Dec 16, 2007 Dec 18, 2007 Monday December 17, 2007
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My brother sent this to me as a joke. Then my other brother dared me to post it on my "boring" blog. Send hate mail to them. The rest of you can enjoy...until the complaints start rolling in.
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QuickBooks Pro bug leads to data loss for some
A recent update to the QuickBooks accounting application for OS X has caused the deletion of some users' Desktop folders. Oops.Read More...
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Land Rover LRX Concept Car and the Coolest iPhone Car Integration Ever
Gizmodo covered this last week, but I just couldn’t resist publishing these amazing photos here as well. Pictures of the Land Rover LRX concept car shows heavy integration with the iPhone. So much so that the iPhone docks into the car and even becomes the push…
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Are Mac users more honest than Windows users?
Details of new research on Mac OS X Leopard show that Mac users are buying family pack licenses, even though they aren't forced to. On the other hand, Microsoft goes to great lengths to validate every Windows installation. So does this mean that Apple customers are more honest than Windows users?
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No Chance
In light of today’s aforelinked piece that the iPhone, six months after debuting, is already outselling all Windows Mobile phones combined, let’s enjoy some holiday schadenfreude with this gem from Steve Ballmer back in April: “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.” ★
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The Macalope: ‘With Disappointments Like These, Who Needs Successes?’
Regarding PC World’s selection of the iPhone as one of the 15 biggest “tech disappointments” of 2007: If that’s a tech disappointment, the Macalope hopes 2008 brings Apple a slew of similar disappointments. It’ll be a banner year. I’d say Apple shareholders and iPhone owners feel similarly. ★
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Widget Watch: iStat Pro 4.5 released
Filed under: Hardware, Software, Freeware, Widget Watch I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of widgets -- I like the concept just fine, I just don't really have much use for most of the functions. One big exception is iSlayer's iStat Pro. For the uninitiated, iStat Pro is a system-monitoring widget that shows you information about your CPU, RAM and Network activity, the temperature and fan speed of your Mac, what processes are running, how long your system has been up, information about your battery and how many times it has been "cycled" (meaning depleted/fully charged), the list goes on. Today iSlayer released iStat Pro 4.5 which not only updated the UI and some of the standard features, but added some new features as well. From iSlayer's blog: Updated network section with new details & controls for PPP/PPPoE connections Improved PPC temperature and fan support Improved Intel temperature support Improved S.M.A.R.T. drive temperature monitoring Fixed bugs with battery section and 10.5 Clicking on a disc icon will now open the drive in finder New keyboard shortcuts ("g" - Update external IP, 1-8 - Change skin color) Added button to launch Activity Monitor Other various bug fixes Various UI tweaks I particularly like the addition of the Activity Monitor launcher and the ability to launch a drive in Finder by clicking on its name. iSlayer Pro 4.5 is available for Intel and PPC Macs running Tiger or Leopard and is donationware. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mac 101: ZIP files for easy e-mail
Filed under: OS, Mac 101 We're all faced with the problem of e-mailing large files. This task can be made simple by using Mac OS X's built-in "Compress" tool. This feature makes it easy to not only compress one file into a ZIP archive, but also multiple files or entire folders. Just select the files you need to ZIP and right-click on one of them. When you select Compress, then in a couple seconds (this will take longer depending on the file size) you will be presented with a nice ZIP archive containing all of your files in it. Just drag the ZIP file into your e-mail and send! There are alternatives, such as StuffIt Expander, but if all you are doing is compressing files, there really is no need to spend money since Mac OS X will zip and un-zip the archive handily. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Treating Leopard’s Finder not-fully-loading bug
Since the release of Mac OS X Leopard, a number of users have reported that a video codec can stop the Finder from fully loading. An Apple technical note suggests a fix via the Terminal; however, there are other more-GUI ways to apply the fix.
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Quick Look Plugin sites
Filed under: OS, LeopardIt should be clear by now that I love Leopard's Quick Look, particularly because of the modular way that Apple designed it so that it can be expanded and extended by third parties. And those third parties are responding! To keep track of all these plugins two interesting new sites have sprung up, QuickLook Plugins List and QLPlugins.Each site has some good stuff not on the other so it's worth keeping an eye on both. Highlights include a neat trick for expanding video format support to mkv (Matroska video) files (and in principle others) and a plugin for Flash FLV files. (Both of these require Perian.)In the years to come I suspect we're going to look back and wonder how we ever got along without Quick Look.Thanks to everyone who sent these in!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mac OS X Security Update 2007-009
The usual assortment of security-related bug fixes, for Mac OS X 10.5.1 and 10.4.11. ★
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With disappointments like these, who needs successes?
