Jul 1, 2008 Jul 3, 2008 Wednesday July 2, 2008
-
Diablo III
I have been way too busy recently to play any games, but one game that was announced last week has made me long for the days of yore when I could play for hours on end with no thought of responsibilities calling my name. Blizzard Entertainment announced Diablo 3. This third installment of mankind's fight against Diablo picks up the storyline two decades after Diablo 2 ended. It will feature five new character classes and lots of enemies. The 20-minute gameplay video shows a barbarian fending off dozens of beasts that are climbing up walls and coming out of every corner to fight. The graphics are of course beautiful, and Blizzard assures us in the FAQ that “as with all of Blizzard Entertainment's recent releases, Diablo III will ship for both Windows and Mac simultaneously.” There is no word on system requirements for the game, or a release date or price for that matter. It could be a while, as Starcraft 2 was announced over a year ago, and is still waiting for a release date. You can buy Diablo II, which only requires Mac OS 8.1 or higher and a G3, for $19.99 and relive the glory days.
-
Solid-state hard disks don't help battery life
Filed under: HardwareIn an interesting test by the folks over at Tom's Hardware, solid-state drives (SSDs) suck more power than their platter-based counterparts. Why should you care? Because the MacBook Air features an SSD in its higher-end configurations. Tom's looked at four different SSD models, and compared them with a 7,200 RPM disk of the same size. One disk, from Crucial, touted its "low power consumption" in marketing materials. However, the disk reduced its test laptop's battery runtime from seven hours to six hours. Ouch. SSDs are significantly faster, of course, but the idea that they consume less power appears to be false. As manufacturers develop thinner and thinner sub-notebooks, power consumption can only become more and more important. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Ive scores another design award for the iPhone
Filed under: iPhoneApple's Senior VP of Industrial Design Jonthan Ive has won yet another design award, this time for the iPhone. The Mobile Data Association recognizes "those UK companies and individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the uptake and success of mobile data over the last 12 months." Ive won the MDA Personal Achievement Award for the physical "design of the Apple IPhone and its user interface" which "sets the bar very high for all present and future competitors and as such, is shaking the mobile phone industry."You've got to figure by this time Ive is using these kinds of things as doorstops, but it yet another (completely unsurprising and thoroughly deserved) testament to Apple's design leadership. [via Infinite Loop]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Apple updates RAW support with 10.5.4 update
Filed under: Hardware, Peripherals, LeopardThe Mac OS X 10.5.4 update might have made you restart your Mac, but it also added "RAW image support for several cameras." While Apple didn't tell us what these cameras were in Software Update, they did later update the RAW support page for Mac OS X Leopard. According to the page, Apple's update added the ability to use the RAW format on these cameras: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi / Kiss Digital x2 / EOS 450D Epson R-D1 / R-D1s Leaf AFi 7 Leaf AFi 6 Leaf AFi 5 Pentax K200D Pentax K20D Those of you waiting for your SLR camera to be supported under Leopard might have received a surprise in your Mac OS X update.[via ArsTechnica]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Cornerstone passes Versions on the way to yesterday's finish line
Filed under: Software, DeveloperCornerstone made a dashing premier as a full release recently, outpacing the much-anticipated Versions in its development cycle and leaving many of us wondering: why couldn't we have had such polished Subversion clients back when Subversion really mattered? With friendlier and more flexible version control systems like Mercurial and (my recent favorite) Git taking center stage, it just seems odd that two applications devoted to last year's RCS are vying for the spotlight. After a 10 minute tryout, I have to say that Versions, though still in beta, was more intuitive in general. I really, really like the timeline feature in Cornerstone, though, which allows you to Command-click any two points on the timeline and see a diff with the built-in viewer. For basic Subversion-related tasks (and probably more advanced tasks that I didn't delve into yet), both clients are far ahead of what currently exists, both in usability and aesthetics. For those who still have a strong interest in Subversion, and who haven't already sworn allegiance to Versions at some point in the year (plus) we've been waiting for it, Cornerstone just crowded the playing field. You can read more on Cornerstone at the Zennaware website.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Rumor: BestBuy, RadioShack to sell iPhone 3G
