Jun 23, 2008 Jun 25, 2008 Tuesday June 24, 2008
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Do Not Use iTunes to Make Bombs!
One of favorite random sites to read is Freakonomics. There is always something that I never thought of before on there, and today was no exception. They pointed out a clause in the iTunes license agreement that puts a damper on weekend plans. It says that you can't use iTunes for anything illegal: …including, without limitation, the development, design, manufacture, or production of nuclear missiles or chemical or biological weapons. I don't really know how anyone would use iTunes to make a bomb. Maybe this means that you can't listen to iTunes while you are making it. That makes sense. The other warning they pointed out is that you can't use iTunes in any system that is used to keep people from dying: The Apple software is not intended for use in the operation of nuclear facilities, aircraft navigation or communication systems, life support machines, or other equipment in which the failure of the Apple software could lead to death, personal injury, or severe physical or environmental damage. This is understandable because you wouldn't want to have iTunes crash your life-support system and cause something to happen. I would be furious at the person who was rocking out to iTunes on the computer that was controlling a loved one's life support equipment.
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Mad man, Deke McClelland, drops 101 Photoshop Tips in Five Minutes
If you can keep up with the frenetic pace, Deke McClelland will teach you over 101 Photoshop Tips in Five Minutes... seriously. Most of the tips are key-command explanations but there are indeed a few gems hidden in amongst the rest. [read more at MacMerc.com]
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Jungle Disk 2.0 learns to share
Filed under: SoftwareJungle Disk, one of the slickest ways to access your Amazon S3 account, has officially updated to version 2.0. I have two words to say: compatibility and bucket. Compatibility buckets are by far my biggest cause for celebration. You see, I have a disorder that doesn't allow me to do things with just one utility or application, I have to make use of every tool available. I guess it's similar to more mechanically inclined folks who fetishize power tools. I digress. The long and short of it is that compatibility buckets no longer store my files in a flat, proprietary file system. Not only does this mean other tools can access my Jungle Disk buckets, I now have the ability to move and rename files, which I didn't previously. Upgrading your buckets to the new format is optional, and in my experience can ruffle a few feathers if you use it in a shared environment. For reasons noted previously, I was willing to take the flak. I've only toyed with -- but never used seriously -- the offsite backup features of Jungle Disk. I would say from my brief forays, though, that they rival CrashPlan's abilities. As noted by our friends at the Download Squad, the interface is much nicer now on every platform (Jungle Disk is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux -- there's even a USB version). There are also new command-line tools included, which is great for scripting and automation. If you use Amazon S3, or if you're looking for cheap and massive storage options, Jungle Disk has officially become worth looking at, in my book. The release notes shed light on quite a few improvements I've neglected to mention. The program is $20 and is a one-time purchase with free upgrades for life. You get licensed versions for Windows, Mac and Linux, and free reign to install on as many machines as you like with a single license. For $1/month more, you can get Web-based file access, block-level file updates and upload resume features. The storage pricing itself is direct from Amazon and runs about 15 cents per gig with additional charges for transfers ($0.10/gig upload, $0.17/gig download). Jungle Disk is free to try.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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I'll take Freeverse games for $300, Alex
Filed under: Gaming, SoftwareThose wacky and industrious people at Freeverse, developers of games and apps for Mac, PC, consoles, and iPhone, announced two new Mac games based on the classic TV game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Wheel of Fortune Deluxe features 2,000 puzzles created by the TV show writers, a very realistic game stage, and a road-trip mode where you play in venues across the USA. Vanna White is not included (probably due to her successful lawsuit against Samsung). You can win "valuable prizes" like trophies and virtual cash with which to amaze your virtual friends.If you're a fan of more cerebral game shows, you'll love Jeopardy! Deluxe. The TV show writers came up with over 3,000 clues, and the game has very realistic play including Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy! questions.There's a multiplayer mode so you can play against up to three of your friends.To try out these games on your Mac, you can download demos from the Freeverse website for free. The games are $19.95 each.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Red Sweater updates Black Ink