Will someone please page the lithesome yet strong-handed nymphs whose job it is to massage the furry one's scalp right between the antlers? The Macalope's got a headache again. What's causing it this time? PC World's 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007 (motto: "It's not another lame top-10 piece if we have 15 items!"). The Macalope doesn't have a problem with most of the items, even Leopard. You just knew an Apple product was going to be on there somewhere -- they simply can't resist -- and Leopard probably did disappoint some people. While this furry beast's admittedly low expectations about Leopard were exceeded and he's had nary a problem with it, others reportedly have. But the iPhone? If that's a tech disappointment, the Macalope hopes 2008 brings Apple a slew of similar disappointments. It'll be a banner year. PC World itself admits that "the phone itself is pretty terrific". Oookay, so you don't so much have a beef against the iPhone. Then what's your beef by-product? But AT&T's broadband service? Definitely second-rate. Really? This broadband service? Or maybe you mean this one. Are you at all familiar with the definition of "definitely"? The $600 price tag -- which soon dropped by $200 and then was followed by a $100 quasi-rebate -- didn't help. What about the fact that it makes every other cell phone look like ass? Did that help? "I think the biggest debacle of 2007 is the iPhone pricing bait and switch," says Peggy Watt, a PC World contributing editor and professor of journalism at Western Washington University. Wow! That's some statement! Which is to say, that's some absurd statement with little to no basis in fact! First of all, Peggy, a bait and switch is when you get someone in the door by telling them the price will be lower than it is, not higher than it one day will be. Or you tell them they'll be getting a "professor of journalism" and then just give them an assistant professor of journalism instead. That's a bait and switch. Second, how is dropping the iPhone's price and giving a rebate -- one that all but quenched the outrage -- possibly a bigger debacle than this one, which improbably didn't make PC World's list? You're entitled to your opinion, assistant professor Peggy. It just happens to be wrong. "People do expect tech prices to drop, but not as quickly as the iPhone did. Apple's response was pretty lame, too; a partial credit that couldn't be used for a lot of popular items (such as iTunes)." Uh, yeah, that would be pretty much the only item it couldn't be used for. Customers may not redeem their store credits: (1) at any iTunes Store in the United States or elsewhere, (2) Apple Store locations outside the United States; (3) at Apple resellers; (4) for cash; (5) to purchase Apple Gift Cards, or,iTunes Store Gift Certificates, to give iTunes Store content as gifts, or to create iTunes Store allowances; or (6) as payments on Apple accounts. Customers may not resell, transfer, or otherwise assign the credits. Unless you count cash as a "popular item". Which, the Macalope supposes, it is seeing how popular it is with masked bandits. Other "popular items" you couldn't use an iPhone rebate for are liquor, anabolic steroids and hookers. Which probably explains why the Macalope has heard that Jose Canseco never cashed his in. But, c'mon, PC World. If you really felt you had to put in two Apple products because you had three Microsoft products, you easily could have picked the Apple TV and no one would have thought twice about it. The horny one knows you're PC World, but listing the iPhone as one of the year's biggest tech disappointments just makes you look stupid. Er.
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Podcast #37: iPhone News and Xmas Tunes
The staff discuss shredding on Guitar Hero III and last minute resolutions.
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Apple releases dozens of Tiger, Leopard security updates
Time to download patches again if you're a Mac OS X user. This time there are 31 security-related fixes for both Mac OS X versions 10.4 and 10.5.
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Security Update released for Leopard
A Security update has been issued for Leopard. It is recommended, of course, that all users update. Security Update 2007-009 is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following components: Core Foundation CUPS Flash Player Plug-in Launch Services perl python Quick Look ruby Safari Samba Shockwave Plug-in Spin Tracer For detailed information on this update, please visit this website.
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Apple's latest Security Updates squash Quick Look bugs, more
Apple has posted Security Update 2007-009 for both Leopard and Tiger users. The updates address a whole smattering of issues as always, but a couple of Leopard-specific fixes caught our eye.Read More...
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Security Update 2007-009 for Leopard now available
Filed under: OS, Software, Software Update, AppleIf you've been wondering when we'd see a security update for Mac OS X Leopard: you can stop holding your breath. Apple has just pushed out Security 2007-009 for Mac OS X 10.5.1. So what's been fixed? According to the release notes: Core Foundation Flash Player Plug-in Quick Look Safari Shockwave Plug-in and plenty more The update, which as ever is recommended for everyone running the latest big cat, weighs in at 35.6MB. If you're wanting to go ahead and install the update without waiting, you'll want to run over to the Apple Support site and grab the file, or simply run Software Update on your system. As with all OS X updates, we'd strongly suggest you have a working backup before installing on any mission-critical system.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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First Looks: XtremeMac Verona Sleeve Leather Cases for iPod nano, classic & touch
Available in three sizes at the same $25 price, XtremeMac's new Verona Sleeve is a play-through leather case for the third-generation iPod nano, iPod classic, or iPod touch, available in four colors for the nano, or two colors for the classic or touch. Each version comes with clear film screen and control protection, and exposes the iPod's top or bottom ports. Most novel about each package is the striped coloration and design of XtremeMac's leather,…
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Analysts exurberant about Macworld Expo
Yet another financial analyst is predicting great things for the upcoming Macworld Expo, including a Mac subnotebook and iTunes movie rentals.Read More...
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First Looks: XtremeMac Verona Holster Leather Cases for iPod classic & touch
We're not fond of iPod holsters -- all derivative of Apple's long-abandoned free iPod cases -- and though XtremeMac ups the ante with its Verona Holsters for iPod classic and iPod touch ($30 each), the differences are basically cosmetic, not functional. You still get a leather case with slightly expanding sides and a rear belt clip, but now the leather's hipper thanks to small aesthetic tweaks and stitching. XtremeMac makes different versions for…
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First Looks: XtremeMac Verona Flip Leather Cases for iPod nano, classic & touch
Once again, XtremeMac has added an interesting twist or two to a case design we wouldn't otherwise have much of: Verona Flip is sold in separate versions for the iPod nano ($25), iPod classic ($30), and iPod touch ($30), each folding closed in a horizontal book-like orientation. The iPod nano version is interesting only in colors -- there's a patch of additional tones to offset each basic case design -- and the included carabiner hook, while the iPod…
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Mobile Safari Pushing Microsoft To Make Mobile IE Suck Less
The other competitor in the Smartphone arena, Microsoft, has taken aim at Apple’s iPhone and hopes that future iterations of the mobile OS will dominate the Cupertino based company in terms of Software. Speaking at the Mobius conference, Microsoft will port the desktop version of IE to create…
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Leopard's launch trumped Tiger's, says NPD Group
Apple's launch of Mac OS X 10.5, Leopard, was a success. We know this already, but NPD Group says that the launch did far better than that of Tiger, and that Apple has figured out a good rollout formula.Read More...
