All of these great things come at quite the cost, however, starting at a steep $49.99/month fee. This is certainly justified, though, considering how much a license for Creative Suite apps such as Adobe’s Photoshop (or even the entire suite, which usually sold for approximately $2,000) have cost in the past. $600 for a year’s worth of use will definitely beat out the cost of buying licenses for these apps the old way, and with additional offerings such as the 20GB of cloud storage. Businesses will be paying more, as expected, for volume licensing which will be going for $69.99/month.

Aside from all of Creative Cloud’s great offerings and unbeatable price, it is also attractive for its software update delivery system and its allowance of up to two computers to run the CS6 apps on a single license.

Adobe’s Creative Cloud and Creative Suite 6 should be releasing side by side within the next few months.

Via [9to5 Mac]

MokaFive announced the addition of Mac in Minutes to their MokaFive Suite of virtual desktop management software at MacWorld | iWorld 2012, and this addition is designed to increase the simplicity and speed up deployment of virtualized corporate-standard Windows desktops to Macs. MokaFive provides IT shops the ability to centrally and securely support Macs or PCs more easily than past methods of supporting individual hardware+software combinations for each employee.

The Problem

IT departments are facing increased pressure from users and C-level execs to allow access to corporate resources from personal devices. Smartphone users want to be always-on, always-connected, but that reality was not factored into the planning of most companies building out their IT infrastructure. Rather than controlling the entire experience from backend servers to end-user workstations, IT departments are undergoing a transformation similar to one the software development world experienced with the move to Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).  Resources that were formerly tightly controlled are now being decoupled and made available to an unknown variety of users as a service.

Rather than set up an Exchange server and secure it so email is accessible via Outlook on a Windows desktop plugged directly into the corporate network, IT is now faced with the task of providing email services on desktops, laptops, and smartphones connecting via in-house networks, VPNs, cellular networks, and over the Internet (WiFi in hotels/restaurants). This is a radical rethinking for most IT departments, and requires new tools to adequately secure and manage the infrastructure employees need to do their work.

MokaFive’s Solution

Appletell had the opportunity to get a firsthand look at the MokaFive Suite and chat with COO Purnima Padmanabhan. She described the central console, innovative virtual machine management capabilities, and simple provisioning tools which are responsible for the efficiency and simplicity that make up the Mac in Minutes solution. The product promises an initial setup time of just 90 minutes (less time than it takes to watch a movie!), after which employee provisioning takes mere seconds—simply target a LivePC to a new user and you are finished.

The overall MokaFive product is composed of two pieces: a centralized management server, which allows IT departments to create Golden Images (a baseline, standardized Windows virtual machine), and client software for end users, which lets the corporate Windows desktop look like just another Mac app. Users double-click the MokaFive player app and their Windows desktop launches inside VMWare Fusion. Corporate data and Windows-only applications coexist seamlessly with Mac apps, and since Windows is provided as a full, local virtual machine, the traditional headaches of VDI like lost connectivity or massive bandwidth requirements are wonderfully absent.

The centralized MokaFive Management server provides a number of key features that reduce the burden of supporting virtual desktops. Updates to the Golden Image are made on the management server and then pushed out to end users’ LivePCs automatically, ensuring the latest patches or corporate policy changes are implemented on a timely basis.  This provides a better testing capability to ensure routine patches do not interfere with corporate apps; should an update break a VM, users have the ability to rejuvenate their own machines—refreshing the OS to its original state while preserving user data and settings.

The central console also provides management options for users and groups, security and use policies, reporting, and audit logging for events such as log-in, LivePC subscription, and other user actions. LivePCs can be remotely revoked or killed, preventing data loss if a machine is lost or stolen, and to ensure corporate data does not walk out the door with an outgoing employee (a problem greatly exacerbated when companies do not own the hardware their employees use, as in a BYO program).