Filed under: SoftwareIf you enjoy "the crosswords" (as my uncle says, singular or plural), Daniel Jalkut at Red Sweater Software has updated Black Ink to 1.1 (and then again to 1.1.1). Black Ink helps you download, print, and solve crossword puzzles from a variety of internet sources. The new version dramatically improves puzzle printing quality, and includes general fixes and stability improvements. You can view release notes on the Black Ink website. Black Ink is $24.99, and is available as a free 30-day trial. It's universal binary, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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★ Android Expectations
The new issue of Wired has a nice 5,000-word piece by Daniel Roth offering a behind-the-scenes look at Google Android. More about Google’s (and their Android team’s) motivation and goals than about specific details of the platform, but interesting. One thing I should make clear, given some of the email I’ve gotten this week, is that I’m rooting for Android, big-time. My obsession is with wonderful, thoughtful software and gadgetry. I love the iPhone because it’s fucking amazing, not because it’s from Apple. It’d be fantastic if even one Android-based phone is as good or better than the iPhone. And Android’s “code what you want to code, install what you want to install” openness is a fascinating contrast to Apple’s tightly controlled iPhone software platform. If things work out ideally with Android, it’s easy to imagine how Android, as an overall platform, could wind up being better than the iPhone, or at least could force Apple to open the iPhone software platform further. But that’s an enormously big if. The big advantage Apple has with the iPhone is that they control the entire product, top to bottom. The case, the chipsets, the OS, the user interface. Apple knows exactly what the screen will look like when a brand new iPhone is turned on for the first time. Google’s dependence on hardware and carrier partners puts the final product out of their control — and into the control of companies whose histories have shown them to be incompetent at design and hostile to users. I’d be happy to be proven wrong, but my hunch is that the only way we’ll see an iPhone-caliber Android phone is if Google does what they’ve said they’re not going to do, which is to design and ship their own reference model “gPhone”. That doesn’t mean Android won’t still be successful in some sense if it remains on its current course, but that I don’t expect it to be successful in the “holy shit is this awesome!” sense that the iPhone is. I have high hopes for Android, but my expectations are pretty low.
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Office 2004 users not forgotten, 11.5.0 released today
Filed under: SoftwareOK, you aren't running the latest and greatest version of Microsoft Office for Mac -- does that make you a bad person. No! You deserve updates too, just like the new stuff does. Along with Office 2008 12.1.1 sliding out the door today, Office 2004 11.5.0 is available, and it addresses the following pain points: Adds read/write compatibility for Open XML Format (.docx, .xlsx, etc.) files if installed with the Open XML Format Converter Better stability and printing/page setup fixes for Word Better paste compatibility with Office 2008 for all apps Powerpoint fixes for stability with large documents The full rundown is in the continuation of the post and over at Microsoft's support site. The download weighs in at 59 MB.Thanks, Laurie! Continue reading Office 2004 users not forgotten, 11.5.0 released todayRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Office 2008 for Mac updated to 12.1.1
Filed under: SoftwareMicrosoft has released a "critical" Office 2008 update, 12.1.1, which "contains several improvements to enhance stability and performance." Several issues are fixed with the updates, including charting problems, Entourage crashing when the computer wakes from sleep, and issues regarding converting documents to and from the Open XML Format. A complete list of improvements is available in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. The update can be installed via Microsoft AutoUpdate (accessible by choosing "Check for Updates" in any Office application's Help menu) or from Microsoft directly. The update is a 153MB DMG file, and is available in 11 languages. Thanks, Tommy!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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How to Protect Yourself From the New Mac OS X Trojans
Rich Mogull for TidBITS: I almost avoided writing this story since I hate to add to the hype of low-risk threats like this. While I don’t doubt for a second that we’ll see serious Mac (and iPhone) security threats in the future, this one is pretty low on the list of things to worry about, especially if you don’t make a practice of downloading random software from unknown developers. But unlike many other Mac vulnerabilities, this one has already been weaponized and is starting to appear in the wild. ★
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Brian Krebs on Trojan Toolkit Based on ARDagent Security Hole
Leopard’s ARDagent — the background process that handles Apple Remote Desktop access — has a security hole, where it allows arbitrary AppleScripts to run as root, and, since AppleScript can execute shell scripts, arbitrary shell code to run as root too. Brian Krebs has uncovered proof-of-concept code that takes advantage of the hole. ★
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Unpatched Flaw In Apple Remote Desktop Brings About Trojans & Community Fixes