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Apple Gazette Daily 172 - AppleTV a winner…sort of…and more
Apple TV is tops in an unsuccessful market, free iPhone ringtones and more! You can subscribe via iTunes, or by RSS feed, or… you can listen to the episode right here: In addition to that, you can also download the Apple Gazette Daily Widget and listen to every episode of the show right on your Dashboard. Click Here to download.
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Against odds, iPhone overtakes Windows Mobile sales in Q3
One in four smartphones sold during the third quarter of 2007 was an iPhone, according to some new data. That can't be a bad thing. Read More...
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Audiovox must be kidding with its D1817PKG portable DVD player
Filed under: Handhelds Sheesh -- what's it going to take to get a decent portable DVD player? Just after we'd been tricked into believing that it couldn't get any worse, along comes Audiovox to take things to a whole new low. This so-called conglomerate doesn't even bother sharing its screen resolution with us, but does take the time to showcase its rechargeable battery, integrated stereo speakers, pair of folding headphones and credit card sized remote. Additionally, you'll find a car power adapter, carrying case, and a controller to play the 30 surely riveting games that are built in. Here's a tip: take your $123 and do almost anything with it. Chances are you'll be better off than trying your luck with this thing.[Via SlashGear] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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The STEVE JOBS Succession Plan: The 7 [Un] Likeliest Candidates
And after STEVE? Who? What? Have no fear...we're guessing right along with you....
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First Looks: CoverCase iPhone Slip Hard Leather Case
Made from Napa leather, the Slip Hard Leather Case ($20) uses a design we've previously noted we didn't like much when it was being sold by other companies: it's basically just a piece of leather wrapped around a cup that happens to fit the iPhone. On a positive note, it looks pretty nice and covers the iPhone in a way that Apple or other companies might sell for up to $100; the flip side is that it precludes any iPhone access unless you fully remove…
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CTU ringtone for iPhone
Filed under: Humor, Multimedia, Software, iPhoneJust last night we were chatting about ringtones on the Talkcast, and I mentioned that I was so happy with my iPhone that I hadn't taken steps to change either the ringtone or the wallpaper yet-- that Xylophone ringtone is probably the best ringtone I've ever heard.Until now, anyway. Matt Devost used that GarageBand tip posted by Apple to turn none other than the CTU ringtone from tv series 24 into an easy-to-install, completely (mostly-- who owns this ringtone? did Fox make it up?) legit iPhone ringtone. Yes, you too can have your iPhone sound just like the phones at Jack Bauer's place of employment.And this also illustrates just how easy it is to make these things now. Matt says he just put this together in GarageBand, and then followed Apple's doc, and all I did was drag it from my Desktop into my iTunes ringtones folder. Super simple. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I hear my phone ringing. Must be the President wanting to know how the hostage situation is going.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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First Looks: CoverCase Hard Acrylic Case for iPhone
Made from hard black plastic, the Hard Acrylic Case for iPhone ($17) is a two-piece shell with play-through Home, volume, and Sleep/Wake button covers built in. Holes are left for everything else, while a top-mounted belt clip and a rear pop-out video stand are built into the case. A clear screen film protector is included....
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First Looks: CoverCase SlimSkin Silicon Case for iPhone
Sold as a set with a pop-out video stand, belt clip, and armband, the CoverCase SlimSkin for iPhone ($15) also includes a film screen protector and cleaning cloth. It's a simple silicone rubber case, and the various parts all feel cheap, but the price is relatively low, and the parts all work as expected....
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News: Mix: iPhone, locoGPS, Apple TV, Land Rover, Koch
New research has found that the iPhone is the most popular mobile on the Holiday wish lists of 13 to 25-year-olds in the U.S. Peanut Labs surveyed 1175 “Gen-Y” consumers, 34 percent of whom say they plan to spend more than $300 on consumer electronics purchases this Holiday season. The partFoundry has revealed that it is developing an external GPS dongle for the iPhone. The locoGPS will connect to the iPhone via Dock Connector and will…
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First Looks: CoverCase Cobra Leather Cases for iPods and iPhone
Sold in versions for the third-generation iPod nano ($15), iPod classic ($15), iPod touch ($15), and iPhone ($20), CoverCase's Cobra Leather Cases aren't made from cobra skin, but rather textured leather with a black cobra-like texture. A red velvet interior is found in each case, while a belt clip is on each one's back; cleaning cloths and screen protectors are also included with each model....