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Retail, iPhoneBoy Genius Report is reporting that Apple may allow sales of the iPhone at BestBuy and RadioShack retail stores in the U.S. This, of course, is in addition to it being sold at Apple and AT&T stores. This would be the first time since the iPhone's introduction that a third-party reseller would be able to sell the iPhone. These rumors are definitely unconfirmed at this point so we don't know if this will happen in time for the retail giants to get in on the July 11th introduction sale.[via MacNN]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Elgato says no to voluntary DRM broadcast flags
Filed under: VideoYesterday, I was reading through our sister site TV Squad and saw this post about Broadcast Flags that prevent PCs from recording shows. Broadcast flags, which are signals sent in a digital TV data stream, indicate whether shows should or should not be recorded by third party equipment such as PVRs. Curious, I shot off an email to Nick Freeman of Elgato to see whether my Mac-based EyeTV would block flagged recordings. Turns out that my Macintosh is a libertarian. I can continue recording any shows I receive. Phew. Not only did Nick get right back to me, he put up this handy info page about Elgato's position on broadcast flags: EyeTV doesn't restrict recording. EyeTV (and Elgato's software in general) ignores voluntary DRM, the kind that asks you to shoot yourself in your own foot if you don't mind thankyouverymuch. I was blissfully ignorant of these flags until yesterday. In a world of product placement and in-screen logos, does it really make sense to keep people away from watching your shows? It's not as though I don't get the concept -- a return to appointment television where people go to the bathroom during commercial breaks instead of fast forwarding -- but it just struck me as so incredibly brain-dead in its execution. What a pity that Microsoft chose to support this silliness with Media Center. And bravo to Elgato for deciding not to. What kinds of voluntary DRM can you think up? Let us know in the comments. Mine is broadcast-approved earplugs. Stick them in whenever you encounter sounds that might be copyright.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
.Mac Bookmark webaccess going away July 6th
Filed under: .Mac, MobileMe The above message has been posted to the .Mac Tips website. As you can see .Mac members are being told to sync their .Mac bookmarks to a computer (Mac or PC) by July 6th because web access to bookmarks is no longer going to be supported in MobileMe (.Mac's replacement). The July 6th date is actually a few days later than the one Apple first gave in this KB article (June 30th). It looks like Apple wants to give all .Mac members as much time as possible to get their bookmarks in order.Does this mean we'll see the official launch of MobileMe on the 6th? Probably not, since Apple has stated that MobileMe will be available on July 11, but then again Me.com email is already being properly routed so this might all be part of a soft launch (as they say in the biz).Thanks to everyone who sent this in.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
The iPod Gramophone
Filed under: iPod Family, Odds and endsI like my iPod as much as the next guy (as long as I'm not standing next to Chris Breen, that is. He REALLY likes his iPod, a little too much if you ask me) but I've often found the device not to be 'Olde Timey' enough for me. Thank goodness the thoughtful people at Hammacher Schlemmer are selling The iPod Gramophone for a little less than $500.The iPod Gramophone isn't a fancy set of speakers (we have no need for your woofers nor your tweeters here), but rather a horn to the bottom of which you attach your iPod headphones. Through the power of 'authentic horn acoustics' whatever your iPod is playing can be amplified to up to 55 decibels louder, not to mention the exponential increase in your steampunk street cred.I don't know about you, but I would like to see more accessories making use of authentic horn acoustics.[via bookofjoe]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Adobe Reader 9 released
Filed under: SoftwareAdobe has released version 9 of its Adobe Reader PDF display software. The newest version includes a number of changes including faster launching, "PDF Portfolios" (bundles of PDFs and other document types), native Flash support, and support for the online Acrobat.com beta (through Adobe AIR) with a variety of online PDF services.Adobe Reader 9 is a free download from Adobe and is platform (Intel/PPC) specific.[via Macworld]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Apple, Jobs face new options backdating lawsuit
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Apple FinancialIn another chapter in the scandal surrounding Apple's choice to back-date options granted to key executives (including Steve Jobs), two plaintiffs have filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court against two former executives and members of Apple's board of directors. Apple was sued similarly in 2007 by the New York City Employees' Retirement System, and the case was dismissed. The suit names Steve Jobs, former counsel Nancy Heinen, and board members William Campbell, Millard Drexler, Arthur Levinson, and Jerry York. It contends that the accused intentionally filed false documents, hiding stock option grants to the higher-ups. Apple, in an internal investigation, cleared Jobs of any wrongdoing, leading many to speculate that the company threw Heinen and former CFO Fred Anderson under the proverbial bus to protect the company's image. [Via Macworld.]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Widget Watch: Get Organized for free
Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, Freeware, Widget WatchThose wizards of widgets at iSlayer have come up with yet another really useful tool for the Dashboard. Organized is a free widget with an event calendar, world clock, notes, and to-dos, all of which are synced to iCal and Mail. As with other iSlayer widgets like iStat menus/nano/pro, it is obvious that a lot of thought went into the design of the user interface for Organized. It packs a lot of data into a very small widget and even has a feature I immediately turned on -- the ability to shut off Marker Felt as the default font for Notes. If you download, install, and use Organized, consider sending these guys a donation so they'll continue to develop great stuff for us.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
The Omni Group Gets “Sneaky� With OmniFocus Pre-releases
For all TAB readers interested in getting access to the most cutting edge (dubbed “sneaky peek”) releases of OmniFocus (their task management app) you can sign up for advance notifications via their Sneaky Peak page. The “Omni” apps are well-crafted products and their programmers do their part to make code available to the developer community so folks can use components that work well without having to reinvent the wheel. As a company, they also seem to care about the users of their products given that they went out of their way to cite a review on their blog which contained both praise and pummeling. (D&D fans will also appreciate this entry which explains how to use OmniFocus to manage your 4th edition character sheet). If you use OmniFocus for “getting things done”, drop a note in the comments with what works and what needs improvement.
-
Cocktail for Leopard 4.1.3
Filed under: SoftwareCocktail, the power-user's system housekeeping app, has been updated to version 4.1.3, and now features support for Leopard 10.5.4. The utility lets you enable and disable Spotlight indexing, disk journaling, kiosk mode, and a host of other "undocumented" options for the Finder, Dock, Safari, Mail, and many other applications. In addition to 10.5.4 support, this update fixes a Firefox 3 bookmark bug, a crash while clearing user caches, and an issue where the uninstaller may fail to reset some network settings. Cocktail 4.1.3 requires Leopard, and is universal binary. The update is free to registered users, and a single user license is $14.95 (with other licensing options available). Earlier versions of the app for Tiger and Panther are also available for download.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
TUAW Poll: What are you doing with your original iPhone?
Filed under: Analysis / OpinionAfter looking over the iPhone 3G information here on TUAW and on the AT&T website yesterday, I started thinking about what my wife and I should do with our "old" original iPhones. Without a SIM and phone service, the original iPhone essentially becomes an iPod touch. You can still update it to the new software when it arrives, you can use it with Wi-Fi in your home, and you can use it to watch video and listen to tunes. By keeping the old iPhone as an iPhone touch, I can get rid of some of the old iPods I have scattered around the house. What are you going to do with your iPhone after July 11th? View PollPermalink | Email this | Comments
-
iTunes 101: Batch Edit iTunes Video Types
I recently ripped a few seasons of my favorite TV shows from DVD's to MP4's so I could put them on my iPhone for when I travel; however, when I imported them into iTunes they imported as movies, not TV shows. No big deal I thought, I would just select all, hit ⌘ + i and change them all at once. To my horror and dismay, when I tried to batch change the video type the option wasn't available…are you kidding me Apple? After a quick Googling I ended up at Doug's Applescripts for iTunes site and found the following script: Set Video Kind of Selected v3.1 “This script will change the video kind property of the selected tracks to your choice of “Movie”, “Music Video” or “TV Show”. Additionally, “Show Name”, “Season Number”, and “Episode Number” can also be set or cleared for each selected track.” After you download it, just follow the instructions for the install. If you are successful you will have a new menu bar icon that looks like a scroll: To use the script to change the video type to TV show: Select all the TV shows you would like to edit (⌘ + a - select all) Click the scroll and select “Set video kind of selected” A box will pop up allowing you to edit: Video Kind, Show Name, Season Number, Episode Start Number Select Video Kind and then click the “edit” button Another pop up box will appear. Select “TV show” from the list and hit the “ok” button After a few seconds or minutes (if you have a lot of videos) all your video types will be changed to the correct video type. Enjoy!
