

Winner: Apple Cinema Display. This was a close one. For my needs, I have to calibrate both displays anyway, so it was a wash. But the Dell requires adjustment even for the average consumer.

Purchase Options

Price isn’t always the main consideration, but it’s certainly a big one. I wanted a little more than a bargain on price.

The Apple Cinema Display costs $1,799 no matter where you buy it. The return policy is simple: You own it once you take it out of the box, and Apple doesn’t have much of a policy on dead pixels — you’ve got to have a cluster of dead pixels in one small area in order to get a replacement. The Cinema Displays do, of course, come with the standard one-year warranty, but that’s about all you get with it.

The Dell Ultrasharp currently sells for $1,049 direct from Dell, but you can get a better deal (see below). Dell offers a zero-dead-pixel guarantee, with a three-year advanced replacement warranty.

I didn’t want the hassle of dealing with a possible return, so I purchased the Dell from Costco, where you can get it for $999 (at time of publication), and have the comfort of knowing you can drive it to any Costco store and return it with no questions asked. Nice!

Winner: Dell UltraSharp. I’m willing to pay a little more for quality, but not nearly twice as much. The Dell offers a better warranty, more adjustments, and an $800 savings.

Satisfaction

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the Dell UltraSharp. Once I got past the idea of buying a Dell product over Apple, it was easy. The display has performed superbly the last month or so, and I’m so glad I didn’t needlessly spend the extra money just to have an Apple logo on the front.

If you’re in the market for a 30” LCD, you can’t go wrong with the Dell Ultrasharp 3007WFP-HC. It offers a great picture, plenty of nice features, sturdy construction, and a price that simply can’t be beat.

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Recently, I’ve been looking for a second monitor for my Mac mini since the Mini DisplayPort hook-up is just sitting there empty, and I’m often inclined to play video games and watch TV at the same time, despite the question of whether I can actually enjoy either activity while doing so. New company CinemaView looks to have come along at just the right time. They recently announced a new line of LCD displays designed just for Macs, at a price that won’t break the bank, and with a Mini DisplayPort connector cable out of the box.

That’s not all. It’s actually a combined 1.2-meter Mini DisplayPort/USB/3.5mm mini-stereo composite cable, so you can make use of the three powered USB ports on the rear of the display, and the built-in speakers. And with aluminum construction and Apple styling, you’re basically getting the closest thing to an Apple Cinema Display you can find without actually buying one.

According to the company, the displays were created because they were tired of using “plastic junk” from companies like Dell and Samsung but wanted a lower cost option to Apple. Modesty clearly isn’t the company’s strong suit, as you can tell from this quote from the site’s FAQ:

Q. Are these just copies of Apple’s displays?

A. No. Frankly, we think our design looks better than Apple’s. We think our component and materials selections are superior. And, we think our tilt mechanism (patent pending) and Aluminum base design are sexier than Apple’s.

Without seeing the thing in person, I can’t make any assertions regarding these displays and how they compare to Apple’s on the sexiness scale, but they do look better (and more functional) than the Samsung Touch-of-Color I recently picked up as a gift for my girlfriend, which is a fairly good-looking monitor. Three models are available: a 19-inch for $299, a 21-inch for $399, and a $24-inch for $499. The ship date is currently listed as some time before Sept. 1, but you can reserve one now at their web site, with no obligation to buy.

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By my lights, 16:10 is plenty wide enough, and I would actually prefer more vertical headroom than that. In many ways, the old XGA 4:3 aspect ratio used in older Mac laptop displays suited me just fine, and as one who uses my Macs primarily as work tools rather than entertainment centers I’m dismayed by the motion picture format-driven trend toward ultra-wide screens.

So apparently is CNET’s Rafe Needleman, who posted a blog this week entitled “The Myth Of Width: When Wide Screens Don’t Work”.

Rafe observes that the trend to wider ratio displays is contra-progress for those of us who use laptops in real world work environments, constituting an ergonomic step backwards.

I share Needleman’s concession that for entertainment content, widescreens do work, making sense for plasma and LCD television displays and CinemaScope movie screens, noting that our eyes are side-by-side and having stories unfold in a way that more closely emulates how we see in real life provides a more satisfactory viewing experience.

