Mar 8, 2008 Mar 11, 2008 Monday March 10, 2008
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Try a little cross processing on your images in Photoshop CS3
While I've gotten started recommending Layers Magazine's Photoshop tutorials, I should point you to another one I found interesting. This tutorial by Mark Fleming brings a technique from photography's chemical-ridden past into its pixel-rich present--cross processing. When I first started working with Photoshop back in the late 90s, I tried and tried and ultimately failed to come up with a way... [read more at MacMerc.com]
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Selecting and masking in Photoshop CS3
I found this excellent screencast tutorial over at Layers Magazine showing how to select and mask using Photoshop CS3. While the demonstrator, Chris Alvanas, does use a photo of someone on a white background (making it infinitely easier to isolate that person in the photo), the tutorial offers some extremely helpful tips on creating and refining masks with a few techniques that are unique to... [read more at MacMerc.com]
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Suffering from inappropriate AC pop-out? MagStay Pro reviewed.
Jordan Satok, a new content contributor here at MacMerc, has posted his review of the Thought Out MagStay Pro. The device essentially keeps the magnetic connector from your MagSafe power adapter from being accidentally "bent out of place." Check out the review. [read more at MacMerc.com]
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Case of the vanishing Air
One thing we learn today is not to loan any personal electronics to Steven Levy. Ever.Read More...
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MacBook Air puzzles TSA, what might be next?
A recent trip through airport security proved a frustrating experience for a MacBook Air owner. What other tech products might increase your chances of missing your flight?
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Inngenio 6000 PMP does 2.8-inches of touchscreen on the cheap
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Energy Sistem is making a play for your DAP dollar with the steel-crafted Inngenio 6000. The player runs a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, with a built-in speaker, 2GB of storage and microSD expansion along for the ride. FM, voice recording, an e-book reader and some games are all included, and you can manage MP3, WMA and XVID playback. It's available now -- at least in Spain -- for €90 (about $138 US). [Via PMP Today] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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WSJ: The iPhone’s Great Email Debate
Seems weird to argue that a single point of failure is a security benefit. ★
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Mac 101: faster widget management
Filed under: Mac 101If you make any kind of extensive use of the OS X Dashboard, you probably close as many widgets as you open. Usually, that means hitting the plus sign at the lower left of the screen to reveal the widget bar, clicking the "X" on the widget you want to remove, and then closing the widget bar. Seems like there should be a faster way, right? Tipster Nass has a solution for you. Next time you want to close a widget, just hold down the option key (⌥) while your mouse is over it. You'll see the "X" button on the current widget and can close all the widgets you want without ever having to open the widget bar. Sure, it's only a couple of seconds saved, but if you shuffle widgets as often as I do, that could add up to entire minutes being added back on to your life. This being Mac 101, I'll also mention that ⌘-= will pop up the widget bar instantly without having to reach for the mouse, and ⌘- and ⌘- will scroll the bar. But you already knew that, having diligently read every page of the OS X help file, right? Thanks, Nass!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple wins eight product design awards at CeBIT
Eight Apple products, including the iPod touch and iPhone, won iF product design awards at the recent CeBIT show.Read More...
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Stallone, Alba on your iPod courtesy of Lionsgate
Filed under: iTunesFollowing Fox's lead, Lionsgate is signing up to add a 'Digital Copy for iTunes' to their DVD releases. Owners of DVD's with the extra content will be able to pop them into their Mac (or PC), enter a code into iTunes and have an iPod/iPhone/Apple TV-compatible copy added to iTunes. The copy is only valid for a single iTunes library and the process does require an iTunes account. Lionsgate is kicking off the program with "The Eye," and - I feel a palpable swell of collective anticipation - "Rambo." That's right, you get a supernatural thriller... and a Stallone sequel. Your iPod has never been so happy, right? [via applegazette]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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What’s shareware’s role on the iPhone?
Developers are just getting their hands on the iPhone SDK released by Apple last week. But that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start asking questions about how Apple’s App Store will handle shareware and whether users can expect a similar experience to what they’ve become accustomed to with conventional shareware.
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Mac SE Goes TP
The potty mod.