-
SlimKey 2 keyboard stand adds USB hub
Filed under: Accessories, iMacMacessity, makers of the LowKey stand we covered a while back, has released version 2 of their SlimKey keyboard stand adding a USB hub on the right side. Basically the SlimKey is a steel shelf designed to hide Apple's slim keyboards under your iMac or LCD monitor so as to conserve desk space when you're not typing. The newest version incorporates a 4-port powered USB 2.0 hub on the right rear for a mouse and other USB peripherals. Personally, I find this design rather more aesthetically pleasing than the LowKey which puts the USB hub in front.The SlimKey V2 is available for pre-order $64.99 and will be shipping on July 21. They also still have the SlimKey version 1 without the USB hub for $39.99.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
What Are the iPhone Apps?
The iPhone App Store will be big news, but Apple is keeping the contents of the store under wraps until July 11.
-
PC Tools iAntiVirus aims to be Mac specific
Filed under: Software, Security, Beta BeatWith the recent trojan scare PC Tools' timing for the beta release of iAntiVirus for Mac could hardly be better. While there are a variety of anti-virus applications for the Mac, iAntiVirus seems to be especially designed to reduce resource usage by simply ignoring virus signatures for Windows. The idea is that your Mac is immune to Windows viruses so why waste memory, etc. scanning for them? Otherwise iAntiVirus is pretty conventional with a menubar interface and real-time scanning.In some ways I'm of two minds about this approach. It's true that I don't allow any Windows boxes on my home network so having a Mac-only solution makes sense. However, by not scanning for non-Mac viruses it's possible that your Mac might unwittingly pass along a virus or trojan by email, etc. I run an Enterprise version of Sophos provided by my University and I've been surprised by how many Windows virus signatures it has picked up on my machine from various downloads.iAntiVirus is a free download, but virus definitions and updates are $29.95 for one year.[via Macworld]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
iChat timestamps are more exact than you think
It's nice the way iChat occasionally inserts timestamp status messages to let you know when events happened within the conversation, but sometimes you want to know exactly when who said what. When you do, just hover over the speech bubble to see a handy display:
-
Chessmaster 9000 finally goes Universal
Filed under: Gaming, Universal BinaryI thought Adobe and Microsoft were bad, but Feral Interactive has just released a patch for Chessmaster 9000 that brings Universal Binary status to the well known chess application. Other changes in version 1.1.2 include support for the latest MacBooks with Intel X3100 graphics. So now you can finally try the Queen's gambit on your Intel Mac without the distaste of Rosetta.The 1.1.2 Universal patch is a free download from Feral. Chessmaster 9000 retails for about $40.[via MacNN]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Current iPhones Keep Cheaper Plan on Reactivation
Glenn Fleishman: You won’t pay a 3G rate for a 2G iPhone with a new service plan, AT&T confirmed for me today. This should be good news to anyone looking to either sell their so-called 2G iPhone when they upgrade to an iPhone 3G, or for those looking to buy (or beg) the older iPhone model without paying a fee for bandwidth they can’t use. ★
-
WWDC '08: Boinx + TheCodingMonkeys = BoinxTV