Excessive Scrolling

However, for doing production work on a laptop display, the mode of seeing designed “to spot a herd of jackals approaching us over the plain becomes irrelevant,” as Rafe pithily puts it. So true. Most people’s computer work is conceptually oriented toward portrait mode, with wide-screen displays offering scant benefits and substantial drawbacks, a prima facie one being excessive scrolling.

As with books, magazines, newspapers, and correspondence, most web sites have a dominant vertical orientation, which is what works for text-based material, since lines of text longer than about 60 characters, become painfully cumbersome to read.

Side By Side

Aside from their suitability for watching video, the single mitigating aspect, so to speak, of wide-screen monitors is that they do facilitate juxtaposing two pages or applications side-by-side for more convenient comparison, but the fact is that I can display two Text-Edit Plus (the application in which I do most of my composing, drafting, editing, and markup) side by side on the 1024 x 768 4:3 ratio XGA monitor of the Pismo PowerBook I’m drafting this post on right now with just a sliver of overlap, and I wouldn’t even have that if I switched my OS X Dock to bottom rather than right-side orientation. Spreadsheets are  one work environment where widescreens arguably offer some advantages, but I’m not a spreadsheet user, and for my purposes I’ve had a longtime yearn for a portrait orientation display. I hasten to concede that a portrait display just wouldn’t work with the standard laptop computer form factor. Keyboards are horizontal, laptop screens have to close over them. But for an external display, portrait would be a nice option.

Veteran Mac users may recall that Apple at one time marketed the Apple Macintosh Portrait Display, a grayscale 640 x 870 resolution 15″ CRT unit, which was big stuff back in 1989 (and expensive – a whopping $1,049). I coveted one of these in my Mac early days, but the price was just too steep. A flatscreen Apple Portrait Cinema Display would be pretty cool, but I expect the price in 2009 dollars would probably be in the same nominal territory.

How about you? Widescreen fan, or would portrait view be a welcome display option?

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Meet the Contenders

Since the iPhone apps have some built-in advantages, I chose four programs that work with GPS devices, heart rate monitors or other accessories – such as the Nike + iPod kit – to even the playing field.

Garmin Training Center
Maker: Garmin
Price: Free
Compatibily: OS X 10.4+/Universal
Hardware Support: Garmin GPS

rubiTrack
Maker: toolsfactory
Price: $39.00
Compatibily: OS X 10.5+/Universal
Hardware Support: Garmin GPS, Nike+iPod, Amod GPS

Ascent
Maker: Montebello
Price: $40.00
Compatibily: OS X 10.4+/Universal
Hardware Support: Garmin GPS

TrailRunner
Maker: Berbie
Price: Free
Compatibily: OS X 10.5+/Universal
Hardware Support: Garmin GPS, Nike+iPod/Sportband, iPhone/iPod

NOTE: Real world workout data from Garmin and Nike+ devices were used in testing all four applications.

Garmin: Late to the Gate, Still in the Running

First up is Garmin’s flagship OS X offering. Fitness Center for Mac (GTC) is designed to be the way to get data from your Edge or Forerunner onto your Mac, and both device families offer GPS-tracking and optional heart rate monitoring, with the Edge also featuring cadence & power tracking for cyclists. The sampling from these sensors can be imported, reviewed and displayed in tabluar, graphical and cartographical format. GTC does a good job figuring out which activity (cycling or running) you were engaged in when it auto-classifies your imports.

You can customize user profile settings, including heart rate data and speed zones along with gear details and information on other activities, such as hiking, skiing or kayaking.

Workouts can be reviewed by date or type, and you can schedule, group and categorize them via recorded sessions or from various online sources. Any workout you define or find can also be uploaded to most Garmin devices.

If you have full Garmin map data sets, you can use other Garmin Mac utilities to get them onto your Mac (which will help GTC route maps look a bit nicer).

GTC will import and export TCX (a Garmin-originated XML format describing GPS and “fitness” data) files which many programs and web applications can work with, so you are not locked-in to them by any means.