Golden Ticket

MokaFive’s promise to streamline the process of corporate Windows management and deployment in a BYO environment is backed by a host of features. These are designed to provide the tools IT shops deem necessary to handle the security of corporate data and apps, manage support burden (number of help desk calls and time to resolve issues), and meet regulatory requirements. These features include:

• Data security supported via full virtual-disk encryption, network communication encryption for all data traffic, and with anti-virus scanning of the host machine.
• Self-service provisioning allows IT departments to provide new employees with a link to download their MokaFive image—no installation needed, which frees IT staff time. This solution is also great for companies allowing telework because telecommuters can download their LivePC at home, ensuring the resources used for accessing corporate networks are properly secured.
• The MokaFive model breaks the VM into three parts for corporate data, OS, and user data/settings, meaning security policy changes and updates can be made on a more granular level than with a traditional PC. This also supports the Rejuvenation feature, which restores a broken VM without destroying user data or settings.
• The MokaFive client encapsulates the VM, providing granular control over abilities such as sharing data between the host OS and VM, connecting USB devices, or installing unapproved software.
• Secure configuration options include the ability to completely wipe an entire VM after each session, ensuring a truly secure logout and preventing security headaches from data remnants on high-impact secured systems.
• Centralized management capability of VDI without the investment to deploy network infrastructure and no loss of productivity when the network is down.

The President and CEO of MokaFive, Dale Fuller, is the former VP of the PowerBook division at Apple, where he saw first-hand the difficulty in convincing IT departments to loosen their control and support the Mac. MokaFive seems custom made to break down the barriers IT departments use to justify a “No Mac for You!” policy. With Apple’s products growing in popularity and the increasing expectation that work resources be available in an always-on manner, MokaFive’s suite of virtual desktop management tools are key to Apple’s advance into businesses.

Here is a roundup of what Omni brought to demo at Macworld:

New Apps

Omni Outliner launched last spring after Macworld, and brought the same level of simplicity and power for outlining that desktop Omni users have enjoyed for years. Outliner takes a spreadsheet-style view of outlines, with two fixed default columns on the left: indentation/level info in the lefthand column, and then flexible columns that can be changed, reordered, and used to track rich info such as hyperlinks or images.  As on the desktop, the interface is spare and puts the focus firmly on content.

New for MacWorld 2012 is the iPad version of Omni Plan, Omni’s project management and scheduling tool. With no version of Microsoft Project available for Mac or iPad, Omni Plan is one of the best options for managing and scheduling projects for Apple-using business folks. The Omni Plan interface provides a lightweight outline-based task scheduling view which allows for quick building of a project plan. Capabilities include task scheduling, resource leveling, task-dependency setting, and outline or Gannt view.

Mirroring the Mac version, Omni Plan for iPad also contains collaborative features, including the ability to store project plans on a WebDAV server and the ability to track changes and approve/reject them as a team. To facilitate the iPad’s unique multitouch abilities and more limited screen real estate, Plan for iPad’s interface is completely multitouch enabled. Tasks in Gannt view are tappable anddraggable to change task length, inspector panes from the desktop version show up as popover menus for full feature parity with the desktop version, and best of all the interface zooms intelligently. When zooming, the app ensures that text scales so no matter how far out you zoom, task descriptions are still readable (MS Project users will rejoice, as that app makes everything too small to read no matter what zoom level is set).

APP UPDATES

While not new, the remaining Omni apps—including Graffle, Focus, GraphSketcher, and Sketch—are all being updated for 2012. New features include enhanced collaboration/document management features driven by iCloud and WebDAV integration. Rather than a CoverFlow-style interface showing one doc at a time, the new grid layout allows for easier access to multiple documents, while synchronization ensures the latest versions of documents are pushed from iCloud or read from the WebDAV server. Future releases will bring real-time updating, so changes on one iCloud-connected device will automatically appear on all other devices running an Omni app.

Other new announcements at Macworld include an icon refresh for the entire family of apps to present a unified look and feel (each app features a silhouette depicting the app’s purpose against a solid color background pulled from the rainbow—they look quite nice grouped together in an iOS folder). Omni Focus on the iPad is also informing an interface refresh for the desktop version, as the iOS app’s simplicity makes the desktop version’s interface seem cluttered. Siri support is also coming to the apps, so reminders can be added to Omni Focus by utilizing Siri’s scheduling capabilities; Focus is even smart enough to copy over Reminders from the built-in app and then delete the duplicate so you do not receive multiple reminders.

To check out Omni’s 2012 lineup, visit www.omnigroup.com.

ConceptDraw Office is composed of ConceptDraw MINDMAP v7, ConceptDraw PROJECT v6, and ConceptDraw PRO v9. The three products utilize CS Odessa’s sophisticated INGYRE2 technology to deliver powerful integration features that streamline everyday workflows and unlock creativity.