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Delicious Library 2: First Look
Filed under: Software, Features, Beta Beat, TUAW LabsOne of the most anticipated applications in recent memory, Delicious Library 2 is finally nearing release. Earlier this week, the guys over at AppleInsider showed off an in-depth sneak peek of the application and its new features and revamped interface.I have had the opportunity to play with the beta as well, and I must say, I'm impressed. For the last six weeks or so, I have been working on a little something I like to call Project DVD -- wherein I try the various DVD cataloging programs (though most can catalog more than just DVDs) and find the best one to tackle my truly mammoth collection -- and it's great to have DL2 in the mix.Just from my own experiences, what has impressed me most about the beta -- aside from the various UI changes/eye candy -- is just how much easier it is to add items.Because I have so many DVDs, it's often faster for me to enter in titles by hand rather than relying on the iSight scanner. No matter how accurate the scanner may or may not be, holding a title up to my laptop is usually going to take longer than just typing in the name (granted, using a USB scanner like Motorola CS104 is a great solution, but at $100 OEM, you really have to weigh the expense to convenience). My biggest problem with Delicious Library (and in fact, almost all of the programs I have tested for Project DVD) has been that adding multiple titles at one time (say, multiple seasons of a TV show) has been either really difficult or impossible. No more. With Delicious Library 2, adding multiple titles is a snap. Thus, I can search for "Scrubs" and add all six seasons in one fell swoop, rather than having to enter in the name six times into the search engine, or having to scan each title. Since about 1/2 my collection is TV shows, this is is a huge productivity bonus.Read for the rest of my thoughts, and be sure to visit the gallery below for all the screenshots.Gallery: Delicious Library 2 First-Look Continue reading Delicious Library 2: First LookRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Good Question
Steven Berlin Johnson: Does this mean the only way you can do over-the-air syncing of calendar events and contacts (a feature I really, really want) is by connecting to an Exchange server? That would be pretty intense if Apple limited a crucial feature exclusively to users of a Microsoft product. Shouldn’t iCal and Google Calendar users be first in line? Along the same lines, it seems weird that the iPhone’s Mail app can talk to Exchange, but Mac OS X Mail can’t. ★
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Lionsgate Bundles iTunes Versions with DVDs
Select Lionsgate movies on DVD will soon come bundled with an iTunes digital copy, the company announced Monday. The additional, bundled copy will be just like movies purchased from the iTunes Store in that they can be transferred to iTunes and then viewed on a PC or Mac, iPod with video, iPhone or on wide-screen television with Apple TV. The joint effort between Lionsgate and Apple will begin with the special-edition DVD and Blu-ray releases of "Rambo" and "The Eye." "Rambo" will be available starting May 27, while "The Eye" will be released on DVD this summer.
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Michael Jackson's company denies Beatles coming to iTunes
The Beatles' official Web site(Credit: Apple Corp) The company that owns the rights to a vast majority of the Beatles music catalog has questioned reports that the Fab Four have cut a deal with Steve Jobs. Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the joint venture owned by Sony and singer ...
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Apple Gazette Daily 224 - Macbook Pro returns..still broke, plus news
podcast sponsor link:http://www.audiblepodcast.com/applegazette Click the link above to get your free audio book from Audible, and help support Apple Gazette at the same time! Today's Show: The Macbook Pro returns from Apple…still broken…plus news on Lionsgate, BBC, and much 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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Readers, What Are Your Thoughts On Apple’s SDK?
Thursday’s big announcement made waves in the iPhone development community and have already got you anticipating June like there’s no tomorrow. While we’ve been enthusiastic about Apple finally introducing a SDK, we’d like to hear your word on it.
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Inkel IDS-1500 WiFi phone dock keeps the iPod in awkward company
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio You know how Apple products get when they're around their "lesser" consumer electronics counterparts at parties. It starts with a lack of eye contact and some foot scuffing, and ends badly with a scene in close proximity to the punch bowl. That said, Inkel's giving it a shot with this here IDS-1500 WiFi phone dock, which mixes an iPod dock with internet radio functionality and song playback through the phone. Not a bad combination in the least, so as long as the iPod steers clear of the alcohol. No word on price or availability. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Steve Shares With Fortune, Developers Get SDK Fever and Air Gets Grounded
Steve talks in Hawaii, a mysterious black Apple product and more design awards for Apple.