Filed under: Multimedia, How-tos, WWDC, Developer We heard from TheCodingMonkeys last week, and there was mention of a joint project with Boinx Software. Being a big fan of Boinx software (iStopMotion, Mousepose, Fotomagico), I couldn't wait to see what they had up their sleeves. The project is called BoinxTV, and it's going to be an invaluable tool for a wide range of video production applications. It allows for on-the-fly camera switching, transitions, lower thirds, graphics, logos, crawlers, graphs, title, you name it. And when you finish a run, you've got a QuickTime movie that requires no post production (unless you really want to). Oliver and Dominik share more about its audience and development in the video after the jump. If you're interested in hearing more about the beta and staying up-to-date on the current status, check out http://www.boinx.com/boinxtv. I've been asked to emphasize that BoinxTV is pre-release. Many aspects of it, including the UI pictured above, are constantly changing and improving. [Viddler link|QuickTime format]Continue reading WWDC '08: Boinx + TheCodingMonkeys = BoinxTVRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
AllBookmarks in your menubar
Filed under: FreewareAllBookmarks is a simple, free menubar application from the makers of 1Password. Basically it gives you one-click access to all your Safari, Firefox, OmniWeb, Camino and Flock bookmarks as well as your 1Password Bookmarks (if you have 1Password installed). The interface includes a live search box, though it doesn't seem to work as well as I would like. Nonetheless, it's relatively easy to navigate the hierarchical menus.AllBookmarks is a free download from Agile Web Solutions.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Work around an image movement bug in Word 2008
I was chatting with occasional Hints editor Kirk McElhearn this morning, trying to figure out a Word 2008 image placement issue related to using the arrow keys to position the image. If you use the arrow keys alone, the image moves in large increments (10 pixels at a time, maybe?). For fine image movement control, Word 2008's help says this: To move an object up, down, or sideways in small increments, click the object, hold down OPTION, and then press an arrow key. However, this didn't seem to work -- holding Option and pressing any arrow key resulted in no movement at all. Yet Kirk had a document he was editing in Word 2008 whose images would move by fine amounts with Option and the arrow keys. When I tried on my local Mac, though, I had no such luck. After some digging on Microsoft's Word Forum, I ...
-
.htaccess, Open Directory, and Leopard Server
I was looking to set up .htaccess on Leopard server, and as I was testing the .htpasswd file I set up for the user (myself), I tried the wrong password and it let me in! It turns out I had used my regular password that's set up through Open Directory. So I deleted the .htpasswd file, and I removed all references to it in the .htaccess file to further test. This is the resulting .htaccess file: AuthName "Server Access" AuthType Digest require valid-user Just by using the above .htaccess file, I am able to login with any user that has an Open Directory account. Nice treat, for me anyway. I'm guessing others will have to add restrictions for users they don't want to have access. [robg adds: I have no way of testing this one...]
-
One possible fix for internet connections that drop out
If you search the Apple Discussion boards you will see a lot of discussions like this one -- they're all about Airport and Ethernet internet connections dropping. I think I have figured out a solution to the problem (I use 10.5.3), as I was having it as well. With certain routers, OS X will choose to use the address of the router as the DNS server's IP address. Therefore, it will first try and contact the router to get DNS info, and only after a while will it find it's way to the net. I had a new MacBook Pro with this issue, as well as a new iMac. The latter fortunately showed the wrong DNS server IP (grey fonts), but the Macbook didn't. The solution is to go in the Network System Preferences panel and select 'Manually' instead of 'Using DCHP'. Then fill in the IP address, subnet mask, router address, and DNS server address. Click 'Advanced' and then go to the 'DNS' tab to verify ...