Given Apple’s growing share of the business computing market, CS Odessa felt that now is the time for ConceptDraw to shine. In this spirit, they are taking to the floor at Macworld | iWorld this year to engage Apple customers and spread the word about ConceptDraw products to the attendees.

CS Odessa will be offering demos of and savings on ConceptDraw at booth #625 at Moscone Center West. If you’ll be attending Macworld | iWorld this Thursday through Saturday, be sure to stop by.

Product [ConceptDraw Office]

Earlier this week, Apple released OS X Lion. We’ve told you how to check if your Mac apps are ready for Lion, but if you’re still having problems with some apps, here’s a collection of software developer/publisher statements regarding Lion compatibility right here. Announcements are still being added each day, so check back often to make sure you’ve got the latest versions of your important apps.

• Popular OS X app 1Password has received an update to version 3.6, mostly adding support for OS X Lion and dropping support for OS X Leopard and PowerPC Macs. The main reason for the drop in support for the older OS and PowerPC Macs is that the number of their users running 1Password has dropped dramatically (less than 6% of 1Password users are using Leopard), making it quite pointless for the developers to keep them supported. Also, some new features that developer AgileBits wished to include such as Grand Central Dispatch, which was introduced with Snow Leopard, weren’t possible if they chose to keep supporting Leopard.
• publicspace.net has released A Better Finder Rename 8.85, an update to its popular file, photo and music renaming utility. A Better Finder Rename is a sophisticated tool that caters for the full range of file renaming tasks encountered by the modern creative professional. The new version 8.85 introduces a new default renaming mode for faster file renaming performance on Mac OS X Lion.
• Reggie Ashworth has announced AppDelete 3.2, a major update to his popular application deletion utility for Mac OS X. With a simple Drag & Drop, AppDelete will uninstall anything along with all of the associated items. Mac users will no longer have to hunt through their system to find and delete these items manually. AppDelete is a must-have utility for beta testers and the perfect companion to any Mac fanatic’s toolbox.
• St. Clair Software has announced App Tamer 1.0.8, an update to their Macintosh utility that automatically pauses applications to improve battery life and reduce CPU usage. App Tamer’s unique AutoStop capability automatically pauses applications when you switch away from them, and then restarts them when you click back to them. The new version of App Tamer delivers compatibility with Mac OS 10.7 Lion and improves App Tamer’s gaming mode.
• IdeaSwarm has released AppViz 2.0, a new version of their popular desktop analytics tool for Mac & iOS developers. AppViz helps developers download and visualize their application sales. It features a dashboard that displays an overview of product sales and trends, as well as a graph view for more in-depth analysis. Version 2.0 builds on the feature set of 1.0 and adds many new features including iAds, automated downloading, improved rankings, & support for the forthcoming Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
• Centrify Corporation has announced that its DirectControl for Mac offering supports the just-released Mac OS X Lion operating system with Active Directory-based authentication, access control and Group Policy for users of Apple’s latest OS X Lion release. IT administrators can easily manage authentication, authorization and configuration of Mac OS X systems, as well as lock down the user’s desktop environment, enabling the Mac to be easily integrated to the most complex Windows environments.
• Econ Technologies has updated ChronoSync to version 4.2.2 and ChronoAgent for Mac to version 1.2.2. ChronoSync is the automated synchronization and backup application for Mac OS X and ChronoAgent for Mac is a utility that runs on the destination Mac and communicates directly with ChronoSync, giving you full root access to the destination Mac. The update includes changes to functionality and aesthetics to ensure compatibility with Lion. Additionally, this update includes several bug fixes.
• St. Clair Software has announced Default Folder X 4.4.3, an update to their award-winning utility for Mac OS X. Honored with Macworld Magazine’s Editors’ Choice Award for Best System Enhancement Utility, Default Folder X enhances the file dialogs in all Mac OS X applications. It provides fast navigation to your files, convenient previews, integrated Spotlight tagging, and more. Version 4.4.3 addresses several late-breaking compatibility issues with Mac OS 10.7 “Lion”.
• DEVONtechnologies, LLC has released updates for all editions of DEVONthink, the #1 information and document manager for the Mac, and for its smaller brother DEVONnote for full compatibility to OS X 10.7 “Lion”. Further improvements include user interface improvements, better AppleScript and Automator support in DEVONthink Pro and up, better full-screen app handling, as well as smart groups with user-defined dates.
• LikeMac Group has announced Disk Order 3.2, a Lion compatible update to its double-pane file manager for OS X. Disk Order is designed to be substitution of the Finder. Just like other famous file commanders it makes file management fast and easy. It can copy/view/edit files, browse archives, connect to FTP servers, download your music from iPod and more. This release makes it Mac OS X 10.7 Lion compatible and adds some usable features.