Striving for Peak Performance with Ascent

While Garmin may be a bit generic, Ascent definitely has the feel of a more seasoned OS X application.

Most of these fitness-tracking programs provide a similarly paned “browser” to access your activities. Ascent kicks up the visual display a bit with map data from either VisualEarth or USGS, both of which have multiple feature display options.

Ascent provides more fields to describe your activities and has an amazing replay mode that will animate your recorded workout, showing key data in a “HUD” as the points move along. While it will sync from your GPS device with ease, the Montebello developers also added a wide assortment of import and export options, including reading data from Polar heart rate monitors, full manual entry of activity information and sending data out to Google Earth for a very spiffy fly-by.

Unfortunately, while the program provides many ways to view and analyze your workouts, you will not be using it to push data to your GPS.

TrailRunner Charts Your Path to Fitness

This once commercial offering is now free and takes a unique approach to tracking your training. As the name indicates, it is geared more for running, but can handle other activities.

If you are truly dedicated to your training program, TrailRunner will be a great digital partner and includes a highly-detailed diary view (that lets you post activities right to your blog) and an “event planner” (for that upcoming marathon).

TrailRunner also has a playback mode, but the most differentiating feature may be the ability to easily share your routes with other athletes and also find new routes (i.e. escape the rut). It also works with iTrail (for you iPhone-wielding fitness geeks) and can store routes notes and route “snapshots” to your photo-enabled iPod, which is especially helpful if you are racing un-tracked or with a non-GPS-enabled device (such as the Nike+ iPod kit).

To get the full feel for TrailRunner, you really need to download it and play with it a while. New features keep popping up as you explore the application and it will definitely have you looking at your workouts in a very different way.

One Step Ahead: rubiTrack Tracks With Style

Despite having a Leopard-only offering, the talented folks over at toolsfactory managed to make the most modern, Mac-like program of the bunch, which is evident right from program launch.

Map data crisp and the view options are abundant. One feature detail that I considered truly innovative was historical weight tracking, making the workout details very accurate over time.

Activities are auto-grouped by category on import and can be manually tweaked. rubiTrack also has “smart groups” (think iTunes Smart Playlists) which can auto-classify by any combination of activity details.

While it lets you review past workouts and activities, you will not be able to schedule a workout routine with this application and you will not be creating tracks to bring back to your training devices.

The Final Analysis

GTC is the least “Mac-like” application out of the four and is not even on equal footing from its PC counterpart. While it is completely functional for basic operations, it is obvious that Garmin wants you to continue to invest in their online offerings and map products to get the most out of your fitness routine. However, if you want to plan new workouts and have seamless integration with your GPS devices, GTC will have a place in your Applications folder.

Ascent was my primary tracking tool prior to rubiTrack (I paid for both programs). I would definitely pay for an upgrade if they keep enhancing both the visual elements and the core feature sets. It is also very geared towards cyclists and I expect enhancements to continue that focus.

TrailRunner is a must have for the avid runner. It does rely on many helper apps (including GTC) to import data. The blogging feature is something I wish more fitness apps thought to include. TrailRunner also has the most diverse maps and is perfect for those who wish to be part of a community of folks interested in fitness.

At the end of a ride, however, rubiTrack is the application that I fire up first. If you are just getting into a fitness routine and want some positive, visual reinforcement this will be a very easy program to get started with and will definitely help motivate you to constantly do better.

Despite all four applications being “made for Mac”, none of them auto-sync weather details and none of the ones with workout scheduling capabilities integrate with iCal. Even with those missing features, you now have no excuse to shake off that tryptophan haze and shed some of that holiday poundage. If you do receive Garmin or Nike+ gear for the upcoming gift-giving season, definitely give these programs a workout.

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Still wanting to experience HD Radio as inexpensively as possible, I recently purchased a Sony XDR-F1HD HD Radio Tuner and, despite owning every cable known to human-kind, I lacked the RCA-male-to-3.5mm-female cable required to directly connect the tuner to my desktop speakers. Not wanting to trudge down to the family room to hook it up to the stereo for testing, I got out my trusty Griffin iMic but did not want to crank up anything as complex as Garage Band just to do listen to the radio. While I could have used something like Audacity, that program is overkill for the task I wanted to perform.