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First Looks: CoverCase Dual SlimSkin Silicon Case with Armband
Sold in two two-toned versions, CoverCase's new Dual SlimSkin Silicon Case with Armband ($13) is a budget-priced third-generation iPod nano rubber case with a detachable armband, cleaning cloth, and film screen protector. A black and gray version is available, as is a pink version, both with color-matched, adjustable armbands that take inspiration from Apple's perforated, Vulcanized neoprene design. The cases are inexpensive and look it; they're "you…
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Apple’s New Look
Apple certainly did “Think Differentâ€? when they began using the white body iMacs. Soon it transcended across all Apple products and accessories. Is a new trend coming? One away from the white light? From the launch of the iPhone it became clear that Apple was reinventing their look. All previous artist renderings referred to Apple’s classic white approach. But with metal, glass and black accents, it was clear Apple was entering into a new phase and a new look. The new iMac redesign became another indicator for Apple’s changing taste. Now rumors are abound concerning metallic MacBooks. Looking back on the most recent changes I think the pattern is becoming more ‘clear’. With iPods no longer offered in the classy white casing, soon nothing will be left. Even the rumored Cinema Displays will probably become twins to the new iMac casing. Can we expect accessories to follow suite? New metallic keyboards may not fully translate the new style, but I think we’re beginning to see the picture…the new Apple. Perhaps businesses will find them more suitable? Or consumers will appreciate the finer materials? Either way, soon enough the Mighty Mouse will be the last of its kind. A plastic white figure, in an aluminum world.
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First the Apple Store is down - now my .Mac Mail won’t work!
Somebody over at Apple HQ needs to quit randomly pulling plugs. Earlier today the Apple Store went down for no real reason. Now, my .Mac Mail won't work - and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it. Is anyone else having this problem? You know, the Gmail account that I DON'T pay $99 a year for seems to always work fine. This kind of thing is completely unacceptable, and I hope it gets resolved soon.
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First Looks: Speck Products ActiveFit for iPod nano 3G
Rethought from its earlier ActiveSport armbands for iPods and nanos, Speck's new ActiveFit ($30) is the first iPod armband we can recall that actually mounts the nano on an off-axis angle rather than straight on, making a nice fashion statement in the process. The new design covers the entire nano save for its bottom headphone port, Hold switch, and part of the Dock Connector, using a soft mesh fabric, neoprene and rubber to keep your arm comfortable…
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First Looks: Pacific Rim Technologies Leather Jacket for iPhone
Sold as PRT's cheaper take on a similar Vaja design, the Pacific Rim Technologies Leather Jacket for iPhone ($40) uses quality black leather and a detachable two-tone metal belt clip to offer a flip case experience with bottom holes for pass-through iPhone speaker and microphone access. Another hole permits camera use while still in the case. A hard shell inside allows the Jacket to preserve its shape when not in use; black velvet lines the inside…
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First Looks: Contour Design Showcase touch
Taking cues from both Contour Design's earlier Showcase Classic and Showcase for iPhone, Contour Design's new Showcase touch ($35) is a rubber and hard plastic case with a black rubber bottom port cover, detachable four-position rear belt clip, and single slide latch on its right side for easy iPod touch insertion and removal. Like the iPhone case, it has a fully open screen and Home button area, with clear hard plastic edging....
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iPhone Tops Teens' and Google List, Yet Another Apple Lawsuit, No 3G iPhone at Expo
What's more popular than Hannah Montana among teens? An analyst says we'll see a 3G iPhone later than sooner, and the RIAA learns not to mess with Texas.
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First Looks: Contour Design Showcase nano V3
Incorporating design features previously found in its Showcases for the iPod classic or second-generation iPod nano, Contour Design's new Showcase nano V3 ($30) is a rubber and hard plastic case with a clear rubber Click Wheel protector, black rubber bottom port cover, and detachable four-position rear belt clip. A single slide latch on its right side makes it easy to insert and remove the iPod nano....
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First Looks: Gilty Couture Accoutrements for iPod shuffle, nano, classic & touch
Sold in a wide variety of versions at various prices, these new metal Gilty Couture "Accoutrements" from the minds behind Core Cases are designed to bling out your iPod with precious metals and optional Swarovski crystals. The base version of each case is stoneless and sold in either silver or 14-Karat gold, while versions with clear or pink stones are sold at a premium. For the iPod shuffle, prices range from $55 to $75; the nano, from $85 to $130;…
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First Looks: Metallo Design Gilty Couture Accoutrements for iPod shuffle, nano, classic & touch
Sold in a wide variety of versions at various prices, these new metal Gilty Couture "Accoutrements" from the minds behind Core Cases are designed to bling out your iPod with precious metals and optional Swarovski crystals. The base version of each case is stoneless and sold in either silver or 14-Karat gold, while versions with clear or pink stones are sold at a premium. For the iPod shuffle, prices range from $55 to $75; the nano, from $85 to $130;…
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Attack of the Chinese iPhone Clones
Fake iPhone has shake and talk.
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News: Metallo Design intros Gilty Couture luxury iPod accessories
Metallo Design has introduced its new Gilty Couture line of gold, silver, and Swarovski crystal accoutrements for the iPod and iPhone. The new collection includes slide-on bezels for the iPhone and iPod touch, which are available in gold or silver with differently-colored Swarovski crystals in each, and are priced between $100 and $130. Also available are “Jewelry Cover” cases for the fifth-generation iPod, iPod classic, second- and third-generation…
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Create iPhone Ringtones With Garageband Update
Apple released a new version of Garageband last week. In this latest update, Garageband 4.1.1, you can make custom ringtones from loops, iTunes tracks, and other sound clips and upload to your iPhone. This update fixes problems people were having with…
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The iPhone Is A Very Expensive Picture Frame
Digital frames are creeping up to be the next biggest fad and following the course of excess money spending to show off your trip to Cancun to a small group of friends and family, someone has found a way to convert the iPhone into a picture frame. It…
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Forrester declares iPhone wrong for enterprise users
Filed under: Enterprise, iPhoneCIO magazine recounts a Forrester Research report from last week on "The iPhone is Not Meant for Enterprises," a $280 piece of critical business intelligence that tells IT departments something they a) wanted to hear and b) already knew: the iPhone is not a Blackberry (quel suprise!). Without key features such as remote kill, data encryption, and full Exchange support, Forrester says the iPhone is DOA in BigCo environments; despite this, IT folk need a strategy for handling the iPhones that make their touchable way in the revolving doors.Nobody expects IT to embrace the iPhone with both arms, but the tale of the numbers suggests that the warmth of the welcome may be irrelevant: the iPhone is here in a big way. With sales data suggesting that the iPhone has passed Windows Mobile in share, vendors like Visto promising full Exchange integration, and an SDK around the corner for blessed development, corporate technologists may have to settle for a policy of benign discontent as the shiny pretty things invade.[via Macworld]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Year in review: From iPhone to Kindle
Apple, Amazon.com, and Vizio take a plunge into the consumer electronics world.
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Apple Store Being Updated
Get ready for wild speculation.
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Don’t get excited - but the Apple Store’s down
Thanks for the emails guys. It looks like the Apple store is down as of 12:45 CST. It's probably nothing to get excited about, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for there to be any new products this close to Christmas - but you never know. Update: The store is back up - nothing really changed that I can see. Not really sure why the store went down - you think they could keep that from happening during the daytime. If there is anything worth talking about when the store comes back online, you can rest assured, we'll cover it here.
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Midday Monday downtime for Apple Store?
Filed under: Retail, AppleImagine a world in which the Apple Store goes up and down, willy-nilly, and nobody notices or cares. Would you want to live in such a dystopian, bleak place? We knew that you wouldn't.Store's down as of 1:23 pm ET. Last minute product intros for the Christmas rush? A shiny new batch of Cinema Displays? Someone tripped over a power cord in the datacenter (Laurie thinks the latter)? We'll know shortly.Thanks to Laurie and Chris for the heads-up.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Keep Your Formatting Palettes in Check
My formatting palette flies off the screen. What's a Mac|Lifer to do?
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Piper: Don't Expect 3G iPhone at Macworld
If you’re waiting for a 3G Apple (AAPL) iPhone, you’ll need to be patient. At least, that’s what analysts at Piper Jaffray and American Technology Research are saying Monday.
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Analyst: Watch for Ultra Portable Mac, iTunes Movie Rentals in '08
UBS analyst Ben Reitzes sees a strong year ahead for Apple's Macintosh lineup. So strong, in fact, that he raised his target price for the company's stock from $220 to $235. "We just completed surveys of well over 30 stores, and Mac demand seems to be outpacing prior expectations. Even with prospects for a slowing economy, we believe Mac demand can keep going strong with new products that we have detected in the supply chain," he said. "Given higher margins for the 'Mac ecosystem,' including software, we are raising estimates."
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Community Activity: December 17, 2007
iPod Touch Case Oversized iDisk Blog Client RAM Upgrade Psyche! Things - Task Management
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Macworld Expo Best of Show deadline looms
We're a month away from Macworld Expo, which means it's time for exhibitors to submit products for consideration in our Best of Show awards.
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iPhone to receive more hacker attention in 2008, say experts
According to security company Arbor Networks, the iPhone will be receiving plenty more attention from hackers in 2008. That TIFF-based jailbreak was just the tip of the iceberg, especially once the SDK comes out.Read More...
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Update on the QuickBooks situation via Intuit
Filed under: SoftwareA few minutes ago, Intuit posted an update on the QuickBooks community forum about the ongoing fiasco affecting QuickBooks 2006 and 2007 users. Although the root cause of the issue has not been identified, Intuit says that they believe they have resolved the problem and the update issue should not affect users who have not opened the program since Saturday afternoon. I would still recommend launching with caution, and after using the terminal command or plist edit detailed in our earlier post.As for users who HAVE been affected by whatever this "thing" is -- here's what Intuit Community Guru Nic is saying:...For those of you who have been affected, we are testing out options for recovering the deleted files. Our recommendation for now is to shut off your machine and do not use it further. If you continue using your computer, you may over-write the area on the disk where the deleted data is stored, preventing any recovery efforts from being effective. If you have been affected and have lost files, and haven't already posted your contact information in the original discussion, please email your contact information to Quickbooks_community_team@intuit.com. We'll get your contact information to the team that is working on this, so that you can be contacted for follow-up. Intuit has also created a Knowledge Base article about this issue. We'll keep you updated as we get more information.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Recording in 'Garage Band'
Featured links from the CNET Blog Network I've got nothing against the iPhone. I just wouldn't want my daughter to marry one. -- Forrester Research says the iPhone's not ready for enterprise deployment. The key to New Media's victory: communities -- Some may believe that New Media has grown because of its inherent ability to bring information to readers much quicker. But as Don Reisinger argues, New Media has enjoyed its success because of its adoption of communities between readers and writers. The one thing (question) for a better world -- In fin d'année mood, saving the world is en vogue -- and asking the "one thing" question obviously, too. Recording in Garage Band -- If you just want to get your musical ideas recorded quickly, all you need are Garage Band and a $30 microphone.
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Backstage: Live From New York, it's iLounge!
Many months in the making, today marks the official opening of our office in New York—an exciting event in iLounge's six-year history, and one we wanted to tell you more about. Here's the story: * Western New York. iLounge's new office is located in East Amherst, New York, which is an hour's plane ride from Manhattan. We chose this location because it lets us be just as close as we want to events and companies in New…
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Briefly: WARNING for Quickbooks Users, and Apple Gazette in the New York Times
Quickbook users may want to be cautious before you install the latest update to Intuit's highly popular book keeping software. TUAW has the scoop. If you're a serious Quickbooks user, hopefully, you already back up your information daily - but if you don't - you could find yourself in some SERIOUS trouble if things go wrong. BACK UP QUICKBOOKS! It also wouldn't hurt to print some things out every once in a while. Seriously. Also, for those of you interested, Apple Gazette was quoted in the New York Times this weekend. The article covers the “mourning” of the Mac community over CompUSA's closing, which we covered here last week.
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UBS Raises Apple's Target, Estimate
UBS hardware analyst Ben Reitzes Monday morning repeated his Buy rating on Apple (AAPL) and raised his price target on the stock to $235 from $220.
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Quick Look Plugins List
Apple's Quick Look has quickly become a feature I use on a daily basis. It's integration with Finder (and other apps) is done so well that it's become second nature to use it. One thing that's becoming clear is that Apple's developers had the end user in mind more than we thought by making Quick Look extremely easy to extend. Jon MacDonald realized this and has started compiling a solid list of Quick Look plugins. My favorite plugin by far is qlcolorcode, which gives Quick Look some syntax-highlighting magic.
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Your Unlocking Is An Illusion
Just when our hopes in an unlocked iPhone being available in France to be imported to us on the other end of the world, Apple killed them at the last second. It seems your “unlocked� iPhone is still locked down. Well, more of a strict parole sentence. Inserting…
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The definitive Mac mini/Honey Baked Ham smackdown
Filed under: Hardware, Humor, Holidays The holidays. A time for joy, a time for gathering, a time for product smackdowns. So which is the better buy? A Mac mini or a festive honey baked ham? Let TUAW do the comparison work for you. Mac mini/Ham Smackdown Feature Mac Mini Honey Baked Ham Winner Availability Apple and a few select vendors Widely available Ham. Cost From $600, although the $800 model is far superior $50 or so With over an order of magnitude difference in price, the ham is the clear winner. Environmental impact Contains lots of chemicals but can run on relatively green energy sources, meeting Energy Star requirements. Completely organic but may produce lots of emissions after a large meal with all the trimmings. Tie. Social impact Lots of fun for your entire family. Forbidden for consumption by many major religious denominations. Mac mini. Geometry 6.5" x 6.5" x 2". A rectangular block. Spiral cut, conforming to an aesthetically pleasing geometry of curves. Ham. TV Compatibility Works well with both standard def and high def television sets, packaged with Apple Remote. Can be eaten in front of both standard def and high def television sets, with any standard remote. Tie. Documentation Packaged with full printed and electronic documentation. No documentation needed. Unless you are Homer Simpson. Tie. Leopard Compatibility Yes. Yes. But it may give the Leopard indigestion. Mac mini, by a hair. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Living a Microsoft Office Free Lifestyle
As part of my Leopard switch, I set one goal for myself: run nothing but Intel native applications. That meant finding a clear alternative for Microsoft Office. Pages Sticking with the iWork ‘08 trial, I began my migration quickly and easily. All my Word documents changed peacefully to Pages by default and all opened just fine. The only minor issue I ran into was not having Microsoft's font book, and therefor several obscure fonts were reset to Times New Roman. If anyone has a quick fix for this, I’d be interested to hear. I imagine I could take the font book from a Mac with Office installed and simply replace my font book with it? Opening new documents was simple. Using the Blank template I was able to manage around Page’s Inspector. However I quickly ran into problems re-saving edited documents. Pages by default saves in the Pages format. So even editing a .Doc requires you save it as Pages. That’s a bit frustrating. You can export a file into Word for convenience, especially if you’re planning on sharing those documents with others. But it would be much more convenient to be able to choose your format directly from the Save screen. So I began saving my documents in the Pages format and getting rid of the normal Word documents when done editing them. Fortunately for me, I didn’t need to export documents as much as I thought I would. But again, it is frustrating after awhile. At least offer a keyboard command to quickly access the export feature so I don’t have to rely on my mouse as frequently. The one real benefit I found with Pages and iWork was how quickly it opened. I imagine since Office is currently not Intel native, it requires more time to open. We’ll see how that remedies when Office ’08 goes on sale. But it’s nice not having to wait for a document to open. So far I’ve been happy with Pages, until it comes to creating a new flyer, not based on any of their templates. When creating a new layout or design, I can get more done and faster through Photoshop. Keynote & Numbers I’m lumping Keynote and Numbers together because as a writer my main focus lies solely on document editing. So for a more precise comparison, I recommend trying them out yourselves. I think watching Steve Jobs’ Keynotes has created a bias for me. Or if you’re more familiar with An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore relies on Keynote for his presentation. Feature wise, Keynote offers very similar features as PowerPoint, just in a more clean, streamlined fashion. Since it meshes directly with iPhoto and iTunes, it’s a lot simpler to import music, photos, or even videos. One feature I truly love about Keynote is my ability to export it directly to iPod. When giving presentations I find it easier to carry around my iPod and A/V chord instead of a laptop and chords. Much less fuss, and much more streamlined. You may not retain as many features, but for someone that needs something portable, it’s a great idea. Over all I feel more satisfied with my Keynote presentations than I have with PowerPoint, so I’m going to stick with it. Numbers was an interesting one for me. I could open my previous Excel files fine, but if they contained drop down menus, or set fields I began running into issues. Not a spreadsheet fiend, I think I’d prefer Excel only because of its familiarity and the fact it seems a business staple. Recommendation One thing I appreciate overall with iWork and Mac is the attention to detail. For example iWork allows you to move a document currently being editing to another folder without any errors. The document will kindly ask whether too start saving there, or save in two locations. Between Pages and Keynote I feel satisfied for most of my current office needs. For students, something to keep in mind, is universality. Obviously Office is the preferred choice for schools and teachers, so it might be best for you to stick with it. Especially for note taking, I remember enjoying Word’s Notebook feature. Not only could I simultaneously record lecture from within Word, I could write clear outlined notes using its Notebook format. It was simple, efficient, and helped a lot. If price is a factor for you, be sure and check out NeoOffice. It provides a classical approach and is completely free. iWork can be purchased for $79, and it looks like Office ’08 will run you up $150 for the Student/Teacher edition or $399 for Office Basic. If you’re running low on hard drive space, try testing out Google Docs and Spreadsheets, ZoHo, or Adobe’s new Buzzword. There are a variety of ways around office applications, so find what works most efficiently for you. If you have any recommendations or ideas, feel free to comment.