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Check it: A “virtual reality headmount� for the iPhone
BoxFab, self-proclaimed makers of “Gadgets for iPhone�, has just released a concept for what can only be described as the most, erm, unique iPhone accessory we have seen to date. This head-mounted cube of sorts will supposedly allow you to explore other worlds- without the…
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Gameloft promises 15 iPhone games in 2008
Are you ready for a saturated iPhone gaming market? Because, brother, its coming. MacNN reports that Gameloft, one of the leading developers of games for Apple's iPod and iPod Nano lines has declared that they will produce at least 15 games for the iPhone in 2008. Frankly, I wish they'd slow down a bit and produce 1 or 2 quality games, instead of shoving 15 out the door. When you add heavy hitters EA, and SEGA as well as Freeverse into the mix (and I better get my native Frenzy from Iconfactory) - the iPhone gaming market is already looking kind of crowded. With indy developers already tinkering with the iPhone SDK as well, you can expect a plethora of games to hit the iPhone - the question is…how many of them will be good?
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This Day: March 10, 1987: Let’s Expand!
During the creation of the original Mac, there was a struggle over whether to provide a single slot so users could expand the Mac’s capabilities. Steve Jobs was strongly opposed to the idea, preferring that users buy a new machine instead of upgrading their old ones. Burrel Smith, electronic genius…
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DST reminders for Mac users
Filed under: Odds and endsIf you're extra-drowsy this morning in the USA, you're not alone. The switch to Daylight Saving Time over the weekend, moved earlier last year, leaves us scratching our heads in sleepiness for a few days... although, according to a recently-published study, the DST-associated rise in automobile accidents may be mythical (still, please drive carefully!).The good news for anyone on Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or higher is that the 2007 DST changes are reflected automatically in software and should not require any special handling. There are a couple of things to keep in mind, though... first, if you use Entourage 2004 or 2008 and it's been running through the weekend, you'll need to quit it and relaunch before it recognizes the time change. Second, remember that while your machine is patched and fully DST-aware, your colleagues or collaborators (particularly those overseas) may not have the US daylight rules completely sorted out. To avoid scheduling mixups, if you are planning events between 3/11/08 and 4/1/08, you may want to include the exact time and timezone of your meeting in email subjects or event names.Thanks, Rich.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Backstage: The Black MacBook Pro, Courtesy Incase Designs
Beautiful design is one thing that has remained consistent about Incase's Apple accessories over the past few years: it is almost invariably true that an Incase accessory will make your iPod, iPhone, or Mac notebook look even cooler than it did when you first unpacked it. Protectiveness and pricing have been concerns for some of the company's products, though: Incase's recent iPhone and iPod cases have been on the expensive side,…
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With SDK, iPhone Naysayers Have Few Arguments
Apple's iPhone SDK announcement last week was met with a mixture of glee and trepidation. If it weren't for continued problems in the subprime mortgage crisis, AAPL would have shot up $20. The fact that it didn't and the fact that Apple has had enterprise problems in the past is leading to a false sense of confidence by the naysayers that Apple cannot succeed fabulously. It's an irrational wish. The Fake Steve Jobs said it best: "BackBerry is dead. Microsoft is dead. Windows Mobile is dead. Amazon is dead. Kindle is dead. Nokia is dead."
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Gone, Without a Trace
Steven Levy, on his missing MacBook Air. (Thanks to Joe Clark.) ★
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iTunes Gets Beatles Into Its Life
Paul McCartney has given the go-ahead for the Beatles' catalog to be released online in a money-spinning deal. McCartney 65, and Ringo Starr, the only other surviving Beatle, will net millions, along with the families of John Lennon and George Harrison. The collection is estimated to be worth $403 million and is predicted to dominate the download chart for months when it is released on Apple's iTunes. Including albums such as Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Help! and the White Album, it will be the most popular music catalog ever released on the Internet.
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Syncing Problems with Palm
Conduit conflicts take you out of sync.
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Mac 101: iTunes volume and a two-finger scroll
Filed under: Tips and tricks, iTunes, Mac 101Here's a handy tip for MacBook Pro users* who listen to music with iTunes. While it's fun to listen to music while you work, the iTunes window takes up a lot of screen real estate. The quick answer is to minimize the window.Here's the tip. With the cursor over the window, you can perform a two-finger scroll to adjust iTunes' volume. Scrolling to the right increases the volume; scrolling left turns it down.Thanks, Anthony!*We haven't tested this on a MacBook Air. If you try it out, let us know what happens.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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XtremeMac Tango Studio
Sweet Studio System
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First Looks: Incase Slider Case for iPhone
Though conceptually very similar to earlier Agent 18 and SwitchEasy hard plastic cases for the iPhone, Incase's new two-piece Slider Case ($35) makes docking and charging easy through a slide-off bottom panel that reveals only the iPhone's antenna housing and Dock Connector area. Available in a glossy white plastic that matches Apple's iPhone Dock, or in a black plastic that matches the iPhone's own color scheme, Slider Case doesn't include screen…
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$100m KPCB iPhone iFund: New Focus vs. New Fund
One hundred million dollars buys a lot of iPhones, probably about two hundred and fifty thousand or so. A hundred million also buy a lot of iPhone software development.