-
iPhone 101: Headphone issues
Filed under: How-tos, iPhone, iPhone 101Recently, my iPhone was having issues. Specifically, it thought headphones were inserted when they weren't. I first noticed the problem as I was typing and didn't hear that familiar "click" that normally accompanies a key press.I thought I had accidentally toggled the ringer mute button (which I seem to do often), but no, it was set to ring. I inserted some headphones and heard everything - the clicks, music, etc.I placed a call and tried turning the speaker on and off to no avail. Next, I rebooted the phone. No dice. I connected it to my Mac and performed a sync with iTunes and still, there was no sound.I reset the phone by holding down the power button and the home button. Still, there was no sound without headphones. At last, I got a can of compressed air and gave a couple of short blasts into the headphone port. That did it! The phone must have been interpreting the junk that had collected in there over the past year as headphones.A simple solution that, hopefully, will save you some time.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Apple Says “No Thanks� to Intel
Although the speculation was rampant when Apple bought PA Semi earlier this year, Intel made it official: there will not be Intel processors in the iPhone. Intel is preparing more x86 versions of their processors for mobile devices, and “Apple chose not to take that road map at their next generation of platform…That was disappointing,” said Patrick Gelsinger, general manager of the digital enterprise group at Intel. Disappointing is right. Apple plans on selling 10 million iPhones this year, and analysts are predicting that they may sell up to 15 million in 2008! It also means you won't be able to run Windows Mobile on your iPhone anytime soon. I was really hoping for Boot Camp on the future versions of iPhone. [Via Forbes]
-
Rolando: A different iPhone game
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, iPhone, App StoreHere we go. You guys sounded really jaded on the comments for the kart racing game, so here's an iPhone game that might actually break some new ground. It's called Rolando -- Simon Oliver is the developer, and he sent us a tip and the trailer above, and if you're looking for some fun and innovation in iPhone gaming, here you go. It looks kind of like a cocktail of LocoRoco, Lemmings, Kirby's Canvas and Katamari Damacy all mixed together with some iPhone originality for good measure. With a mix like that, you can't go wrong.Simon tells us it's a "physics-based platform/puzzler.". He says that there will be four different worlds in the game, with ten levels each, including boss levels and bonus stages, and while it's not seen in the video, there might be a little accelerometer action as well. There are a few different versions of the little circular guys, called Rolandos (the King Rolando, with the crown in the video, has to be moved around by the others, for instance), as well as various implements throughout the levels that can be controlled directly. Simon's aiming to get it in the App Store by August, and while pricing hasn't been finalized, he's thinking $9.99 sounds good.Don't like kart racing on the iPhone? As long as we can get a few good original games looking as good as this one does, you may not have to worry.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Mac 101: Eliminate shadows in screen grabs
Filed under: OS, Mac 101Sharing screen grabs and screencasts is a great way to show someone exactly how to do something with their Macs. You've got several choices for screencast software (here's a list of posts in our screencast category), but snapping a simple screen grab is much simpler. Using Apple's Grab application you have a few options: Shift + Command + 3 produces a snapshot of the whole screen Shift + Command + 4 produces a crosshair that you can drag over a specific area of your screen Shift + Command + 4 followed by the space bar turns the crosshair into a camera Number three will let you grab a single window. The problem is that it includes that window's shadow, which you might not want. Fortunately, MacOSXHints has described how to exclude the shadow. A single line typed in the Terminal will get the job done.That's great and all, but for some real fun, take a screenshot of a collegue's desktop, move all his desktop icons onto his hard drive, set your screenshot as the desktop image and feign ignorace while he clicks furiously on his "icons." You're welcome.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
MacNotables #826: Dennis Sellers on MacMinute's Evolution, the Macsimum Podcast and WWDC Announcements
Dennis Sellers comes out of hiding to discuss how his site, MacsimumNews, will serve as an alternative for readers of the now-offline MacMinute.com, due to the passing of Stan Flack, and why he decided to jump into the podcast fray and produce the Macsimum Podcast. Dennis also provides his thoughts on the WWDC announcements, including the future of the iPod, Snow Leopard and more. (more…)
-
Mac OS Ken: 07.02.2008
iPhone US Price Plans Announced (Oh Boy! More Expensive!) / Contract Free iPhones Still âLockedâ to AT and T / Apple and AT and T Post iPhone 3G Videos / Lehman Brothers: AT and T iPhone Subsidy as High as $550 / O2 SMS: 1 iPhone Per Person / Jobs, Anderson, and Heinen Sued (Again) Over Backdated Options / Net Applications: Mac OS X Hits New High at 7.95% / Warner Joins Nokia âComes with Musicâ Plan / product (RED) to Launch Music Service This Fall / iTunes U Adds K-12 Content for Students and Teachers / Ive Honored By Mobile Data Association