• Apparent Corporation has announced Doxie, an important update to their award-winning portable scanner for Mac and PC. Doxie makes scanning, sharing, and organizing paper and photos easy, with a lightweight, portable design built for scanning anywhere. Ready for OS X Lion, Doxie adds cloud-based scan to e-mail, and Yojimbo integration. Easily compose new e-mail messages with popular e-mail clients with a link to scanned documents and photos. Doxie works with Mail.app, Outlook, Gmail, and more.
• Xeric Design has updated EarthDesk, its award-winning, real-time dynamic desktop map, to support the forthcoming Lion OS. EarthDesk replaces your static desktop with an image of the Earth showing current sun, moon and city illumination, as well as real-time global cloud coverage. The software operates silently in the background, keeping your desktop updated while you work. EarthDesk’s dynamic desktop is continuously displayed as your desktop background and optionally as a screen saver.
• On the heels of Apple’s release of Mac OS X Lion, GroupLogic has unveiled ExtremeZ-IP v.7.2, the latest version of the only actively maintained and supported Mac-compliant enterprise file server for Mac Windows compatibility. Today’s release comes complete with support for Mac OS X Lion and will allow organizations to seamlessly use and support multiple versions of Mac OS X. In addition, GroupLogic will now bundle its ShadowConnect at no additional cost, allowing Macs to instantly self-restore previous versions of files and folders from the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy service (VSS).
• Insider Software has released FontAgent Pro 4.2 for Macintosh, an update to the industry’s best font manager with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion compatibility. FontAgent Pro provides full control over the auto-activation process. It detects subtle differences among fonts to deliver the most accurate font activation possible. Built on Insider’s unique FontSavant technology, the 4.2 release includes auto-activation plug-ins for Adobe CS5.5, CS 5.5.1 and QuarkXPress 9.
• Houdah Software has announced HoudahGeo 2.9, the one-stop photo geocoding solution for the Mac. HoudahGeo 2.9 adds support for iPhoto libraries which reference images located on external drives. HoudahGeo 2.9 also improves compatibility with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. With HoudahGeo you may pin photos to locations where they were taken. Just like an expensive GPS camera, HoudahGeo may store latitude, longitude and altitude information right within the image file – invisibly with no loss of quality.
• IGG Software has announced it has completed testing of iBank 4 for compatibility with Lion, the forthcoming version of Mac OS X. With the release of iBank 4.2.4, now available for download from IGG’s website and the Mac App Store, iBank has been declared Lion-ready. The new improvements in version 4.2.4 build upon longstanding iBank features such as direct downloads from online accounts, custom check printing, robust data export and iPhone sync.
• Apple security specialist Intego has announced its entire software line-up is now fully compatible with OS X 10.7 Lion. To celebrate this, Intego is offering all new and existing customers a 10% discount on all its products. Intego NetUpdate will allow eligible users to update their software for free. All users need to do is run NetUpdate and download and install the latest versions of their Intego software, and they’ll be ready to use Lion.
• Mireth Technology Corp. has released a new version of iVCD, its Mac OS X video burning software. Version 3.3 of iVCD, adds support for Mac OS X Lion (10.7). iVCD is an easy to use, full featured DVD, VCD and SVCD authoring software for Mac that can burn DVD, VCD, SVCD and more from most video formats such as iMovie and Quicktime movie files, as well as from AVI, Divx, WMV and Xvid. iVCD was designed specifically to be both full featured and easy to use, so that users can enjoy a full range of digital video authoring features all in one software product. Originally designed to burn VCDs, iVCD has evolved to include burning SVCDs and DVDs.
• Celmaro has announced Minco 1.3, an update to the company’s innovative, minimalist lightweight time tracking solution for Mac OS X with iCal integration. With Minco, effortlessly visualize the daily spend time in iCal and export work-times with a customizable output adapter for CSV files and web-services. Version 1.3 is Lion ready, adds the ability of work-time editing, and extends the output adapter with formatting options and new token.
• Nisus Writer Express 3.3.2 and Nisus Writer Pro 2.0 are compatible with Lion, apart from a few issues identified so far. To address these issues, Nisus has released beta versions of Nisus Writer Pro 2.0.1 and Nisus Writer Express 3.4. Nisus Writer Pro 2.0.1 also has received a handful of fixes for issues that appeared after its release (including fixes for the page number display bug and the Bookends issue). The beta release of Nisus Writer Pro 2.0.1 is available now (this is a direct download link). Nisus Writer Express 3.4 also addresses Lion incompatibilities and receives a number of bug fixes. Express 3.4 (direct download link) is also available now.
• New builds of Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac, Parallels Server for Mac 4.0 and Parallels Server for Mac, Mac mini Edition will run on Lion. The current version of Parallels Transporter app already in the Mac App Store will also run on Lion. Parallels is encouraging users of Parallels Desktop 4 and Parallels Desktop 5 to upgrade to Parallels Desktop 6 if they want to run Lion. For a limited time, Parallels is offering users of Parallels Desktop 4 and Parallels Desktop 5 upgrades to Parallels Desktop 6 for only $39.99 (25% discount).