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True Learning
Learning Experiences
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iPhone rules pose Net neutrality, antitrust concerns
Apple's recent announcement of the iPhone application software development kit is drawing criticism from Net neutrality activists. While the company has previously angered many for its practice of bricking unlocked phones, it is now being accused of anticompetitive behavior. Could Apple take Comcast's place as the poster child ...
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Lionsgate joins Apple’s Digital Copy for iTunes program
Indie film house Lionsgate is the second studio to embrace Apple's 'Digital Copy for iTunes' program. Fox was the first, kick starting the program the day it was announced by adding a digital copy of the Family Guy special 'Blue Harvest' to the DVD. Lionsgate will begin the program with the DVD releases of 'Rambo' and 'The Eye'. The way the program works is simple. You insert your DVD into your Mac or PC and enter a special code into iTunes. After that a copy of your movie is added to your Movies library and is transferable to your iPod, iPhone, or AppleTV. So you can watch the digital copy on your computer, on the go, or on your TV. An iTunes account is required for the process, and you can only transfer the digital copy to one iTunes library. Have you tried the digital copy program? If so - what did you think about it? So far, I haven't purchased a DVD with a digital copy available. Also, I have to wonder, if I'm the first guy to transfer a digital copy of the movie from a rental disk - does that mean I get to keep it forever? I'm betting they'll keep the code hidden in the box or something to prevent that from happening…still, it might be worth a shot.
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Sony confirms Giga Juke SC55PKE and E35HD for the UK
Filed under: Home Entertainment Sorry Sony, but we saw these coming back in January. Sony just got around to confirming its new line of Giga Juke home audio players -- at least in the UK -- after letting them float around on the internet for a good couple of months. The networked SC55PKE has 80GB of storage, 16x CD ripping, a 4.3-inch LCD and iPod / Walkman support, along with a wireless hookup for beaming to a wireless control unit and five wireless speakers. The E35HD (pictured after the break) keeps it wired and boring, with a less sexy screen, slower CD ripping and the odd replacement of the SC55PKE's ATRAC support for AAC. Yeah, we're not following that one, Sony.[Via Wired]Continue reading Sony confirms Giga Juke SC55PKE and E35HD for the UK Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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AT&T shows iPhone some unlimited calling love
If you're a rabid-chattin' iPhone user, AT&T probably just made your day.Read More...
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Take Note, Apple: Trent Reznor Knows How to Distribute Music
Trent Reznor, frontman of Nine Inch Nails, has been an outspoken critic of digital rights management and the record industry's sleazy tactics. Their recently released album has made waves in how music is released and builds upon Radiohead's previous idea of selling music to the masses without the hassle of…
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User Poll: What Do You Want from the iPhone SDK?
Apple's recent release of the software development kit for the iPhone has generated quite a reaction from the development community. However, today I want to ask all you readers for your thoughts on this subject. My first question goes out to all you current iPhone users while my second is…
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Community Activity: March 10, 2008
SDK - What do you think? New Battery Issues System Utilities? iPhone and Photos Hard Shell & Sleeve Tags: Site News Related posts No related posts.
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News: AT&T to raise SMS charges, adds unlimited iPhone plan
AT&T is preparing to raise its rates on SMS messages to $.20 per message beginning March 30, according to a new report. The per-message raise would affect iPhone users who have gone over the 200 monthly messages afforded them in a standard iPhone voice plan. MMS multimedia messages will also see an increase to $.30 per message; the iPhone currently does not offer MMS support. In addition to the SMS rate change, the carrier has also added a new…
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10.5: List 64-bit enabled GUI applications in 10.5
Leopard added the ability to run 64-bit Cocoa, and to some extent Carbon, applications (it was possible to run non-Cocoa/Carbon 64-bit apps as of 10.4; for example, command line apps). But you might now be curious if any of your Cocoa GUI applications in Leopard actually are compiled to take advantage of 64-bit addressing. To find all Applications that are compiled for 64 bit is pretty easy. In Terminal, type either the Intel or PowerPC command below (the line without the leading #):# For Intel:locate -0 app/Contents/MacOS/ | xargs -0 file | grep x86_64# For PowerPC:locate -0 app/Contents/MacOS/ | xargs -0 file | grep ppc64On my system, I had seven 64 bit GUI apps (all apple ones in fact: Xcode, Chess, Java, Quartz Composer,etc). Just to clarify a bit: A 64-bit application only means that that single application can access more than 4GB of memory (which i...