Much ado has been made this week regarding the recent Apple Remote Desktop Root Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. The short story is that there is a flaw in a piece of software that Apple ships & installs with every Leopard instance which enables a local user to run scripts with root privileges (meaning they can do anything on the system). As you may have read, this flaw is not capable of being exploited remotely, but multiple variants of a new Trojan (dubbed “AppleScript-THT”) are floating around the internets which wreak all sorts of havoc on your system once infected. Some install keystroke logging, usurp your iSight camera to take pictures or even capturing screenshots (some do much worse). The Washington Post has a great blog post which gives a great amount of detail on the problem and even mentions a few solutions. The quickest way (until Apple releases a patch) to protect yourself is to open up a Terminal window and enter the following text: osascript -e 'tell app "ARDAgent" to do shell script "chmod 0555 /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/ARDAgent"'; If that was successful, then you should not see “root” when you paste this into the Terminal window: osascript -e 'tell app "ARDAgent" to do shell script "whoami"'; SecureMac has updated MacScan to account for these new beasts and DAT updates from other vendors are forthcoming. Until Apple releases a patch and you install it be very careful what you download and execute, both from your browser or chat clients. If you have any questions or concerns, please drop a note in the comments and I will monitor this thread closely over the coming days to try to help as much as possible. Watch for a TAB post when Apple issues a fix.
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Evernote + Screencast ready for prime time and paid use
Filed under: Software, Video, Internet ToolsTwo of my preferred Mac-friendly cloud services have now made the jump to actually accepting money from subscribers, which is a good thing (really, it is!). TUAW favorite Evernote has moved from private to public beta, and Techsmith video hosting site Screencast.com is now at 1.0 release status. Both services are now offering trial/free plans alongside their premium plans for paid subscribers.The Screencast.com site is already integrated with the free Jing Project capture tool for Mac and the pro-level (and, at least for the moment, Windows-only) Camtasia Studio app; you can also upload screencasts that you create with almost any tool you like (including ADA multi-winner Screenflow) in a variety of formats for hosting on the service. Selecting which of your screencasts to share and which to password-protect is very easy, and the service automatically sets up RSS and iTunes feeds for the folders you choose to make public.The 60-day trial account includes 200 MB of storage and a 1GB transfer limit; paid plans start at $6.95 a month.Evernote's private beta grew to include over 125,000 users (ahem), and the new public beta includes an option for a $5/month premium user plan that increases your monthly transfer quota/new note cap from 40 MB to 500 megabytes, SSL for all data, priority access to the text-recognition queues and tier 1 customer support. Plus you get a snazzy t-shirt while supplies last (pink elephants on parade!). The web interface to Evernote has also gotten a facelift, with full drag-and-drop support and an improved clipper feature. Can't say yet if they've fixed the session timeout issue that ate a long note my wife was writing last night, but I surely hope so.In a conversation a couple of weeks back, Evernote CEO Phil Libin shared some future directions for the product with us as well as a couple of tips from his personal use of Evernote. First, what many are waiting for will be coming very soon: a native iPhone client for Evernote (shipping shortly after the App Store opens), including one-button publishing to Evernote and location tagging for every item you create from your phone, like a trail of breadcrumbs leading you back to that favorite restaurant or bargain spot. (Phil's tip: whenever he parks his car at the airport, he takes a picture of the parking spot and sends it to Evernote to help jog his jetlagged brain.)Second, the upcoming platform-wide features for Evernote will soon include more granular controls on publishing and sharing, a revamped Windows client, Evernote for Blackberry, and audio notes. (Phil's tip: he uses Evernote notebooks to share collections of photos or screenshots, like this accidental poetry from CNN rundown.) Later this summer we should expect to see the first public release of the Evernote API, which will permit third-party devs to add features to the service (personally I'd love to have a business card postprocessor tool, which Libin sees as a good 3rd party opportunity). Other future features are yet to be publicly disclosed, but Libin hinted that the image-processing power of Evernote's servers may be bent to teasing out specific features of photographs. Faces? Product barcodes? Geotagged landscapes? Can't wait to find out. Meanwhile, the free Mac version of Evernote (read Brett's original review here) is downloadable at evernote.com.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Adam Engst on Firefox 3
For Mac users, Firefox 3 seems to be a polarizing release. Some, like Andy Ihnatko, simply love it. Others, like Johan Sanneblad, can’t get past its “better than Firefox 2, but still ersatz” non-native UI. I fall somewhere in-between. Adam Engst seems to, too, and his seems like a balanced review. ★
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AOL Shopping settles Mac vs. PC debate?