• Yazsoft has released Playback 1.7.8, a major update to their popular zero configuration media server for Mac OS X. Playback allows anyone to share their media with any Playstation 3, Xbox 360, or other supported UPnP compatible device. Playback can also share media stored in folders or even make entire disks available to a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. By default, Playback will share almost any content on the users system. Version 1.7.3 includes OS X Lion compatibility and tons more.
• Postbox 2.5.1 brings OS X Lion compatibility and styling to all Postbox 2 users on the Mac platform. It’s a free update for all Postbox 2 customers on Mac and Windows, and can be downloaded today from the Postbox website. For our Mac users, Postbox 2.5.1 will be available in the Mac App Store very soon!
• Rainer Brockerhoff has announced Quay 1.1.3, an update to his popular system utility for Mac OS X 10.6 and 10.7. Quay extends the Dock’s functionality, allowing the user to sort Stack menus in several useful ways, and see extra information for each item. Unlike the standard Dock, Quay always follows aliases or symbolic links, and works correctly even with folders containing tens of thousands of items. Version 1.1.3 adds support for Lion.
• Karelia Software has released Sandvox 2.1, an update to its award-winning, easy-to-use website building software for the Mac, now compatible with Mac OS X Lion. Sandvox 2.1 also introduces a new Clear Styles command which makes it easier than ever to migrate content from other systems, by clearing styles in one command. In addition, a new “Block Quote” object makes including block quotation text as easy as selecting the object and dropping in the quoted text. A limited-time crossgrade discount on Sandvox of 25% off through July 31, 2011, by using the coupon code “iWeb Graduate” on checkout.
• BenSoftware has announced SecuritySpy 2.1, an update to the premier multi-camera video surveillance software on the Macintosh platform. With features such as motion detection, real-time compression of multiple video and audio feeds, and network video and audio streaming, SecuritySpy is designed for demanding video surveillance applications. Version 2.1 includes Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” compatibility, faster network performance, and support for new network camera models.
• Yazsoft has released ShareTool 2.2.4, an important update to their award winning utility for Mac OS X. At a click of a button, ShareTool lets you connect to most Bonjour services running on your home/office networks from anywhere in the world. This includes Screen Sharing, File Sharing, Remote Printing, Secure Browsing, and more. In response to massive demand, ShareTool also delivers iTunes 10 Home Sharing across the internet, the ability to run ShareTool as a background service, and more.
• Ambrosia Software, Inc. has announced Snapz Pro X 2.3.1, an update to their award winning screen capture utility for Mac OS X. Snapz Pro X adroitly captures full motion video of anything on your screen, complete with digital audio, and an optional microphone voiceover. Snapz Pro X makes short work of making training videos, producing product demos, creating tutorials, archiving streaming video, and anything else you can think of. Version 2.3.1 offers Lion compatibility and many improvements.
• Sparrow 1.3 lands on Lion with 4 main new features: access your labels and folders easily with the Extended sidebar, send and archive can bring you to inbox zero in a matter of minutes, drag and drop mails in third party apps, and you can now completely hide the sidebar and turn Sparrow into a dead-simple message list. Sidebar animations, scroll speed and IMAP comapatibility have been greatly improved in this release.
• Yazsoft has announced Speed Download 5.2.26, an important update to their popular download manager for Mac OS X. Speed Download 5 redefines the Mac OS X download manager by combining four amazing products: a turbo-charged download manager, a fully featured secure FTP client, a file sharing utility with full encryption, and complete .Mac/iDisk/WEBDAV connectivity, into one small and easy to use application. Version 5.2.26 is compatible with OS X Lion and more.
• Eltima Software has announced that SyncMate is now compatible with Mac OS X Lion. SyncMate is offered in Free and Expert editions. SyncMate can sync contacts, calendars, images, videos, Entourage and Mail notes, Folders and Stickies between Mac and any iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Users can also mount iOS running devices as Mac disks and more. The Free edition allows syncing Contacts and Calendars, the most important data, between Mac and supported devices.
• Xeric Design has released Time Palette 6.0, its award-winning, global time app. Time Palette has been the standard Mac world time application since 1992. Version 6.0 is a complete rewrite and is fully compatible with Lion, Snow Leopard and Leopard. Time Palette displays the current local time for any location and calculates a wealth of global geographical, astronomical and weather data, including real-time weather conditions from NOAA, complete Daylight Saving Time rules, and sidereal time.
• Global Delight has released Voila 3.1, an update to its popular screen-capture, recording and annotation tool on the Mac App Store. Voila is a great replacement and enhancement for your Mac’s screen-capture and screen-recording features. It also has a perfect set of image annotation and adjusting tools that every user would look for. Version 3.1 is now fully compatible with Mac OS 10.7 aka Lion. Boom volume booster and system equalizer for Mac is also compatible with OS X Lion.