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Launch iPhoto only on camera, not iPhone, connect
I have been continually annoyed with the way that iPhoto would start whenever I plugged my iPhone into my computer. The only pictures I take with my iPhone are to help me find my space in a parking lot, or so I can reassemble something I am taking apart. I do not want to archive these pictures. However, I do still want to use iPhoto to take the pictures off my digital camera. My previous solution was to set Image Capture to disable launching iPhoto in every case of camera attachment, and then manually launching iPhoto when necessary.Luckily, Sam Stephenson at 37signals provided me with a solution that will launch iPhoto when a camera is attached, but not when my iPhone is attached. Sam realized that within the preference pane of Image Capture, an arbitrary application can be set to launch whenever a camera is connected. This solution utilizes the shell command ...
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10.5: Time machine, corrupt sparse images, and panics
This took me a long time to figure out. There are some tips here and elsewhere providing fixes for FileVault problems caused by sparse image corruption. I discovered today that similar problems on Time Machine sparse image files were causing reproducible kernel panics (KPs) on remote Macs backing up to these sparse image files via a server Mac. The problem is that there's very little indication to lead one to that conclusion. I was getting predictable KPs as soon as Time Machine backups would begin, and none of the disks involved (remote computer, server computer, attached USB Time Machine disk) showed any problem at all with Disk Utility or DiskWarrior.The solution was to log in as root on the server computer, and then use the following command to attach (but not mount -- this is key!) the image:hdiutil mount -nom...
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Fix an issue with the Firefox download folder location
If you migrate from a previous machine to a new machine using Apple's Migration Assistant, and in the process you create a new user -- this can happen if you create your old user account on the new machine prior to migrating -- you may have issues with Firefox and the Downloads folder. Because of a shortcoming in the migration tool, the OS X Downloads folder for the new account will have the path for the old account, and Firefox will then be unable to save because it does not have the correct permissions. I encountered this issue with 10.5 Leopard (both machines), migrating from an old Mac mini to new Mac pro.The solution is to open ~/Library » Preferences » com.apple.internetconfig.plist with the Property List Editor (Xcode required), navigate to the Download Folder item, and delete the value (not the key; just the value under it), then save the property list file.The next time you save a downloaded file in Firefox, OS X will ask you where you want it. An...
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First Looks: Griffin iTrip for iPod nano (2008)
Also known as iTrip nano, Griffin Technology's new portable FM transmitter iTrip for iPod nano ($50) is a surprising alternative to the company's 2008 version of iTrip. Unlike the earlier, iPod-agnostic model, iTrip nano includes three FM station preset buttons missing from the standard version, more obvious stereo/mono mode labeling on its screen, and a thinner form factor that's suited to the third-generation nano but capable of attachment to…
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Have MacBook Air, will travel? Leave yourself some time
If you are headed to the airport with a MacBook Air, you may want to give yourself some extra time to get through the security checks.Read More...
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Apple Grows a 'Developer Ecosystem'
I'm in the midst of writing an analysis piece for Yankee about what Apple's announcement of its iPhone Software Development Kit means for enterprises. But here's the short version: Apple (AAPL) just showed everyone how to grow a developer ecosystem. Apple kicked off the announcement by giving enterprises features they had requested to approve iPhone uses in business, including: Microsoft (MSFT) ActiveSync built in for secure push email and remote wipe and Exchange integration,802.1x and WPA2 WiFi security,Cisco (CSCO) VPN support for secure communication But then Apple kicked things up a notch with the SDK details, which included: Complete integration with Apple's existing developer framework, Xcode,Performance analysis tools to make apps run fast on the iPhoneAccess to nearly every API on the device, including OpenGL, multi-touch, WiFi, accelerometersA full iPhone simulator to help with debugging.