Filed under: Switchers, Odds and ends The fine folks at AOL Shopping, in their infinite wisdom, have summarized a quarter-century of debate in their feature on whether you should buy a Mac or a PC. The bottom line? "You should buy a PC, if you already own a lot of PC software that you want to continue using. [...] If you want to do artistic work on your computer (photography, video editing, graphic design), you'll find Macs much more intuitive." Of course, that glosses over the fact that Apple makes excellent Windows PCs that will happily run your legacy Win32 applications. Still, this seems almost reasonable, until you get to this (practically throwaway) sentence: "If money is not an issue, go with a Mac." Yeah -- 1991 called, and they want their talking point back. Study after study has shown that the total cost of ownership of a Mac is less than that of a comparable PC. This includes post-purchase factors like software, repairs, and upgrades. Agreed: the up-front price is higher (in many cases), but over time, you spend less money owning a Mac. AOL Shopping suggests the opposite is true, simply due to Microsoft's sluggish OS release schedule. Having to update your OS once every seven years, to them, is less costly than upgrading every year or so. They neglect to consider the cost of your time in support calls and aggregate ease-of-use savings. Even so, if their poll is any indication, two thirds of their readers still plan on buying a Mac. Disclaimer: AOL is the parent company of Weblogs, Inc. and TUAW.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Fortune Magazine: Possible Jobs Successors
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple CorporateFortune on CNN/Money.com has a rogue's gallery of photos online today. The gallery features 11 executives at Apple, each of whom is considered in one way or another to be a possible candidate to replace Steve Jobs if he steps down.My personal favorites for "The Next Steve" are Ron Johnson (Senior VP, Retail) or Scott Forstall (Senior VP, iPhone Software, pictured at right). Why? Johnson is charismatic and has established Apple as a retail powerhouse. Forstall, because he is as anal as Jobs about interface design and kinda looks like "I'm a Mac" actor Justin Long.After you take a look at the article, come back to TUAW and vote for your favorite candidate for the next Apple CEO. View PollRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mac 101: Finder filename sorting
Filed under: Mac 101The neat-freaks among us (myself included) enjoy keeping things in their particular place and order. When making a folder of files, sometimes I want items to fall outside their alphabetical order -- for instance, often I like to have a special folder that's always at the top of a list. The easiest way to do that is to name your folders with a symbol as the first letter in the file or folder name: like a space, an underscore ( _ ), or a tilde ( ~ ). Mac OS X determines the order of these special characters using your language settings in the International pane in System Preferences. The names of files and folders in Mac OS X can use almost any character out of thousands of Unicode characters, which include symbols, arrows, and icons as well. There are only two characters you can't use: one is the colon (because it's used by the system). You also can't usually use periods (or full stops) as the first character in a file name (because they're reserved for hidden files). Also, as far as Mac OS X is concerned, the folder name "AARON" is the same as the folder name "Aaron" (or "aaron" for that matter): this is called case insensitivity. Mac OS X filenames are considered case insensitive. After the jump, a list of 112 common, easy-to-type characters, and how they're sorted by Mac OS X for English. Continue reading Mac 101: Finder filename sortingRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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To Pro or not to Pro?