Then, I remembered that Griffin provides a free companion tool for the iMic called Final Vinyl [direct download link to 2MB disk image]. This tiny utility lets you choose any input source (an iMic is not a requirement for using the program as it works with any standard OS X input source) for monitoring, recording and in-stream effects manipulation. I really just wanted to “play” my Sony through my Mac just as I would use the radioSHARK, so I fired up Finyl Vinyl, made the appropriate configuration changes and enabled the monitor feature (highlighted in yellow):

Instantly, I was listening to KPLU-FM‘s Jazz24 HD Radio channel with practically no effort. Just to give it a try, I hit “record” and captured a very short sample [364 KB MPEG-4 audio file direct download] from the broadcast to show just how clear the signal comes through and how well the application does its job. While it will never be as straightforward as the radioSHARK when it comes to scheduling tuning and recording, Final Vinyl is a great way to solve simple audio routing, monitoring and recording needs.

One could argue that there is no need for either an HD Radio receiver or this handy setup given the plethora of internet radio streams available. While it is true that there are many streams to choose from, the physical radio does not require any extra bandwidth consumption (which is not a trivial consideration given the introduction of enforced bandwidth utilization limits by providers such as Comcast) and the digital radio source has had many fewer artifacts than the online counterparts have had (remember, “HD” does not stand for “high definition” so there are still imperfections).

If you have an alternate audio tool to suggest for this simple job (preferably one that is scriptable) definitely let me and other TAB readers know by sharing your suggestions in the comments.

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So I had to find a non-abrasive but effective way to clean my screen. The best product I’ve found — and believe me, I’ve tried everything — is a microfiber lens cloth made of ultra suede.

The Process

First, I use a monitor wipe.
Then polish the surface gently with the microfiber cloth. You may have to use a little bit of elbow grease if someone (not you of course) has touched the screen with sticky fingers.

The ultra suede microfiber leaves no streaks,no smoky residue, no muss, no dust, no gooey fingerprints. And it shines like the first day you took your MacBook or iMac or MacBook Pro out of the box. Good for cleaning matt or glossy LCDs or glass monitors, too, like the new iMac.

Microfiber ultra suede lens cloths are small, about 5 x 7, inexpensive and durable. Mine looks like a thin version of ultra suede but is tacky to the touch and is bunch-up-able for easy transport. I’ve had mine almost a year and I use it to clean my MacBook, iPhone, my iPods and my iMac screen.

The one I have has no sewn edges. Sewn edges can scratch a surface. It’s cut with pinking shears so the cloth will not ravel.

Where to purchase

Staples sells its own brand of Monitor Wipes and I am sure you can buy them at Office Depot or Office Max. Make sure you buy Monitor Wipes and not All-Purpose Wipes. A container of 80 wipes sells for about $10.

Don’t get a microfiber cloth sold in auto shops. They’re for cars.

The one I use came with a travel cleaning kit from iClean by Monster that I purchased at CompUSA. 3M also manufactures microfiber ultra suede cloths and you can buy them for $2.99 at Drugstore.com.

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I’ve been using a program called iSquint to convert .AVI files to play in iTunes, my iPod and via the Apple TV. Now, if you have a friend’s home videos sent to you in .AVI, or you download a video from the Web in .AVI, you can get them onto your big screen.

Using iSquint to make the conversion is simple.

1) Drag the .avi file from your hard drive to the application.
2) Choose to optimize for iPod or TV.
3) Select a quality range, from “Tiny” to “Go Nuts”.
4) Check the “Add to iTunes” box.

iSquint in Action

A few minutes later, when the conversion is complete, you’ve created a brand new .mp4 file, alongside the original .AVI file, and can see it in the “Movies” section of iTunes. If your Apple TV, iPod or iPhone are set to sync, then you’ll have the video the next time you do.

While there are very likely other solutions out there, this is one I’ve found that makes the process simple. If you’re not using iSquint, what have you used to bridge the gap?

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