1. Create your PDF and make any changes that you want to before you lock the PDF. You can go back with the password, but it makes the most sense to do this last.
2. Click on File. Then Print and Save as PDF.

3. Click on the Security Options button.

4. Check the box to the words “Require password to open document”.

5. Enter the password twice and click ok.
6. Save your document.

Keeping your system safe and sound is important if you work with any sensitive data or if you just have to share your system with your family (or nosy roommates) and you want to maintain your own personal privacy. Since you cannot always lock out the whole system, locking single document is a solid option, as it allows you to keep just some data secured.

iWork

1. Click on the document and open Inspector.
2. Click on the document tab if it is not already open.
3. Check the box labeled “Require Password to Open”.
4. Choose your password, enter it twice, put in a hint and click on the “Set Password” button.
5. Save your document.

Word for Mac

1. Open your documents.
2. Open Preferences from the menu bar.
3. Click on the “Security” tag.
4. Choose the Password to Open box and enter your password.
5. Confirm the password and click OK.
6. Save your document.

Since Adobe first launched the Creative Suite family of programs, they’ve released updates about every 18 months or so. This was good in that it allowed them to stay on top of the latest technologies and to introduce some of their own. It was bad in that updates and fixes were slow to be released, and it always felt like we were missing things that should have should have been part of the previous version. Adobe would focus so hard on the next big feature that simple fixes and improvements would constantly slip past. Anyone forced to use Dreamweaver’s FTP tools knows what I’m talking about.

Adobe has now changed all this up. Major releases will now appear every 18 to 24 months, with mid-cycle releases to show up between them. Adobe CS 5.5 is the first such release. There are two methods for paying for it, which I’ll cover later on. For now, let’s look at features.

Across many of the programs, Adobe is focusing on web and tablet publishing. The Web Premium tools (Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop, etc.) offer new HTML5 and Adobe Flash authoring tools that do a decent job of making the latest technologies somewhat accessible. I’m still surprised by what a confusing mess Dreamweaver is when it comes to doing something as common as building CSS pop-up (or flyout) menus; Adobe has a habit of ignoring basic needs when they’d rather draw our attention flashier capabilities.

In this case, it’s the ability to build a website once and have it targeted to numerous mobile devices. The number of people using the iPad and smartphones to view the web is growing quickly, and Adobe has no intention of being left behind. Whether building websites or mobile applications, CS 5.5 allows you to view in real time how your development will look in your targeted devices via a multiple pane window.

If ever there was a time to justify that multiple monitor setup you’ve been wanting, this is it.

jQuery Mobile support, CSS inspection, enhanced ActionScript editors and more all help to keep your work efficient and clean…once you’ve learned to use them.

Adobe offers a lot of training videos to get you started, but those tend to take me back to Algebra II class. Everything made sense when the instructor would explain the procedures on the chalk board. But when I’d get home and try to apply what I’d learned, forget about it. Thankfully, Adobe Community Help is a great resource for getting your questions answered and gaining useful tips until the third-party manuals start rolling out.

In addition, some of the new features and coding methods seem to require you to build them that way from scratch. If you’re looking to update a site to take advantage of the new mobile templates and objects, it’s possible that Dreamweaver CS 5.5 is going to become just as confused as you are.

I’ve focused mostly on the web tools because that’s my area of expertise. Adobe has paid close attention to other areas, though. Production Premium has received a rather impressive overhaul, with an improved workflow in Premiere Pro CS5.5, advanced audio editing in Audition CS5.5 (now available for both Mac and Windows), some nice new tricks in After Effects, streamlined collaboration via CS Live, and more. I’m not versed in these programs, and have therefore not factored them into this review, but I do suggest you check out the Production Premium website to learn more about what this upgrade has to offer until we post our dedicated coverage.

I can, however, weigh in on Design Premium’s nods towards digital publishing. Whether it’s creating magazines for the iPad, authoring eBooks in inDesign, or simply creating more feature-rich PDFs, Adobe has done a nice job of making it easier to create and integrate dynamic content into your publication and deliver it however you want to.

However, a lot of this is dependent upon Adobe’s web-hosted Digital Publishing platform, and that’s not cheap. It starts at $495 a month, and then you’re adding platform and vendor fees. Large publishers may have the means to handle these costs, but smaller publishers will find the price as prohibitive as print.

Speaking of costs, Adobe understands that it’s hard for new users to hop onto a Creative Suite package, or to even pay for an upgrade. Design Standard is the cheapest package at $1,299 (upgrades start at $399), with the $2,599 Master Collection being the most expensive ($1,399 upgrade). As such, they now offer a Pay As You Go plan. For Design Standard, you’ll pay $65 a month with a one-year subscription, or $99 a month on a month-to-month basis. Those prices are $129/month and $195/month for the Master Collection, respectively. The other Creative Suite packages fall somewhere between.

Whether that’s worth it depends upon mostly on how much you’re going to make back with it. With competing products cutting deeper into Adobe’s feature sets, and with Adobe ramping up the capabilities of their own consumer and prosumer products, the Creative Suite packages have shifted into higher gear. This is great news if you’ve got a need for these complex but powerful sets of tools (and a company paying for your upgrades and training). If you’re on your own, the subscription model is a viable option, but hopefully you’ve also got the time required to stay on top of these new capabilities, which will now be coming about once a year.

As we do the same, Appletell will post in-depth looks at some of the new features rolled into the CS 5.5 updates. In the meantime, we can recommend the suite as a whole (check the buying guide to determine which edition best suits your needs). There’s no denying that Adobe is pushing web/mobile development and digital publication forward, I just wish they wouldn’t shove the little things to the side along the way.

Appletell Rating:

Buy Adobe Creative Suite 5.5

1. Open the Word document you wish to save.
2. Select file and then Save as.
3. If you need to, Re-name your document.
4. In the pull down menu, choose .pdf as your file format.
5. Click on “Save.”

You now have a freshly minted PDF.

Of course, you can also do this without Word. Mac OS X makes it easy to print your document to a PDF no matter what application you’re working in, but that’s a How To for another time.

If you are are ready to make your template in Word for Mac, then simply follow these steps.

1. Open the formatted Word document you wish to save.
2. Select file and then Save as
3. If you need to, Re-name your document.
4. In the pull down menu, choose “.dot” (for sharing with older versions of Word for Mac) or “.dotx” (for the current version of Word for Mac) as your file format.
5. Click on “save.”

You now have a freshly minted template file. Open it make edits, and your previous formatting will always in tact.