At my day job, we are getting new computers for everyone, and I weaseled my way into a position to have some input on the process. I have heard nothing but rave reviews of MacBook Pros and I was sure this would be my chance to get one. There are other people in the company that have MacBook Pros and certainly do not use them as well as they could (one guy only uses his for Entourage and Internet Explorer:Mac)! As I sat down to start pricing it out, I knew that I would only be able to get the base model. So, I compared the MacBook Pro with a souped-up white MacBook to see if it was really worth it to get a Pro. The first thing you need to do when preparing to purchase a new computer is determine how it will be used. That will go a long way in determining if it is worth it to buy the more expensive model. Besides the basic email and web surfing, I need a computer that can handle a large library of photos, music, and video. In addition, I will do a fair amount of video calling using Skype or iChat. I also use Delicious Library for managing all of my books and gadgets. I will do some video editing, but certainly not a lot. Many of these needs are satisfied by any of Apple's computers. I am not a photographer or videographer, and my livelihood does not depend on the speed and ability to handle 15 programs open at once. At the same time, however, I do a lot of presentations and I can't have my computer freezing up because I have too much open. When compared side-by-side, there is not much difference. Here are the things that are exactly the same: Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 3MB shared L2 cache 2GB (two SO-DIMMs) RAM standard expandable up to 4GB Hard Drive (they both can have 250 GB hard drives at 5400 rpm though the MacBook starts out at 160) 8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) Built-in iSight camera Mini-DVI video out Built-in AirPort Extreme (802.11n) Built-in Bluetooth 2.0 (2.1 on MacBook Pro) + EDR 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet Combined optical digital/audio out, combined optical digital/audio line in, microphone, speakers Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port Glossy screen That is a lot of important stuff that is the same. What is better on the MacBook Pro? NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM compared to an integrated graphics card on the MacBook Resolution 1440 x 900 pixels Full-size, illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor; Multi-Touch trackpad One FireWire 800 port, one ExpressCard/34 slot One inch thick Up to 5 hours wireless productivity (vs 4.5 hours on MacBook) I am sure this list of things that are better is debatable, but I think most would agree with most of the items. What is better on a MacBook? (Again, these are probably debatable, especially the screen-size.) Smaller screen means I am not opening up a monster on my lap in a meeting Lighter weight (5.0 lbs compared to 5.4, not much lighter, but still) because of smaller screen Personally, I like the keyboard better I will be purchasing iWork '08 and a MobileMe subscription. When I priced these computers out, the price came to $2197 for the MacBook Pro and $1547 for the MacBook. The biggest thing that stands out as making the Pro better is the video card. However, I just don't know if that video card is worth the $650 price difference. Multi-Touch would be nice, but again, not worth the price tag. Would I pay more for battery life? Maybe, but I don't think the battery life is drastic enough for it to be a major player. In addition, even if I upgrade through Apple to 4GB RAM, the MacBook is still $450 less than the MacBook Pro. That may be a better place to spend my (employer's) money. So, unless there are some compelling reasons that you have, I don't see how it is better to get the Pro for my needs. What do you say? Would you persuade me one way or the other? Also, are there any other killer features that I may have missed?