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Roxio Announces Toast 9 for Mac OS X
Roxio today unveiled the latest version of Toast for Mac OS X. Toast 9 features a variety of new enhancements and features including Blu-Ray support, video streaming for the web and iPhone, and much more. Blu-Ray support comes to Toast 9 in the form of a $19.95 plugin that allows you to burn HD TV shows or AVCHD camcorder content, it also includes 15 new widescreen HD menu themes for spicing up your Blu-Ray Discs. You can burn HD content to Blu-Ray or DVD discs for playback on the PS3 or Blu-Ray players. It supports BD-R/RE and DL formats as well as the popular DVD formats. Blu-Ray is not the coolest new feature of Toast 9, however, as it also introduces the Roxio Streamer - a new free service that allows you to Stream TV shows to your iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac or PC. If you have a TiVo it even has an automatic end-to-end recording and serving solution built right in. In addition to streaming you also have some basic editing functions, allowing you to edit out unwanted sections of the video. Quicktime, DivX, TiVo, and Eye TV formats are supported. There is also improved Audio Capture and Tagging, and Media Copy and Conversion (making it easier than ever to move your DVDs to your AppleTV or other device with Toast). The UI has also been given a face lift, allowing for a much sleeker look. Toast 9 is available for $99.99. The Blu-Ray plugin normally cost $19.99, but will be available for free until March 31st. Existing users can upgrade for $59.95, with the Blu-Ray plugin included. You can check out more info at Roxio.com.
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The Mac virus that isn't
Filed under: Analysis / OpinionWe at TUAW have a pretty healthy collective sense of humor. Bearing that in mind, we'd like to take a moment and address the recent attention to the "Newton Virus," a playful piece of software with an unfortunate moniker. The "virus" was created - and named - by Troika, a multi-disciplinary art and design practice in the UK. We have no bones to pick with Troika, we just take issue with calling the program by a name with malicious implications. It is, in fact, a piece of interactive artwork designed with a non-destructive disruption of reality in mind. The first definition of a virus is a program that can replicate and infect a computer without permission or knowledge. The second, more flexible definition is a program falling into the category of malware. The Newton Virus is a mild - albeit visually interesting - disruption, and given that it was designed for manual installation and incapable of replication, not really a virus at all. Ergo, the ensuing headlines seen around the 'net are based on a sensationalistic misnomer. That being said, the piece is a fascinating little experiment (leveraging the Sudden Motion Sensor in Mac portables) that fits nicely with Troikart's typical fare, and it's earned a spot in the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition at the MoMA. So, next time someone tells you they heard about a virus for Macs, tell them not to sweat it: it's probably just modern art.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Under The Radar News - Monday
Sprint's debt close to edge. Sprint Nextel's (S) debt covenant is under intense scrutiny after the company drew down $2.5B of its revolving credit facility in February. Sprint's debt covenant limits its debt to 3.5 times Ebitda. Goldman analysts think a "credit event" is unlikely, but caution Sprint is "dangerously close to trouble." Jefferies analysts say Sprint will have to produce $7.6B in Ebitda in order to satisfy the covenant. A Sprint spokesperson says it will not have problems with its covenants this year.
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Mac SE gutted, converted into toilet paper dispenser
Filed under: Desktops, Household We've seen antiquated Macs given new life as fish tanks and living room decorations, but the iWipe takes repurposing to an entirely different level. As you can clearly see in the image above, one particular engineering soul figured a spare Macintosh SE case would look a whole lot better in his bathroom than in the trash, so he whipped out a screwdriver, removed some internal brackets and gave the unit a fresh coat of paint. $15 and a few hours later, out popped his new toilet paper dispenser. Check out the read link for a bunch more pics -- oh, and stop second guessing yourself, you're totally building one of these next weekend. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Review: Creative Aurvana Live! High-Definition Personal Audio
Of the two headphones, Aurvana Live! is unquestionably the better-sounding. Using bio cellulose diaphragm drivers to deliver what Creative claims is “revolutionary performance” for the price, the Live! headphones are surprisingly light by earcup-style headphone standards, but deliver sound that's pleasing to the ear, if not stunning. Tested without reference to another pair of headphones, Live! produces audio that is relatively clean…
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Will the iPhone Become the First True Mobile Internet Device?
Sun Microsystems' (JAVA) plans to tune the micro Java Virtual Machine to the iPhone -- leveraging the new SDK to characterize the JVM as an "application" -- could quickly turn the iPhone into a powerful business tool that IT executives can love too.
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BBC iPlayer comes to iPhone
The BBC has launched its first mobile initiative for its growing iPlayer, by launching the service for the iPhone/iPod Touch. The player will only work over wi-fi currently, so if you're thinking of doing it over Edge - think again. The BBC team behind the development said they chose the iPhone because it was “optimized” for high quality video playback, but that they would be making the service available to many more mobile platforms very soon. The BBC has also reached a deal with The Cloud wi-fi firm to provide all BBC online services for free at its 7,500 hotspots according to BBC News.