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New URL features can make your e-mail productive again
New features in two e-mail clients are bringing your messages into your workflow. Heck, your e-mail might actually become productive again.Read More...
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Image: Jobs at home in 1982
Diana Walker is a photographer who has worked for the White House for five presidential administrations. She has a new book called “The Bigger Picture”. The book features photographs of “the world's major movers and shakers”. One photo in the book, is the one pictured above. Showcasing Steve Jobs' apartment in 1982. The quote that goes with the photo reads: “This was a very typical time. I was single. All you needed was a cup of tea, a light, and your stereo, you know, and that’s what I had.â€? —Steve Jobs He has always been into uncluttered design, huh? Click Here for a higher rez pic. You can find out more info about the book right here.
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Delete just the accent from a character
If you type in a language that requires accents (such as Spanish), OS X provides a quick way to make them and delete them without changing your keyboard layout. To make an accent, hold Option then press E, and you will see the accent character. Then press any other key, such as A, E, I, O, or U, and it will place that character beneath the accent. You can also make other characters such as ñ with Option-N then N or ç with Option-C. But most of you probably knew that already. If you want to delete the accents easily, however, OS X provides a very useful shortcut: Control-Delete. Try typing an accented character and then using Control-Delete instead of just plain Delete. When you do, OS X will convert the accented character into a normal character. I do not know if this works for other characters other than the ones I know from Spanish and Portuguese, but I do know that it works in 10.4 and 10.5. ...
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10.5: Use Automator for more still image effects
I got a new external iSight, and have been playing around with it. I discovered that if you use the Automator action Take Video Snapshot (found in the Photos category) you have many more effects available than you do in Photo Booth. You may save the action as an application for easier use; it is pretty slow, though. [robg adds: This command basically brings up the same dialog you see when you choose the Edit Picture open on your iChat buddy icon. Click the camera icon in the dialog (or check the Take Picture Automatically box in the action), then add the effects and click Set. Your edited image will wind up on the Desktop (or wherever you told Automator to send it).]
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10.5: A warning on unsupported Time Machine solutions
If you've used this hint to enable Time Machine backups to non-supported network drives, this hint is for you. In particular, your backups are in danger. I have received a few hint submissions warning about problems with these disks, where everything seems to work fine at first, but when the SMB drive fills up, Time Machine will quickly destroy all of your backups! This seems to happen because Time Machine can't free the space inside the networked sparse image bundles (or the reported space is incorrect). Whatever the cause, Console will show all of your backups being removed once the networked drive fills up. I have placed a strong warning on the original hint (as this issue is noted in the comments there, too). However, I felt it worth running on its own for anyone who may be using an unsupported network drive and isn't yet aware of the impending troubles they...
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Recover from an incorrect resolution setting on a mini
Apple's Intel Mac Mini has only one display connection, the DVI interface. In case someone has chosen a wrong display resolution for a connected display, it is very difficult to switch back to a usable resolution. When (for example) using a Benq LCD connected via a VGA to DVI adaptor to the Mac Mini and changing the frequency from 60Hz to 75Hz, the Mini will always remember the chosen resolution, even if a PRAM reset or complete hardware reset is done. So the screen still stays black, as 75Hz can't be shown although the Displays System Preferences pane offers this frequency. It doesn't matter if you are connecting another display to the interface and afterwards changing the resolution; the Mini keeps on switching back to the former one if the misbehaving display is re-connected. In order to switch back to a usable resolution, you will have to remote control the Mini from another Mac using screen sharing, Apple Remote Desktop, VNC, or Timbuktu. Even though the Mini...
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10.5: How to set NSUmask in Leopard
Setting NSUmask in Leopard is done differently than in previous OS X releases (older hints on NSUmask). In 10.5, NSUmask is gone. To set a default umask (for both shell and GUI apps), edit /etc/launchd.conf and add this line: umask 077 where 077 is the new default umask. If nothing is there, the default is 022. Note, the /etc/luanchd.conf file umask "trick" should work in Tiger too, but I didn't test it. Note that 10.4 uses "User Private Groups" (see this document for more), but still sets the umask at 022 (this results in new files/folders having a permissi...
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10.5: Allow a lower text smoothing minimum
If you used Migration Assistant, or upgraded from a previous OS X release, the Appearance System Preferences panel settings are retained. As a result, you may not have noticed that the minimum for anti-aliasing is now 4px, down from 8px in 10.4. Fresh installs of Leopard have 4px set as default.
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10.5: Disable the filename extension change warning
This is not really a hint, but I think it's worth mentioning. The Finder preferences in 10.5 (Finder » Preferences) allow you to turn off the annoying dialog box that normally pops up when you change the extension of a filename. You'll find the setting on the Advanced tab. [robg adds: The other new addition there is a checkbox to always securely empty the trash.]
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Dual Translit and Latin lookups in Address Book
Okay, this has been around a long time and is somewhat mentioned in this hint. However, I think it deserves mention in another context.If you like to keep your contacts under their proper (localized) alphabets, but want a faster way to search for them using the translit alphabet, here's how. Enter their names in the Name fields as usual, but use the "phonetic" field option in the card to enter their translit /latin-based spelling. You can, of course, also use the Nickname field for this as well, but the "phonetic" option will give you independent first, middle, and last name fields.The phonetic fields do not get searched by applications like Mail, so it does not transpose itself well -- Spotlight, however, does work.
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Easy text messaging to offline buddies in iChat
I've been using iChat to send text messages for a while, but disliked the fact that I had to have two contacts on my buddy list -- one for their AIM/.Mac account and another for their mobile number. While playing around today I tried something new and was surprised with what I found. I went to my friend's Address Book contact and created a new AIM account with his mobile number using the specified format (+1, then the area code and phone number without any other characters (+13031234567)). I then switched to iChat and proceeded to press the + symbol and add my friend (again) to my buddy list, making sure I selected the new AIM account with the mobile number.Now, I can see my friend and chat with him when he's online as normal, but when he logs off, his status changes to the color gray and a symbol similar to Apple's WiFi symbol shows up next to his name. This tells me that he is offline, but I can send him a text message using iChat. In the iChat documentation, it sa...
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veni, Vidi, vici
Here's a simple little app which works a treat if you need to view and/or import video from a firewire DV device onto your Mac without firing-up a fully fledged FinalCut style application…it's called Vidi. Vidi has a number of extra facilities, all relating to owners of the Formac Studio range of DV devices, which I have never accessed and can't comment on, but for sheer ease of use and accessibility it can't be beat for DV import over firewire. Connect your video camera or other firewire input and open Vidi, this takes but a second. If all is well, Vidi will recognise your input device and show a preview screen which can be windowed or full screen. This is useful for, of course, previewing your input before or during recording, but I have also used this as a standalone viewer for larger workshop groups when sharing clips straight off a video camera which can be handy. When ready to record, select a place to save the file to and click Record. You're off. When you've finished click the big red button to stop recording. That really is all there is to Vidi, but if you need to capture dv footage simply and quickly this is enough. Vidi is a Universal application, but for me it works well on both an iBook G4 and MacBook Pro, both still on Tiger. Vidi puts a Vidi Server resource in your Log-In items, for those of you who like to keep an eye on such things, but the documentation assures this takes up almost no system resources when not running. I have no reason to doubt this. You will need to quit or remove this before Trashing Vidi if you ever need to. Vidi comes with a little AppleScript to Quit Vidi Server, should you need to, as well as excellent documentation for any application let alone a free one. Oh yes, Vidi is freeware. Happy Christmas.
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News: Denon debuts two iPod-docking stereos
Denon Electronics has introduced two new S-Series Networked Audio Systems, the S-52 and S-32, both of which are equipped with built-in iPod Docks. The S-32 and S-52 also feature built-in Wi-Fi, Audyssey Bass-XT and Dynamic EQ audio processing, a multi-function scroll wheel on the top of the unit for easier iPod and menu navigation, the ability to stream music wirelessly from Internet Radio sources, network attached storage devices, and PC or Mac computers,…
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GPS dongle coming for iPhone
Filed under: Accessories, iPod Family, iPhoneWe've posted a couple of times about "virtual" GPS solutions for the iPhone that depend on cell tower identification, but now The partfoundry has announced the real deal. They will be offering a GPS dongle for the iPhone based on the SiRF Star III chipset. Needless to say this will require a jailbroken phone and the software "will be open source/community based." They've already got a prototype working (video embedded after the jump) that can report its location and send it to the Google Maps application.No word yet on how the dongle will affect battery life. They're also working on the iPod touch, but support for it remains to be determined.The partfoundary GPS module is apparently available for purchase now at $89 and is due to ship in February. Check out the prototype video after the jump.[via Digg]Continue reading GPS dongle coming for iPhoneRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Learn how to enable more Leopard screen sharing features
With just a few commands and tweaks, a multitude of new screen sharing options can be unlocked in Leopard.Read More...
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News: Boomwave launches Nanopets for iPod nano 3G
Boomwave has announced the launch of its Nanopets cases for the iPod nano (with video). Nanopets are silicone cases with a canine-like design and feature access to all ports and controls, an included screen protector, and a neck strap. Nanopets are available now in four colors, and sell for $16. ...
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DLO launches Action Jacket for iPhone
Digital Lifestyle Outfitters, also known as DLO, began to ship a sports ready case for both 4 and 8 Gb iPhones. DLO describes it as “a workout-ready neoprene case that protects your iPhone – and still allows you to take in-coming calls – while you sweat in style”. The case is crystal clear, and still allows you full touch functionality. The case fits any bicep from 9-inches to 20-inches, and is available only in black. It's price at $29.95. You can check out more info here.
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Apple brings Mac OS X closer to UNIX standards
Some changes to Leopard make it a better UNIX, but might trip up those more familiar with previous generations of the OS.Read More...
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BREAKING: QuickBooks for Mac deletes Desktop folder (update 2)
If you use QuickBooks 2006 or 2007 for the Mac–don’t launch it. An apparent bug in the software update code causes the accounting software to throw a vague “you don’t have enough memory” dialog after attempting to download a 100k update while it simultaneously deletes your desktop folder. I was doing some end-of-year accounting in QuickBooks [...]