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Time to Kick GM Out of the Dow
GM’s market value is just $7.5 billion, the lowest, by far, of any of the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. By comparison, Cisco’s market value is $145 billion and Apple’s is $153 billion — which means they’re each worth about 20 times more than GM. ★
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Mod: use your MacBook Air Superdrive on any machine
Filed under: Peripherals, Hacks, MacBook AirIf you've got a MacBook Air SuperDrive and you've been hankering to use it with other computers (Mac or PC), tnkgrl over at tnkgrl Mobile has a solution. With a $9 part and some intestinal fortitude, you too can make your MBA Superdrive universally compatible. Using the drive with other computers has been a desire from its inception. After some experimentation, tnkgrl found that simply replacing the IDE to USB bridge within the drive did the trick. Of course, that means removing the daughter-board and relocating the 12 MHz crystal. For an experienced hardware hacker, no sweat. For the average Joe, well, it's quite obviously an at-your-own-risk situation. Check out the post at tnkgrl Mobile for the details.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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TV shows added to Australia iTunes Store
Filed under: iTS, Multimedia, iTunesThe Australian iTunes Store has become the latest to offer television programming for purchase.Shoppers will notice that pricing is standard across all shows at $2.99 AUS per episode. There are no season passes available as of this writing, and several American shows, like Lost, Pimp My Ride (we're sorry), Hannah Montana (we're really sorry) and Scrubs (we're indifferent) are available along side Australian shows like Sleek Geek and We Can Be Heroes. ABC Studios, Disney, MTV, Nine Network and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation are represented in iTunes.[Via MacNN]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Logitech releases Mac-only webcam; cats, dogs reported living together
Filed under: Hardware, VideoApologies to Dr. Peter Venkman, but it's hard to believe that it's taken this long for a webcam vendor to encroach on the vacuum left by the discontinued iSight, even though we have hints that a new model of the Apple camera might be on the HD horizon. Logitech has now announced the QuickCam Vision Pro for Mac, featuring "premium autofocus technology and Carl Zeiss(R) optics." No word on whether the camera will feature fine Corithinan leather or Posi-traction, but there's hope.Seriously, though, the camera does offer a voice coil motor for autofocus, RightLight exposure technology and a 2 megapixel sensor; this should allow for VGA-quality (640x480) videoconferencing and 720p HD (960x720) local video recording. Snazzy! Logitech expects to ship the unit in July for an SRP of $130.[via Engadget]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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How to Transfer Firefox Bookmarks and Other Settings
If you are switcher with one foot still in the proverbial grave and haven't entirely let go of your PC, this article is for you. In my profession, I tend to change computers a lot. Thankfully, I get Macs. We gave away our PC to a friend, and needed to save my wife's bookmarks on my MacBook, until we get a replacement. On a Mac, it is very easy to transfer all of your personalized preferences from one computer to another. Going from a PC to a Mac takes a few more steps, and you can't transfer everything as easily. I usually only want to save my preferences when I get a new computer, just because I like fresh installs of all my software. I know it is a lot easier to use Apple's Migration Assistant, but this is how I roll. To get everything from one Mac to another, all you do is go to [username]/Library/Application Support/Firefox and copy the entire Firefox folder to your new computer. You can do this with any application you have on your computer. It copies all of your information, preferences, plugins, and history. Very slick. From a PC to a Mac, I could not find a way to export everything from Firefox to my Mac. I can export the bookmarks, but that is it. My wife wasn't too happy about that. All she really cared about were her bookmarks, though. When you tell Firefox to import from the file menu, it only asks to import all your preferences from Safari. You can do that if you have been using Safari, but it is better to go to the Bookmarks menu, choose “Organize Bookmarks…” You will want to click the “Refresh Favorites” or settings button, and choose import HTML. Choose your bookmarks.html file, and it will import the PC Firefox bookmarks. Or, just as easily, use the File->Import Bookmarks in Safari and import them into Safari, and then you can get all your Safari bookmarks and your PC Firefox bookmarks in one fell swoop.