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New AT&T unlimited talk plan for iPhones
Filed under: iPhoneOver the last couple of weeks several of the big cell carriers having been rolling out "unlimited" talk packages, including AT&T. Well it appears that they've gotten around to adding the iPhone to the mix as the Apple iPhone rates page now features an unlimited plan. For $119.99 a month you get unlimited talk time (but the same 200 SMS text messages as the other plans). Since all iPhone plans have unlimited data really the only thing you get is the unlimited talk time. Nonetheless, if you're a big talker (and don't live in Alaska) you might want to check out this upgrade.[via Engadget]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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TSA can't believe MacBook Air is a real laptop, causes owner to miss flight
Filed under: Laptops The TSA has been known to take issue with products designed in Cupertino before, but for one particular traveler, it was Apple's thinnest laptop ever that caused the latest holdup. Upon tossing his ultra-sleek slab of aluminum underneath the scanner, security managed to find enough peculiarities to remove it from the flow, pull it aside and wrangle up the owner for some questions. Apparently, the TSA employee manning the line was flabbergasted by the "lack of a drive" and the complete absence of "ports on the back," and while hordes of co-workers swarmed to investigate, the user's flight took off on schedule. Thankfully, said owner was finally allowed to pass through after some more in-the-know colleagues explained in painfully simple terms what an SSD was, but the poor jet-setter most definitely paid the price for trying to slip some of the latest and greatest under the sharp eyes of the TSA (and cutting it close on time, of course).[Image courtesy of ABC] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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News: Lionsgate to offer iTunes Digital Copy on select films
Apple and Lionsgate have announced plans to offer iTunes Digital Copy versions of films on select upcoming DVD and Blu-ray releases. iTunes Digital Copy, which first debuted via a partnership between Apple and Twentieth Century Fox, provides customers who purchase a DVD or Blu-ray disc with an additional, iTunes-compatible digital copy of the movie. The first Lionsgate DVDs to offer the iTunes Digital Copy will be the special edition DVD and Blu-ray…
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News: Sun to develop Java for the iPhone
Sun Microsystems has said that it plans to build a Java Virtual Machine for the iPhone using the recently released iPhone SDK. The program, which will be based on the Java Micro Edition version of Java, will allow applications “as much access to the native functionality of the iPhone as possible,” said Eric Klein, vice president of Java marketing at Sun. “Once our JVM is on the phone, we anticipate that a large number of Java applications…
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News: McCartney signs deal to bring Beatles catalog to iTunes
Sir Paul McCartney has reportedly signed a deal worth an estimated £200 million to bring the Beatles' back catalog to iTunes. Citing industry insiders, the Daily Mail reports that the deal will bring the much-anticipated release to the store by the end of the year. Due to various deals signed in the past, EMI, Sony and Michael Jackson will all receive a portion of the payout as well. McCartney said last November that he was “pretty sure”…
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Mac Automation: automating Microsoft Word 2008
Filed under: Features, How-tosWhen Microsoft released Office 2008 for Mac, they did something that I must applaud -- they joined the ranks of Mac developers creating Automator-able applications. When you do a search in Automator for "Microsoft," it will reveal all of the Automator actions that ship with Microsoft Office 2008. There is lots of great stuff included, so we'll be covering some of it in this four part Mac Automation series. I will take you through how to automate each of the Microsoft Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage.First off, let's take a look at what you can automate in Word 2008. Doing a search for "Word" in Automator will display the available actions for Microsoft Word. As you can see, there are plenty of actions that you can automate. For this how-to, we'll focus on a workflow that does the following: Creates a new document Sets document properties Gathers text from the clipboard Places a watermark in the document Saves the document Prints the document Continue reading to learn how to create this workflow.Continue reading Mac Automation: automating Microsoft Word 2008Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPhone guns for PSP and DS market share as Gameloft commits
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Portable Audio, Portable Video While Apple continues to market the iPhone as a 3-in-1 device -- web, phone, and iPod -- it's clear that Jobs has a 4th market clearly in his sights. It's no accident that EA and Sega were both selected to demonstrate their skills with the iPhone SDK during last week's press event. Now Gameloft, the worldwide number one mobile game publisher in terms of revenues -- has committed to developing games for the iPhone. "Over 15 titles" are expected in 2008, in fact. Oh iPhone, is there anything you can't do with your 3D processor, multi-touch display, and 3-axis accelerometer? Oh right, GPS, 3G data, corporate Exchange, A2DP Bluetooth audio, MMS, ... you get the idea. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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MP7 phone makes MP3 feel totally insignificant
Filed under: Cellphones We've seen phones that push the boundaries of chintziness, but this newfangled MP7 phone really shows what humans are capable of when they've no motivation to assemble a decent product. Granted, most everything here is lost in translation, but the blatant "Blue tooth" logo on the front pretty much sets it up for disaster. Nevertheless, this GSM handset reportedly comes in silver or black and features a 320 x 240 touchscreen display, a 1.3-megapixel camera, built-in FM tuner and support for some form of mobile TV along with the elusive "MP7" format. Best of all, this marvelous gem of handset engineering can be had for $599.90 (or a dozen easy payments of $59.99) -- we can hear the N95 cowering from here (or is that laughter?).[Via Saporra] Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The Enterprise and the iPhone
Even as the Apple iPhone has drawn praise for its design and music- and video-playing capabilities, the handset has also borne criticism for what it lacks. Sure, the iPhone looks good and lets users elegantly go from listening to songs to making calls to watching video and surfing the Web. However, from the time it was introduced more than a year ago, detractors immediately wondered: What's the iPhone's appeal for business users? Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs paid heed, and on March 6 the company announced a raft of new features aimed at addressing the needs of would-be corporate clients.
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The Beginning of the iPhone Rebirth
Last week was filled with what could represent the beginning of one of the biggest overall changes to the cell phone market. The short-term change was the announcement of a solid and apparently well-controlled developer platform coupled with the long anticipated Exchange integration announcement. However, bigger than that and longer-term was the announcement of Intel's new Atom platform, which forecasts the death and rebirth of a better iPhone. The product of the week is a first hybrid laptop from Alienware that transforms from a work laptop to a gaming machine.
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McCartney and Apple Ink Deal To Bring Beatles to iTunes - Report
The Beatles may be coming to iTunes. According to a report in the U.K.’s Telegraph, Paul McCartney is expected to deliver the Beatles back catalog for download on Apple’s iTunes.
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Apple's 10 Million iPhone Target
Last summer, around the time that the iPhone was launched, Apple (AAPL) indicated that its aim was to sell 10 million of the sleek handsets in 2008.
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Mac OS Ken: 03.10.2008
ZDNet: No Multi-Tasking for 3rd Party Apps in iPhone SDK / Sun Microsystems Plans Java Virtual Machine for iPhone and iPod Touch / iD Software and Freeverse Jumping on iPhone SDK / Video Poadcast of iPhone SDK Event now on iTunes / AT and T Offers Unlimited Minutes Plan for iPhone in US / BBC iPlayer Makes it to iPhone and iPod Touch / Apple Wins 8 Design Awards at CeBIT 2008 / Samsung + Adidas Takes on Nike + iPod / Sony Exec: Talks with Apple for Blu-ray in Macs / Beatles on iTunes Rumor Reported Again (and Denied Again) / American Idol Features Beatles Songs This Week
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How to: Use your iPhone in Australia
A while back, we showed you a how-to guide on how to use your favorite telephone in Canada (Section 3.2, Surviving moose attacks). Now, we bring you a comprehensive and frequently-updated FAQ and guide on how to use the iPhone down…
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Plug It makes USB adapter cables even more convenient
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets A cable has to have a certain something to cause optical interrupt to these trade-show weary eyes. Then this comes along, the Plug It USB adapter. We doubt it's the "world's smallest" USB charging and data cable as they claim. Nevertheless, it's definitely convenient and small enough to be slung from your keys or even that eyelet found on many mobile devices including most cellphones. At the moment, it's available in a handful of proprietary models for connecting to a wide range of Samsung and Nokia devices. A mini USB version allows it to connect to just about everything else including Blackberrys, cameras, PMPs, MP3 players, etc etc. Well, except that iPod in your pocket. Available now for about €8/$12 -- video demonstration after the break.Continue reading Plug It makes USB adapter cables even more convenient Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Searcheable contacts coming in iPhone firmware 2.0
This may just be the first of many surprises hidden in Apple’s SDK keynote last Thursday. Apple officially announced support for third-party applications, but already there are clues that point to additional features. For example, take a look at the above picture of the contacts…