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Last day to buy MacHeist Bundle
Filed under: Software, DealsToday is the last day to buy the much coveted MacHeist application bundle. MacHeist has decided to sweeten the deal by unlocking SoundStudio early and offering $5 off any Insanely Great Tee. If you are a registered member of the MacHeist site you can also get early access to Headline (an RSS reader).The MacHeist Bundle currently includes the following Mac apps: VectorDesigner DEVONthink XSlimmer CoverSutra Awaken iClip Overflow Cha-Ching WriteRoom Enigmo Bugdom 2 Nanosaur 2 TextExpander SoundStudio The MacHeist Bundle costs $49 and 25% of your purchase will be donated to your choice of charity. Currently, MacHeist has sold over 4,000 bundles and raised over $50,000 for charity. You can purchase a bundle at the MacHeist website.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Review:Â Replug
I recently got my hands on an interesting device, the Replug. The design of the Replug is meant to work much like a MagSafe connector does - give it a pull, and it pops out safely. But this is a headphone adapter. If you've ever had your computer yanked to the floor by a tangled headphone cable, or had a jack or port damaged by abuse, you can see the wisdom of this product. How it works The peanut-shaped design has a small bit of rubber in the center, which can easily flex in many angles and directions, allowing for easy movement. The real trick comes when you put significant stress on the plug - at the point where the metal plug is attached to the rubber body - this snaps apart, and safely breaks away. Design Unlike the MagSafe, which is obviously magnetic, you'll notice the Replug uses a mechanical design. It's hard to describe, other than to say a series of prongs on the metallic plug snap into matching rings (in the green part). It has more resistance to overcome than the MagSafe in order to remove it (their web site states “1.5 pounds of lateral pressure”). I personally think the MagSafe is too loose and easy to detach at times, so it's probably a good balance for most situations. I would have liked to have seen a magnetic design of replug, but I can understand how the magnet could pose harm to other nearby devices. The problem I had was not with how it breaks away (that's not an issue), but with how to reattach it. When I “fiddled” with it, it was fun to break apart, but I irritated my fingers (and my patience) trying to push it back together again. If anyone who has a Replug can give me a tip on how to do this quickly and easily, I'd be grateful. All in all I'd say if you're a clumsy type, and want to make sure you don't have an accident involving the headphone port, it's a useful device. It's also incredibly useful to people with pre-3G iPhones, as there is a version of the Replug which can make a great adapter. If you're interested in an extension cord with the same trick, they have some 6-foot long ones available sometime before the end of this month. Replug sells them retail, as well as through their online store. It will set you back about $18.
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Rumor: 10.5.4 due before July 11th
Filed under: OS, Rumors, Software, MobileMeAppleInsider claims to have information on the next point update of Mac OS X Leopard (version 10.5.4). According to AppleInsider, the build number of 10.5.4 is 9E17. They also reported that the beta of 10.5.4 has "no known issues" in its latest build, and that beta testers were asked to focus on AirPort, networking with Windows, Spaces and other frequently used (and often problematic) aspects of OS X. As we reported a while back, OS X 10.5.4 should incorporate support for Apple's new MobileMe web service.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPhone App News Roundup: June 24, 2008
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, SDKw00t! Another batch of iPhone App Store pre-announcements: Jeff at TrouserMac Industries sent a blurb about an upcoming iPhone app that's right up my alley. Brewing Buddy will be free from the App Store after launch and consists of a tool for calculating and refining beer receipes, a brewing helper, and a social recipe sharing application. Bottoms up! [Our esteemed colleague would like to remind everyone that pants-based computing is a registered idea of Erica Sadun Enterprises. -Ed.] TheBarCodeProject is readying TouchWord, an iPhone Holy Bible with sections for notes and an included RSS reader for Christian learning resources. Meanwhile, over in Oxford, Mississippi, Deepak Mantena and TapeShow, LLC are getting ready to release Chores for Mac OS X and a companion app called Chores mobile for iPhone. Deepak says that "all the unnecessary fluff that's in existing productivity tools is eliminated." While it's not an announced app, I loved reader Jack Chance's idea -- "Will someone write some software that turns the 3G iPhone into a bike computer? It should give speed, distance, and store the route so that you can sync with your Mac at home..." A lot of bikers would love this app idea -- go for it, developers! Long-time Palm game developers Seahorse Software are bringing Blackjack Run to the iPhone and iPod touch in July. Advenio, makers of MacGourmet, are bringing a yet-to-be-named recipe application to iPhone. The amazing ApolloIM app will be going legal for all of you IM addicts. Michael Howard at Midnight Martian Software is bringing his 3D OpenGL-based Midnight Mahjong Solitaire to market soon! Send us your announcements of upcoming iPhone App Store goodies, and we'll try to get 'em posted.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments